Snow causes Mobile Civic Center’s roof to collapse as demolition plan continues

Demolition of the Mobile Civic Center has already started but the crews got a little help — and maybe a little scare — from Mother Nature this week.

A record-breaking winter weather event disrupted life in the city, dropping more than seven inches of snow across Mobile. That snow stacked up on top of the old Civic Center before causing the roof to collapse.

“Earlier this morning, the roof of the Mobile Civic Center collapsed under the weight of excessive snow. The collapse occurred in a manner consistent with the plans for the building’s ongoing demolition. Fortunately, there were no injuries, and the mosaic murals were undamaged.”

~ City of Mobile on Facebook

The good news is there were no injuries + it seems like it won’t impact the demolition plans moving forward. And even more so, it shouldn’t harm the plans for a new Civic Center.

Rebuild plans

The 60-year-old building, a central hub for Mardi Gras balls & activities, will be replaced with a new + improved version.

The Civic Center will no longer be just a venue. The master plan includes utilizing the extra 16 acres of Civic Center land to build:

• Residential Community
• Theater
• Parking garage
• Hotel
• Mixed-use facilities

One big goal is to bring more live events to Mobile. We’re talking Disney on Ice, sports tournaments and concerts. To help with that, the city is now partnering with Live Nation – which handles booking artists like Chris Stapleton, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Stevie Nicks, to name a few.

The city is also handing over management of the Civic Center to a new company – Oak View Group. They will manage the Civic Center, Convention Center & the Saenger Theater in Mobile.

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