Comcast to Renovate Wells Fargo Center

[ponder719]

Comcast Spectacor opts to pay $250M to upgrade Wells Fargo, instead of building a new center - Philly

Looks like Comcast is going to drop $250M into renovating the Wells Fargo Center over the next three years, cutting down on suites, moving some of them courtside, widening the concourses, creating new open spaces, and adding more concessions stands. They claim to have considered a teardown and rebuild, but a new arena would have run them $750M, so the renovation was the preferred option.

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[PCSPounder]

Comcast Spectacor opts to pay $250M to upgrade Wells Fargo, instead of building a new center - Philly

Looks like Comcast is going to drop $250M into renovating the Wells Fargo Center over the next three years, cutting down on suites, moving some of them courtside, widening the concourses, creating new open spaces, and adding more concessions stands. They claim to have considered a teardown and rebuild, but a new arena would have run them $750M, so the renovation was the preferred option.

So four times the number of Crab Fries sale points?

If I hadn't been to Reading Terminal Market the day of my visit, I'd have probably partaken myself.

I have misgivings about courtside suites, but everything else seems wise here.

 

[MaskedSonja]

I think its a good idea. Theyve got the location they like just renovate inside ala msg and tampa. Be interesting to see if more arenas do this in the nhl instead of building whole new arena

 

[Hivemind]

Didn't they just do a concourse renovation? I know all the aforementioned crab fries stands moved downstairs, which irritates me to no end. Plus they don't sell beer in those lines anymore.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

If they wanted to build a new arena, they sure have the land for it.

 

[Hockeyholic]

The busing itself is nice. But it just feels too corporate.

 

[blood gin]

How do you move suites Courtside?

 

[Killion]

How do you move suites Courtside?

Rather than enclosed suites, you'd be looking at "Luxury Boxes" similar to what is sometimes setup at tennis & equestrian events etc that dont block the seats behind them... sort of like "Club Toyota" or "Club BMW" at GRA in Arizona was, "Club Red" in Sunrise for Panthers games & concerts & so on.

 

[BattleBorn]

How do you move suites Courtside?

If it's like T-Mobile, the suites are below the stands and the people in the suites just have assigned seats on the glass/in the first few rows. There's no real way to see the game (except for on the closed circuit televisions) from the suite.

If you ever see the teams coming out of the tunnels at Knights games, the mirrored windows lining the hallway are the suites.
Here's a video from construction:

 

[blueandgoldguy]

So a 17,500 seat arena in Las Vegas costs $375 million but a new arena that would seat 2,000 more persons in Philly will cost twice as much!? Ok, then....

 

[BattleBorn]

T-MA didn't have to pay for land. I'm guessing that might have helped.

Plus, they didn't finish the upper/press level on one side at T-MA.

 

[gstommylee]

So a 17,500 seat arena in Las Vegas costs $375 million but a new arena that would seat 2,000 more persons in Philly will cost twice as much!? Ok, then....

Location matters, then there is cost of material, taxes etc.

 

[ponder719]

T-MA didn't have to pay for land. I'm guessing that might have helped.

Plus, they didn't finish the upper/press level on one side at T-MA.

Comcast would likely not have had to pay for land; they were discussing demolishing WFC and building on site, but that does bring in demo fees and the like, and possibly the cost of renting a temporary venue in which to play.

 

[BKIslandersFan]

Comcast would likely not have had to pay for land; they were discussing demolishing WFC and building on site, but that does bring in demo fees and the like, and possibly the cost of renting a temporary venue in which to play.

They don’t have to. They could build it on top of old Spectrum site.

 

[CHRDANHUTCH]

They don’t have to. They could build it on top of old Spectrum site.

but South Philadelphia begs the question, BK, ALL Venues are in that section of Philadelphia, including Lincoln Financial Field and Citizens Bank Park are all there, you need parking in that section..... it matters where the Spectrum was built/demolished... plans for that site are to be a 300 bed hotel, as part of XFINITY Live, which phase I opened in 2012....

Veterans Stadium was imploded (it sat across the street from all 4 venues currently within the complex), including the 2 I Mentioned earlier (CBP/LFF) are all in that same block, the Spectrum itself was gone by 2011.... the Phantoms moved on to Adirondack, then Allentown, (currently Lehigh Valley Phantoms) and the PPL Center, which (Comcast) Spectra controls.

here's the full history of the Spectrum: Spectrum - Wikipedia (arena)

 

[blueandgoldguy]

Location matters, then there is cost of material, taxes etc.

Well T-Mobile looks like a high quality facility with a pretty high end finish by the looks of it. As for the land pretty sure they own it already.

As for not finishing the upper levels on one side to T-mobile...would be not talking about something that would be an additional 10-30 million tops?

I don't know.... you would think a good facility with 19,000 seats and several hundred more high-end seating options and 50,000 - 100,000 more square feet spread out over 5 or 6 levels than the old arena could be built for $500 - $550 million or so.

 

[gstommylee]

Well T-Mobile looks like a high quality facility with a pretty high end finish by the looks of it. As for the land pretty sure they own it already.

As for not finishing the upper levels on one side to T-mobile...would be not talking about something that would be an additional 10-30 million tops?

I don't know.... you would think a good facility with 19,000 seats and several hundred more high-end seating options and 50,000 - 100,000 more square feet spread out over 5 or 6 levels than the old arena could be built for $500 - $550 million or so.

For Seattle it costs 650m just to redo the key and dig 15 feet deeper. I guess costs are lower in vegas than it is in philly.

 

[Mike in MN]

I'm sure labor has a lot to do with the cost difference. Prevailing wages are a bit higher in Philly and Seattle than Las Vegas or, say, Kansas City

 

[ColdSteel2]

So four times the number of Crab Fries sale points?

If I hadn't been to Reading Terminal Market the day of my visit, I'd have probably partaken myself.

I have misgivings about courtside suites, but everything else seems wise here.

Man are those crab fries overrated, just seasoning salt on greasy shoe string fries in a cup.

 

[mja]

Man are those crab fries overrated, just seasoning salt on greasy shoe string fries in a cup.

Um...I think you might have gotten the wrong fries.

 

[ColdSteel2]

Um...I think you might have gotten the wrong fries.

Ok, lol, I got them at the sportsplex center in the middle, not the stadium itself, assumed they were the same. Gotta go back to Philly now.

 

[mja]

Ok, lol, I got them at the sportsplex center in the middle, not the stadium itself, assumed they were the same. Gotta go back to Philly now.

To be clear, I don't think they're the best fries ever or anything. They're good fries, sure, but I'd take mom and pop handcut fries down the shore drenched in vinegar well ahead of them.

 

[Fenway]

I think its a good idea. Theyve got the location they like just renovate inside ala msg and tampa. Be interesting to see if more arenas do this in the nhl instead of building whole new arena

Boston is renovating and expanding TD Garden.

 

[GordonGecko]

guess the the 76ers have finally arrived

 

[MaskedSonja]

Boston is renovating and expanding TD Garden.

Expanding thats interesting. Whats going in the expansion?

As an aside i play fallout 4 and while theres no hockey arena in that boston in the same geographic area i got eaten by a mutated bear.....appropriate lol