Warriors' new arena plan: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nba-b...n-francisco-skyline-waterfront-155239078.html As if I didn't have enough incentive to move to the Bay area before. I really hope this gets accepted.
the RG could stand to be upgraded/remodeled a bit. I wish it had more glass/windows and a cleaner look.
Exactly. The RG is approaching 20 years of age (opened in 95). They started construction in 93 so the design actually is 20 years old.
And done on the cheap back then. I'm a big fan of having Paul Allen as the owner of the Blazers. But the Rose Garden was never done right and is now dated version of a cheaply built arena.
You want to talk about cheap, look at US Airways Center in Phoenix. Cost in 1990 dollars was something like 90 million. In todays money, that's like 140. The RG in todays market is just under 400 million, so I'm not sure it was "on the cheap" as much as it was kind of a bland design. It needs a paint job, new seats, new paint inside and if they could, and expanded concourse (out). It's a shame they didn't tear down the MC...or better yet, incorporate the two into a bigger complex. maybe the Blazers could play half a season in Seattle and half a season in Portland as they remodel the RG
From wikipedia: "The Trail Blazers have a lease agreement with the Rose Garden which runs through 2025, and an exclusive site agreement with the City of Portland requires the team to remain in Portland through 2023." So, we should have then for another 10-12 years, unless they successfully negotiate out early like Bennett did from the Seattle lease.
Sadly I think they just remodeled the RG recently. I read an article a while back that when building the RG, Allen passed on a lot of modern amenities that other new arenas were including (the luxury boxes in particular were were done cheaply is what sticks out in my mind). Anyways, good to see RG wasn't as cheap as other arenas. Don't blame Paul much, if city isn't going to help on the costs, why should he build a top notch arena.
Well I haven't been to many that many arenas, so I'll take your word for it. I didn't find anything about the remodeled suites but this from wiki: The Rose Garden is a precast concrete-framed structure with a roof made up of skeletal steel. The arena structure encloses a total of over 785,000 square feet (72,900 m2), on eight levels, five of which are open to the public. The building is 140 feet (43 m), from the event floor to the pinnacle of the saddle-shaped roof.[6] The arena includes a 60 by 40 feet (18 m × 12 m) permanent stage, and a 200 by 85 feet (61 m × 26 m) ice rink.[14] The building is composed of over 48,000 cubic yards (37,000 m3) of concrete, and over 9,700 short tons (8,800 t) of steel. The exterior is composed of over 29,000 square feet (2,700 m2) of glass, 17,500 square feet (1,630 m2) of plaster, 52,000 square feet (4,800 m2) of architectural precast, 39,000 square feet (3,600 m2) of insulation, and 13,654 square feet (1,268.5 m2) of steel louvres.[6][15] The building, designed by architecture firm Ellerbe Becket, has been criticized by some in Portland's architectural community. A survey of local architects and planners was conducted by the Portland Tribune, and subsequently the Rose Garden was listed among the five ugliest buildings in the city.
Edit: Still didn't find anything about remodeled luxury suites, so I was wrong about that. Also, during my search yelp gives the Rose Garden good reviews. I don't know why I have it in my head that it was built cheaply, but couldn't find info on it so probably wrong.
Best part for me is the location. Caltrain lets people get shitfaced on the trains and the end of the line is a few blocks from AT&T Park (this arena is just a few blocks further up). Downside is tickets are going to be crazy expensive. Its projected to have a low seating capacity, combine that with moving from Oak to SF and the Warriors maybe actually performing consistently the next few years, a lot of people are going to be priced out. Meanwhile the yuppie douchebag ratio will skyrocket.
The RG is a concrete bunker. The commons area is easily one of the worst in the nba. Feels like LAX airport.
What are you guys talking about? I have been to lots of arenas and the RG compares nicely to them all. Its not a vortex like the Staples Center, or old like MSG (even redone), or cluncky like Arco. Very nice arena, nice sight-lines, nice amenities, good looking, easy to park and leave, etc.
"The architectural community" - the same clowns who had the concrete box, errr, the Memorial Coliseum, deemed a landmark. Yeah, we should really trust their judgment.
I don't think it's one of the ugliest, but it's sure not a great design. I wish the design had been more artsy, but the problem with that is, 1993 artsy would look even more dated than the RG does. I think views of the city, from the inside, would've been so much nicer. That was one thing that was neat about the MC.
Yes, your memory's off. First time I've ever read anyone say it was built cheaply. But for cost to the taxpayers, it was the cheapest stadium in the NBA.
