Ft. Worth's Dickies Arena will open its doors on Saturday and when visitors -- up to 14,000 -- enter the venue they will "pass elaborate terrazzo tile work, massive chandeliers and stitched leather work," according to Luke Ranker of the Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM. The roughly $540M arena, which is a "unique public-private partnership between the city and private donors," will offer "something quite unlike anything else" in Ft. Worth. Stainless steel cutouts of three types of native grass "decorate the upper level banisters." Light fixtures "resemble giant Texas roses." The floor of the TX Whiskey Tavern inside is "locally sourced mesquite." Hand-stitched leather panels "adorn the walls of the concourse overlooking the arena." Instead of a "shiny dome or reflective modern glass structure, Dickies' exterior blends seamlessly into the rest of the historic Will Rogers Memorial Center." The upper level concourse is "roughly the same distance as the platinum level at American Airlines Center, giving the arena a more relaxed feel." There is a "25-by-38-foot rounded video board hanging from the dome." It is the "second largest of its kind in the country." Dickies Arena will "host the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament" in '22 as well as the women's gymnastics championship. The Ft. Worth Stock Show & Rodeo will be the arena's "main tenant." Visit Ft. Worth CEO Bob Jameson said, "We're having conversations now about sports opportunities we never would have been able to engage in before. That's because of Dickies Arena" (Ft. Worth STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/21).
