(WWJ) It's a long and gradual goodbye as the gradual teardown of Joe Louis Arena continues in Detroit.

Video shot by WWJ Newsradio 950's Charlie Langton on Monday shows progress made since last week when a deconstrtuction crew began removing the stadium's exterior metal panels piece by piece. That process alone -- which will leave the roof, the roof trusses and steel columns exposed, along with the lower bowl of the arena -- is expected to take a couple of months.

Meanwhile, another crew continues to work on demolishing the building's interior from the inside out.

The demolition, which will run the city $10 million, is set to be completed by the end of the year or early 2020.

The Red Wings played at Joe Louis Arena from 1979 through 2017, before moving to the newly-built Little Caesars Arena. In addition to being the home base for four Stanley Cup championships, six Stanley Cup finals, various sporting events and concerts, the arena also hosted the 1980 Republican National Convention.

Once the arena is gone, the city is to hand over the 5-acre site, plus the nearby 3,200-space garage, to its former bondholder, the Financial Guaranty Insurance Co. Tentative "mixed-use development" plans for the site may include office, retail, commercial, recreation, residential, and possibly a riverfront hotel. Nothing is final just yet.

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