Pontiac Silverdome set for demolition in 2016

The Pontiac Silverdome, a suburban Detroit stadium with an inflatable roof that was the home of the NFL's Detroit Lions for more than 25 years, will be demolished.

The roof is long gone, and the interior of the Silverdome has deteriorated due to weather. Owners believe demolition will make the 127-acre site more attractive for redevelopment.

"It is going to come down," said Kristie King of real estate firm CBRE. "We will probably start the demolition process in the spring."

Triple Investment Group of Toronto bought the Silverdome in 2009 from the city of Pontiac for $583,000.

"We are preparing it to be a shovel-ready development project," Robert Mihelich, a vice president at CBRE, told the Detroit Free Press (http://on.freep.com/20e6cUj ). "It's one of the last large tracts of land left in (Oakland County) on the highway."

The property could become a mix of housing, retail and light industrial.

The 80,000-seat Silverdome opened in 1975, about 30 miles north of Detroit. The Lions played there until 2002. The NBA's Detroit Pistons spent a decade in the stadium. Other events included concerts, soccer, Super Bowl XVI in 1982 and a Mass in 1987 by Pope John Paul II.

The Lions now play at Ford Field in Detroit, while the Pistons play at the Palace in Auburn Hills.