Little Caesars Arena

Little Caesars Arena
Former names Detroit Events Center (working title)[1]
Location Detroit, Michigan
Coordinates 42°20′28.22″N 83°3′17.68″W / 42.3411722°N 83.0549111°W / 42.3411722; -83.0549111Coordinates: 42°20′28.22″N 83°3′17.68″W / 42.3411722°N 83.0549111°W / 42.3411722; -83.0549111
Public transit Sibley Station[2]
Owner Downtown Development Authority[3]
Operator Olympia Entertainment[4]
Capacity 20,000[5]
Construction
Broke ground September 25, 2014[6]
Opened September 2017 (projected)[7]
Construction cost $627 million[8]
Architect HOK[9]
Structural engineer Magnusson Klemencic Associates[10]
General contractor Barton Malow/Hunt/White[11]
Tenants
Detroit Red Wings (NHL) (2017–) (projected)

Little Caesars Arena is an indoor arena under construction in midtown Detroit. Construction began on April 24, 2015 following a formal groundbreaking ceremony on September 25, 2014. The new arena, which will cost $627 million to construct, will succeed Joe Louis Arena as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League.

The arena, which will feature a unique, glass-roofed concourse connecting it to offices and shops surrounding it, and house 20,000 spectators, will anchor a new, $650 million, 650,000-square-foot (60,000 m2) sports and entertainment district in and around downtown Detroit that will include mixed-use neighborhoods with new residential and retail outlets, located around the Cass Corridor, Ford Field, and Comerica Park.

Design

Little Caesars Arena will be designed by HOK, and feature a unique "deconstructed" layout. Buildings housing retail outlets, the arena's box office, and the offices of the Red Wings will be built outside the arena, but a glass roof will be erected between the buildings and the arena itself. The roof will form an indoor "street" that will serve as the arena's concourse.[11] The concourse will remain open year-round, even if an event is not occurring inside the arena, allowing it to also be used as a venue of its own. The eight-story arena will be built as a bowl, with its ice surface 40 feet (12 m) below street level, and a projected seating capacity of 20,000.[5][12] Also planned is a 37,300-square-foot (3,470 m2) practice rink inside the arena.[13]

Christopher Ilitch described the design of the new arena as being "revolutionary", and believes that it may influence future arena designs in other cities.[11][14][15]

History

Comerica Park and Ford Field (pictured) will be incorporated into a "Wildcat Corner" district near the new arena.

In May 2012, it was reported that the Red Wings had hired HKS, Inc. and NBBJ to design a new arena for the team, which would replace the 33-year-old Joe Louis Arena as their home ice.[16] Joe Louis Arena is owned by the City of Detroit and leased to Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Red Wings' parent company, Ilitch Holdings, which has full operational control. In contrast, the new arena will be owned by the city's Downtown Development Authority and its land will be leased to Olympia and the Red Wings rent free for a long term.[3][17] Sales of game tickets, parking, concessions, souvenirs, and any potential naming rights deals will not be subject to revenue sharing with the City of Detroit as they are with Joe Louis Arena. The city earned an average of $7 million per year through these revenue sharing agreements.[18]

In December 2012, Olympia Entertainment officially announced its intention to develop a new district in downtown Detroit composed of offices, residential facilities, and "a new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose events center", with an estimated cost of $650 million.[19] In June 2013, the Downtown Development Authority officially announced the location of the new Detroit Red Wings arena and entertainment district.[20] On July 24, 2013, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved the Downtown Development Authority's request for $650 million in funding.[21] $285 million of the $650 million cost will be public, with $365.5 million in private funding.[20] The arena itself will cost $627 million.[8]

On July 20, 2014, Christopher Ilitch unveiled renderings of the new arena and entertainment district, which will be known as The District Detroit.[1] He explained that the project's goal was to "build out a sports and entertainment district that is world-class and rivals anything in the country, perhaps the world." The district, which will compliment the M-1 Rail Line, will primarily be built on vacant land near the Cass Corridor along Woodward Avenue, and will incorporate five distinct neighborhoods with new residential and apartment units and European-influenced designs. The district will also feature a hotel, new restaurants, and new retail outlets. Olympia Development will fund the refurbishment of public infrastructure around the arena district, such as street lighting, sidewalks, and paving.[14] One of the neighborhoods, referred to by Ilitch as "Wildcat Corner", will incorporate the area occupied by the Tigers' and Lions' home venues of Comerica Park and Ford Field, and replace several parking lots with new apartment complexes featuring street-level retail outlets.[11]

Ilitch emphasized the impact of the arena district project would have on Detroit's economy: the new facilities will result in 1,000 new jobs in the city, and 8,300 new jobs will be created for the construction process—Olympia Developments has committed to having 51% of the construction jobs filled by residents of Detroit. Additionally, two Michigan-based contractors will be among those working on the arena, and 80% of the materials used in the construction of the arena will also be sourced from Michigan-based companies when possible.[14]

A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held at the arena site on September 25, 2014.[6] The arena is scheduled to be completed by September 2017.[7] Following the completion of the new arena, Joe Louis Arena will be demolished, and its former site will be redeveloped into a hotel and retail complex. The sale of the Joe Louis Arena site comes as part of a bankruptcy settlement between the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company and the city of Detroit.[11][22]

On April 24, 2015, mass excavation at the arena site began a few days after Detroit City Council approved a zoning change, allowing vertical construction to officially commence.[23]

On June 10, 2015, the Detroit Historic District Commission approved the demolition of the Park Avenue Hotel to make room for what will be the arena's loading dock.[24] A demolition permit was issued on June 22, 2015. Detroit-based Adamo Demolition was the contractor listed on the permit.[25] Despite protests, the building was imploded on July 11, 2015.[26][27][28][29]

On August 30, 2015, Olympia announced that an estimated 488,000 cubic yards of soil had been excavated in recent months for the below-grade bowl, and hundreds of deep pier foundations were being drilled and filled with concrete through September. The steel frame of the arena began to go up in late fall.[30]

Olympia Development of Michigan announced on September 2, 2015 the launch of a 24/7 live streaming webcam that will allow people worldwide to see real-time, rapid progress being made on construction of The District Detroit and the new Detroit Events Center.[31]

On November 4, 2015, Olympia Entertainment announced that the Detroit Events Center would have additional features.[15]

On February 9, 2016, Chris Ilitch announced at MotorCity Casino Hotel that the naming rights for the Detroit Events Center had been sold, and the sponsor and the arena's name would be revealed by April. Companies speculated to had acquired the naming rights included Little Caesars (the apparent frontrunner, as the company was founded and is still operated by the Ilitch family), Amway (who was the Red Wings' first presenting team sponsor from 2011-13; the company already has naming rights to Amway Center in Orlando), and Meijer (who is speculated to open a store within The District).[32] The next day, the Detroit Free Press reported that Olympia Entertainment had registered "The Baddest Bowl" and "The Baddest Bowl in Hockey" as trademarks in relation to the new arena.[33] On February 11, it was revealed that a local businessman had sold the domain name www.littlecaesarsarena.com three weeks earlier to an international brokerage firm for "five figures", further increasing speculation that Little Caesars had acquired the naming rights.[34] On April 28, 2016, Olympia Entertainment officially announced that Little Caesars had acquired the naming rights to the new arena henceforth known as Little Caesars Arena.[35][36][37] It was also announced that a large Little Caesars logo will appear on the roof of the arena and previous renderings with the LED roof were simply a placeholder.[38][39]

Scheduled events

Sports

In addition to becoming the new home arena for the Red Wings, the new arena has either already been booked or is a contender for many other sporting events.[40]

Ice hockey

Olympia Entertainment CEO Tom Wilson described an intent for the new arena to be an "epicenter" for hockey, prospecting it as a site for events and tournaments at the college and junior levels such as the IIHF World Junior Championship and the Memorial Cup.[41] Wilson also stated its commitment to continue hosting the annual collegiate Great Lakes Invitational at the new arena, provided the universities involved maintain their desire to participate.[40]

The Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament currently rotates in location between the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota (2014 and 2016) and Joe Louis Arena in Detroit (2015 and 2017); on the idea of hosting further editions at the new arena, Wilson stated that "we'd love to host it every year, but I'm not sure that's in the cards. It's good for us, it's good for everybody here in Detroit, but it's also great for the conference."[40]

College basketball

In November 2014, it was announced that first and second round games during the 2018 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament would be held at the arena, hosted by the University of Detroit Mercy.[42][43] Although the nearby Palace of Auburn Hills hosted preliminary rounds of the Tournament in 2013, this will be the Tournament's first visit to Detroit since the city hosted the 2009 Final Four at Ford Field.[44][45][46]

On May 7, 2015, it was announced that the Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament would be held in Detroit beginning in 2016 under a 5-year deal. For 2016 and 2017, it will be held at Joe Louis Arena, but the tournament is expected to move to the new arena beginning in 2018.[47]

References

  1. 1 2 Thibodeau, Ian (June 11, 2015). "New Red Wings arena temporarily dubbed 'Detroit Events Center'". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved July 16, 2015.
  2. ↑ "Sponsored Stops - M-1 Rail". M-1Rail.com. M-1 Rail. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  3. 1 2 Shea, Bill (November 4, 2015). "Ilitches add $95 million worth of features to new Red Wings arena". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved March 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ Shea, Bill (October 1, 2015). "Work on steel frame for new Red Wings arena to begin by Halloween". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved October 2, 2015.
  5. 1 2 Walsh, Tom (November 19, 2015). "New Red Wings arena luxury suites sell out quickly". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 19, 2015.
  6. 1 2 Gallagher, John (September 25, 2014). "Ground Broken for New Red Wings Arena". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  7. 1 2 Aguilar, Louis (January 28, 2016). "Future Red Wings home on track for Sept. 2017 opening". The Detroit News. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Aguilar, Louis (November 4, 2015). "Red Wings arena cost at $627M, could go higher". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  9. ↑ Shea, Bill (January 13, 2015). "Global design firm HOK buys primary architect for Detroit Red Wings arena". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved June 11, 2015.
  10. ↑ Witcher, T. R. (November 25, 2014). "Motor City Plans Giant Sports, Entertainment District". American Society of Civil Engineers. Retrieved January 13, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 Shea, Bill (July 20, 2014). "Detroit Rink City: Ilitches' grand plan to supersize the entertainment district". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  12. ↑ Russell, Kim; Edwards, Tara (September 25, 2014). "Ilitch Companies Break Ground for New Detroit Red Wings Arena". Detroit: WXYZ-TV. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  13. ↑ Shea, Bill (September 24, 2014). "Work starts Thursday on Red Wings arena: Details on funding, development, design". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 Gallagher, John (July 20, 2014). "Hockey, Housing and More: Ilitches Unveil 'Bold Vision' for Red Wings Arena District". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved September 21, 2014.
  15. 1 2 DiFilippo, Alex (November 4, 2015). "Enhancements added to new Detroit arena". Detroit Red Wings. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  16. ↑ Muret, Don (May 21, 2012). "Red Wings Closer to New Arena with Pair of Architects". SportsBusiness Journal. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
  17. ↑ Guillen, Joe (September 2, 2015). "Detroit firms get 38% of Red Wings arena work". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  18. ↑ Guillen, Joe; Reindl, JC (March 3, 2014). "Ilitches to Get All Revenues from New Publicly Financed Red Wings Arena". Retrieved April 8, 2016.
  19. ↑ van Meek, Sandra (December 4, 2012). "Ilitch Organization Exploring Development of New Residential, Retail, Office and Events Center District in Downtown Detroit" (PDF) (Press release). Ilitch Holdings. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  20. 1 2 Shea, Bill (June 19, 2013). "DDA, Red Wings Unveil $650 Million Arena and Entertainment Complex". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved June 19, 2013.
  21. ↑ Muller, David (July 24, 2013). "$650 Million Detroit Red Wings Arena Project Clears Another Public Financing Hurdle". MLive (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved July 24, 2013.
  22. ↑ AlHajal, Khalil (October 16, 2014). "Detroit bankruptcy deal: Joe Louis Arena site to go to creditor for hotel development". MLive (Booth Newspapers). Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  23. ↑ Muller, David. "Mass excavation begins for Detroit Red Wings arena project". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved 27 April 2015.
  24. ↑ "Commission OKs historic hotel demolition for Detroit Red Wings hockey arena". Crain's Detroit Business. June 11, 2015. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  25. ↑ Guillen, Joe (June 25, 2015). "Detroit OKs demolition permit for Park Avenue Hotel". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 28, 2015.
  26. ↑ Austin, Dan (April 13, 2015). "Detroit's past can play role in future arena district". Detroit Free Press.
  27. ↑ Bragg, Amy Elliott (June 9, 2015). "Nine reasons to save the Park Avenue Hotel: HDC Meeting is this Wednesday, June 10". Preservation Detroit.
  28. ↑ "Dear Council: We're counting on you to stand up for smart development - Preservation Detroit". Preservation Detroit.
  29. ↑ Brand-Williams, Oralandar (July 11, 2015). "Video: Implosion brings down Park Avenue Hotel". The Detroit News. Retrieved July 11, 2015.
  30. ↑ Shea, Bill (August 30, 2015). "Dig it! Excavation for new Red Wings arena complete". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  31. ↑ "Live Construction Webcam of New Detroit Events Center Area Now Streaming at DistrictDetroit.com". September 2, 2015. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
  32. ↑ Shea, Bill (February 10, 2016). "What will new Red Wings arena be called? Banks, Little Caesars, Amway among possibilities". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  33. ↑ Reindl, JC (February 10, 2016). "Ilitches trademark 'Baddest Bowl in Hockey' for Wings arena". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved February 13, 2016.
  34. ↑ Snell, Robert (February 11, 2016). "Little Caesars Arena website sale adds to speculation about name of new Red Wings home". Crain's Detroit Business. Retrieved February 13, 2013.
  35. ↑ "Announcing Little Caesars Arena". DistrictDetroit.com (Press release). Olympia Development of Michigan LLC. April 28, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  36. ↑ Gallagher, John (April 28, 2016). "Red Wings name new downtown rink: It's 'Little Caesars Arena'". Detroit Free Press. Gannett Company. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  37. ↑ Aguilar, Louis (April 28, 2016). "Red Wings stadium to be Little Caesars Arena". The Detroit News. Retrieved April 28, 2016.
  38. ↑ Thibodeau, Ian (April 28, 2016). "Little Caesars Arena is name of new Detroit Red Wings venue". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  39. ↑ "VIDEO: New Red Wings arena won't have LED roof; team ops for giant Little Caesars logo". WXYZ-TV. April 28, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
  40. 1 2 3 Sipple, George (September 24, 2014). "New Detroit Arena Will Be in Mix to Host Many Events". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 18, 2014.
  41. ↑ Goricki, David (September 24, 2014). "Wilson: New Red Wings Arena Could Be Hockey 'Epicenter'". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  42. ↑ Jahnke, James; Gallagher, John (November 17, 2014). "New Detroit arena to host 2018 NCAA tournament games". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  43. ↑ Lacy, Eric (November 17, 2014). "New Red Wings arena to host 2018 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament first, second rounds". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved April 12, 2016.
  44. ↑ "2013 NCAA Tournament Schedule and Key Dates". ESPN.com. June 29, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  45. ↑ Quinn, Brendan F. (November 17, 2014). "NCAA men's basketball tournament returning to Detroit in 2018". MLive. Booth Newspapers. Retrieved April 28, 2015.
  46. ↑ Fensom, Michael J. (March 31, 2009). "Countdown to the 2009 Final Four in Detroit". NJ.com. Retrieved April 7, 2016.
  47. ↑ Paul, Tony (May 7, 2015). "Moving Horizon League tourney to Detroit is all about branding". The Detroit News. Retrieved May 8, 2015.

External links

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