Price of renovated Seattle arena soars to over $900 million
SEATTLE — Tod Leiweke, clad in a white hard hat, stood before a cluster of media members dressed in fluorescent-yellow vests. His background was the shell of what used to be KeyArena, the interior stripped down to its dusty-grey concrete base while idle construction vehicles sat nearby ready to restart the demolition process.
The message relayed by Leiweke, the CEO of Seattle Hockey Partners, was clear: While the construction costs for the new Seattle Center Arena will be greater than originally anticipated, the final product is expected be one of the finest entertainment venues in the nation.
Media members were given their first look at the progress being made on the new arena, which will be the home of the NHL’s newest expansion hockey team beginning in 2021, during a tour of the site Thursday afternoon. And Leiweke and the others involved in the project were eager to share the details of the process and the vision of what it will be once completed.
“We’re really proud of how this has turned out and our ability to tell the story,” Leiweke said. “Many people still believe this is a renovation, this is an absolutely brand-new building, 100-percent privately financed, it’s going to be one of the finest buildings in the country and it’s time for us to get the megaphone out and start telling that story.”
Read more: https://www.seattleweekly.com/sports/price-of-renovated-seattle-arena-soars-to-over-900-million/
