The Discovery Channel Store will become the first retail
tenant at the $175M MCI Center in Washington, DC, according to
Anne Marriott of the WASHINGTON TIMES. The MCI Center is
scheduled to open in fall of '97. Discovery "plans" to spend
"close to" $10M on the three-level, 25,000-square-foot store with
entertainment features such "as a submarine tunnel on the first
floor that takes visitors to the depth of the sea." Sources told
Marriott that a second tenant will "probably be a virtual-reality
center with a sports theme that will enable customers to play
hockey against Wayne Gretzky or basketball against Juwan Howard."
Rumored deals with retailers such as Nike and Reebok "will not
happen," several Washington insiders said yesterday. A three-
story restaurant will occupy "a major chunck" of retail space at
the arena (WASHINGTON TIMES, 10/23). Bullets/Caps Owner Abe
Pollin said the Discovery Store "fits into his plan of having an
arena that's open from morning to night every day of the year."
Pollin said Discovery will take "about half" of the 50,000
square-feet set aside for retailers (Maryann Haggerty, WASHINGTON
POST, 10/23).
