Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse will soon reopen its doors after a renovation, as a grand opening is set for late September.
Home of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers and AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has been closed this summer to accommodate construction on the final phase of a $185-million renovation project. It is scheduled to reopen next month, with a grand opening celebration announced for Saturday, September 28.
More details should be announced leading up to the event, but it is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. and will include a free open house that runs until 7:00 p.m., during which guests will be able to take self-guided tours of the renovated arena. The grand opening will come two days before Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse’s first major event since the renovation, a Black Keys concert on September 30.
The renovation project is one that had been in the works for several years. The Cavaliers unveiled the proposed public-private funding plan in late 2016, pitching the renovation as a way to keep the arena competitive for major events while extending the organization’s commitment to the facility. As part of the agreement, the Cavaliers extended their lease through 2034, with two five-year options potentially furthering the deal to 2044. Initially, the renovation was projected to cost $140 million, but the Cavaliers announced last September that they would be throwing another $45 million into the project, raising the total cost to $185 million.
With the project taking shape over multiple phases, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has already debuted some new amenities. For instance, the South Neighborhood—a 6,350 square foot area on the main concourse that features gathering space and concessions options with an emphasis on local and food drink offerings—was completed in March, and a new locker room for the Cavaliers debuted in time for last season.
It should be noted, too, that the arena’s name has changed during this period. In April, it was announced that the Quicken Loans Arena moniker would go away in favor of Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, branded after a Quicken Loans subsidiary.
The final phase of the renovation is now nearing its end, and the finished result will be an extensive change for Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Under details released in May, one of the most striking additions will be that of a new north-facing glass façade, which creates an enclosed atrium that adds 43,530 square feet of new public space to the venue. Overall, the arena’s total public space will increase from 95,380 square feet to 152,970 square feet. In addition, eight new destination hospitality spaces and technology upgrades will be among the other changes.
Look for more details on the project to emerge over the coming weeks, especially as Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse gears up for its reopening. For now, however, the announcement of the open house signals that construction is moving along, and that the results of a completely revamped arena will soon be on full display.
Rendering via Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
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