#tbt In Bangor One Door Closes And Another One Opens

Eight years ago this week, Bangor took things to a whole new level.

Everyone in Eastern Maine of a certain age probably has at least one recollection of the Bangor Auditorium. Whether it was a high basketball tournament game, a concert, or the circus, lots of memories were made in the 50 plus years it was a part of the community.

Before the doors opened to the beautiful, Cross Insurance Center, the old one had to go. It all started back on June 3rd, 2013, and we dug up some videos of the demolition of the now iconic building being torn to the ground.

The then new Cross Insurance Center turned about to be everything the old Bangor Auditorium wasn’t. It was huge, clean, comfy and most of all, modern. And with a reported price tag of $65 million dollars, it should be.

I was one of the first to attend an event there, when the Bangor High School graduation ceremonies were held on June 9th, 2013, as kind of a soft opening. There were about 3,500 people there that day, which is about half of the capacity of the 6,000 seat arena. It didn't officially open it's doors to the public until September of that year, so it was cool to get a sneak peek before everyone else did.

The eight year anniversary seems like a million years ago, because so many great events have been held there, and no offense to the old building, but it sure is easy on the eyes, unlike the previous one.