Demolition begins in earnest at HSS Center

Demolition has begun on the top floor of 148 39th Street in Brooklyn's Industry City, the first step in the transformation of the space into the Nets training facility, to be known as the Hospital for Special Surgery Center or HSS Center for short.

The space's interior columns must be removed, then the ceiling pushed from 18 feet to 34 feet to accommodate the two courts that the Nets will use in the middle of the 70,000 square foot facility.  The construction of the facility's various elements from the practice courts to the outdoor rooftop lounge will come next.

The entire facility, with an estimated price tag of around $45 million, is scheduled to be completed in time for the opening of Nets training camp in October 2015.  It will be the final move in the Nets journey from New Jersey to Brooklyn.  The Nets will continue to practice at the PNY Center in East Rutherford this season.

In addition to the new basketball courts, the facility will include a weight room, a training pool and two hydro pools, a rooftop entertainment space, an 18-seat multimedia theater, 3,000 square feet of hospitality/players’ lounge space, and a media interview/workroom.  Offices for GM Billy King and Head Coach Lionel Hollins will also be at the center. The team released renderings of the facility's exterior as well as selected interiors and a floor plan on June 26, the morning of the NBA Draft.

The Nets have already begun using the facility in its recruiting pitches for staff and free agents. Billy King brought Bojan Bogdanovic to the HSS Center on Friday.

David Manica, a well known sports architect from Kansas City and Mancini Duffy, a New York firm, are responsible for the design.

• Nets Magazine: Nets unveil new training center (Video) - Sarah Kustok - YES Network