SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The former home of the Sacramento Kings has been demolished, clearing the way for a new teaching hospital in Natomas.
"A big day for our region. Arco served us well... onward to bringing healthcare and an economic engine to @TheCityofSac (Sacramento)," said Councilmember Angelique Ashby on Twitter.
Sleep Train Arena, also formerly known as ARCO Arena, held more than 4,800 events and hosted nearly 43 million people over roughly three decades.
Demolition on the arena began back in July, starting with the interior before gradually moving onto the walls and roof. Ashby posted a video of the final remnants of the arena collapsing to the ground Wednesday.
The demolition comes after plans were announced for redevelopment in June 2021. The land will eventually become the home of a 13-story teaching hospital for California Northstate University with at least 400 beds.
While the land itself no longer serves as home for the Kings, it's still their land. They've donated 35 acres for the hospital site. The hospital campus will be around 183 acres total.
On Feb. 15, 2022, the Sacramento City Council unanimously voted to approve the zoning and design guidelines for the redevelopment of the site. An additional 12 acres of land on the grounds was also sold to the Natomas Unified School District to build a school.
