Editing the Venue Little Caesars Arena

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Venue Description
Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Construction began on April 24, 2015, following a formal groundbreaking ceremony on September 25, 2014. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, succeeded both Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the homes of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively. The arena features a unique, clear plastic roofed concourse connecting it to offices and shops surrounding it. It anchors a new $2.1 billion 650,000-square-foot (60,000 m2) sports and entertainment district in and around downtown Detroit that will include mixed-use neighborhoods with new residential and retail outlets located around the Cass Corridor, Ford Field, and Comerica Park. Design Little Caesars Arena was designed by HOK, and features a unique "deconstructed" layout. Buildings housing retail outlets, the arena's box office, and the offices of the Red Wings are built outside the arena, but a glass roof is erected between the buildings and the arena itself. The roof forms an indoor "street" that serves as the arena's concourse. The concourse will remain open year-round, even if an event is not occurring inside the arena, allowing it to also be used as a venue of its own. There is also an outdoor plaza with a large video display. The eight-story arena is built as a bowl, with its floor 40 feet (12 m) below street level with seating capacities of 19,515 for ice hockey and 20,491 for basketball. The bowl also features a "gondola" seating level suspended above the stands. The exterior of the bowl structure is capable of displaying video projections. A 37,300-square-foot (3,470 m2) practice ice rink is also inside the arena. In addition to serving as the practice facility for the Red Wings, the rink serves as the home of both Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club and Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League as well. The Bell Centre in Montreal has been cited to be one of the biggest influences of the arena's design. Christopher Ilitch described the arena's design as being "revolutionary", and believes that it may influence future arena designs in other cities. The arena features a centerhung scoreboard that measures at 5,100 square feet. The arena also features 45 LED displays covering more than 13,500 square feet and 16.5 million plus LEDs in and around it.