Menu
Facilities

Red Wings Form "Deconstructed Arena" Concept, Influenced By N.Y. High Line

To "kick-start an ambitious redevelopment" of downtown Detroit, project officials for the Red Wings' new arena and mixed-use space "have formed the concept of a 'deconstructed arena,' and provided a detailed preview" of the $450M facility, according to Don Muret of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The design "offers the feel of a pedestrian walkway adjacent to the seating bowl and lined by retail and restaurant options, all under a clear roof cover." Officials at Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch's real estate group, Ilitch Holdings, "hope that once their initial project begins, it will spur additional development from businesses looking to join the novel design of a 'village of buildings,'" as HOK co-Founder & Senior Principal George Heinlein describes the project. The deconstructed arena "is designed to provide a futuristic seating bowl as the centerpiece, and allow for construction to develop along a streetlike walkway, with store fronts facing fans along the concourse and consumers along the street." The seating bowl, which project officials "call the 'jewel' of the design, is covered by a stainless steel shell that functions as a projection screen and can be programmed to display images of the game or sponsor brands." Red Wings CEO and parent company Olympia Entertainment President & CEO Tom Wilson said that the sunken-bowl design "significantly reduces the height of the structure -- it will be about half the height of United Center and Staples Center to bring scale for the overall development and make it feel more like a regular neighborhood." Muret notes execs "hope for a high-energy pedestrian walkway with cafe seating and restaurants that front the street and the concourse." Heinlein said that the upper concourse, overlooking the Via below, is "modeled after the New York City High Line, an elevated parkway that weaves between buildings in lower Manhattan" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/29 issue).

SUITE LIFE: Wilson said that suites at the Red Wings’ new arena "will be spacious and feature fireplaces and window shades controlled by a touch pad." SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Muret notes the facility "will have two levels of 62 suites, down from the 86 suites at Joe Louis Arena, the team’s current home." The reduction is "driven in part by the team’s intention to design a tighter bowl with more seats in the lower level." The first level of 14 suites "is 23 rows from the ice," and a second premium level above "contains the remaining 48 suites." The team is "reserving 10 suites for group sales." Twenty-two of the 52 suites available for sale "were sold in the first six days after being introduced at the arena preview center built at Comerica Park" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/29 issue).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/06/29/Facilities/Red-Wings.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/06/29/Facilities/Red-Wings.aspx

CLOSE