Oilers Show Off Nearly Completed Rogers Place With Debut Set For September
After getting a look at the Oilers' new downtown Edmonton arena, it is "pretty clear that this place is definitely going to be in the global conversation" for "best arena in the world," according to Robert Tychkowski of the EDMONTON JOURNAL. Rogers Place is "already pulling way ahead of everything else in the league." Fans who have not seen anything else and "never really grasped how cramped and out of date Rexall Place was are going to faint when they step inside." The Edmonton Arena Corporation "toured every major building in North America and copied everything they loved," and then "expanded on it." The press box "is from Minnesota, the adjacent practice/community rink is from Columbus, the concourse is a cross between Staples Center and Xcel Center, the Ice District is from LA Live and the 46’ x 46’ LED cube scoreboard is the largest of its kind in North America." The inside "is taking shape, and is truly impressive." The bowl itself is "going to be as stunning as it is unique, with the massive HD scoreboard and five storeys worth of club seating at one end." The cramped and claustrophobic concourses "have been replaced by dramatically wider and brighter walkways that look out through windows at the city and the Ice District." Instead of everyone funneling to the main concourse at Rexall because the upper concourse was too small and had too few amenities, the new place "makes sure that all three levels are properly served." There are also "a pair of club-level bars, each with a capacity of about 1,500 to further ease the main concourse traffic during intermissions" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 5/30).
EIGHT DAYS A WEEK: In Edmonton, Bill Mah noted "about 950 workers are toiling 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to put the finishing touches on the arena in time for its debut -- an open house Sept. 10." Looming over center ice, "hanging from the 14-storey ceiling, officials proudly pointed out the four-storey-tall" HD scoreboard. It will also "boast a projection system that uses the ice below as a canvas." Most of the 18,641 seats "have been installed." Sections of rinkside boards "have also been erected." Wooden panels "covered the rink itself, but crews were readying the ice-making equipment." PCL Construction Project Dir Mike Staines said that he was "confident the building will be completed on schedule." Staines: “We’re 90-per-cent there" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 5/30).
FIXING MISTAKES: The JOURNAL's Mah reported the EAC and the City of Edmonton have filed a C$4.7M lawsuit "against the architects who designed Rogers Place." A statement of claim filed earlier this month on behalf of the partners behind the nearly completed downtown arena "alleges more than two dozen errors and omissions in the design" by HOK and 360 Architecture, a firm purchased by HOK. EAC and the city said that it cost C$4.7M to "correct the alleged design flaws" (EDMONTON JOURNAL, 5/29).
