Dallas "took a first peek" yesterday at a model of the
AmericanAirlines Center, a structure designers said "takes
styling cues from the city's historic West End and other
traditional architecture," according to Robert Ingrassia of
the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. DC-based architect David Schwarz,
who unveiled the model, said, "What we try to do is create a
style of architecture in which everyone can find something
they recognize." Mavericks Owner Ross Perot Jr: "We wanted
a classic, beautiful building that people will love." Among
the features of the arena is a locker room for women, as
Perot "anticipates" a WNBA team playing there. The arena,
which is "set for completion" in 2001, will include 1,600
club seats, 144 luxury suites, restaurants and a private
club. Rangers/Stars Owner Tom Hicks and Perot said they
"plan to kick off" the office development around the arena
with two buildings south of the facility. One building will
"house" Mavericks corporate offices and Perot's Hillwood
Development Corp., while the other will "be home" to the
Stars and the firm of Hicks Muse Tate & Furst. Ingrassia
notes that The Arena Group "plans to spend up to" $325M on
the arena and nearby roads, a price tag nearly $100M "higher
than expected" last year. The arena "will encompass about"
815,000 square feet, about 10% bigger than preliminary plans
projected (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/29). In Dallas, Richard
Alm reports that the luxury suites are "tentatively renting"
for $125,000-$300,000 a season. Hicks, on the arena: "With
this building, the Stars will be one of the top three to
five [revenue generating] teams in hockey." Perot, on the
Mavs: "We'll go from one of the poorer teams to one of the
top 20 percent" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/29). In Ft. Worth,
Mede Nix writes that the $325M price tag is "second in price
only" to the $350M Staples Center. Hicks, on the overruns:
"True to our word, Ross and I are contributing 100 percent
of the extra funding necessary" (STAR-TELEGRAM, 7/29).
NOT IMPRESSED? In Dallas, architectural writer David
Dillon calls the arena "even duller than the original. ...
In a city that likes to boast of its vision and foresight,
we are about to begin construction on a monument to 1930s
nostalgia." Dillon writes that the ends of the seating bowl
have been brought in 15 feet, "bringing fans closer to the
action than in most new arenas -- and also making the luxury
suites in those areas more salable. ... But as a piece of
civic architecture, a critical statement about the city and
its aspirations, the American Airlines Center remains a
major disappointment" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/29).
