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Conseco Fieldhouse/Market Square Arena Articles
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Conseco Fieldhouse/Market Square Arena Articles
BASKETBALL ARENA TO HOST FOOTBALL TEAM
October 26, 2000
Copyright 2000 MediaVentures
The new Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, built for basketball, will host an Arena Football League team next year. The Albany Firebirds have confirmed that they will move to the venue in April.
The team moves out of the Pepsi Arena, hoping to find larger audiences in Indianapolis, but Pepsi Arena officials say arena football is not dead in their city and they may seek an af2 franchise that could begin play in 2002.
The Firebirds will lease time in the Fieldhouse and the Pacers will not buy an interest in the team, but will provide marketing and ticket sales services. The Firebirds will be seeking additional investors.
The addition of the Firebirds gives the arena a strong summer booking package. In addition to the AFL team, the Pacers will field the WNBA Fever.
ALBANY AFL TEAM MAY MOVE TO INDIANAPOLIS
October 19, 2000
Copyright 2000 MediaVenturesThe AFL Albany Firebirds are reportedly close to a deal to move to Indianapolis. An announcement is expected soon that the team will begin play for the 2001 season. It's not known where the team would play, but it would likely be the 60,000-seat RCA Dome. The Pepsi Coliseum, home of the CHL Ice, seats under 10,000. A less likely venue would also be the new Conseco Fieldhouse which was built for basketball.
The Firebirds went into the 2000 season as the defending league champion, but still said it needed larger crowds to be profitable. With attendance growing from 10,000 to more than 12,000 per game over the past few years, Bob Belber, general manager, hoped attendance would grow to 13,000 to 14,000 per game. He said per capita concession sales average $5 to $6 for arena games and some of that is shared with the team. The Pepsi Arena is in the first year of a three year lease with the team.
PACERS OPEN NEW FIELDHOUSE
November 11, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesThe Indiana Pacers opened their new $183 million retro-style fieldhouse to an enthusiastic crowd last weekend. The venue replaces Market Square Arena and offers fans better sight lines, better concession facilities and a host of other improvements. It's design is intended to reflect a high school fieldhouse.
The venue features 71 luxury suites, including two party suites, priced from $89,000 to $175,000 and 2,500 club seats selling for $2,050 to $3,239. The venue has a 400-seat Varsity Club for the club seat holders.
Other amenities include larger and more locker rooms and improved press facilities.
The team agreed to a new 20_year lease and must pay off $150 million in bonds on Market Square Arena. The team also gets all revenue and must pay $500 million in damages if it leaves before its lease expires. The team is responsible for $57 million of the cost. Another $79 million came from various local taxes and the rest is from private contributions. Among those contributions is an in-kind contribution of $10 million from Eli Lilly and Co. for use of adjacent land for a parking lot.
Ogden Entertainment will provide general concessions while Levy will be operating the premium food service. Local restaurants will also have a presence in the new arena.
August 5, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesStarbucks tests the arena waters and plans to open a company-owned store in the Indianapolis Pacers' new Conseco Fieldhouse when it debuts this fall.
PACERS NEW HOME RUNNING JUST OVER BUDGET
May 6, 1999
Copyright 1999 MediaVenturesThe Conseco Fieldhouse, the new home of the Indiana Pacers that opens this fall, is running about four percent over budget, putting the final estimated cost at $183 million. The original budget was $175 million. Much of the extra cost came from dealing with contaminated soil at the site. Construction expenses, brought on by a strong economy, also added to the increase. The same strong economy has kept interest rates down, allowing the city to borrow more to meet the cost without increasing its financing cost.
The city has invested $79 million in the venue with $57 million coming from the Pacers and the rest will come from other private sources. The private money will be repaid by the city in 20 years. The Pacers' contribution will come from arena revenues and will be paid over 20 years. Public funding is supported by a tax district and an increase in the hotel-motel tax. A ticket tax will also provide funding for the debt.
NEW VENUE TO HAVE A THEME
Pacers Basketball Corp. To Replace Market Square Arena By 2000
By Don Muret Pacers Basketball Corp. hopes to have a new "Fieldhouse" open by the 1999-2000 season to replace 25-year-old Market Square Arena, home to the National Basketball Association Pacers, International Hockey League Ice and Continental Indoor Soccer League Twisters.
Vice President Rick Fuson used fieldhouse instead of arena to describe the type of facility desired by the management company, which also operates the basketball franchise.
"It would be 18,000 to 20,000 seats and the first building in the NBA that has a theme, much like Camden Yards (in Baltimore) with the retro look. There's no better place in the country than Indiana to build such a venue," said Fuson.
"We would be able to do other events in a most intimate setting. Our feeling is rather than being on the end of the generation of older buildings, we would like to be among the first generation of newer (thematic) buildings."
Fuson said the prospect of creating such a venue remains "extremely bright." The funding package would be a public-private venture. Management details also have yet to be finalized. "It is our hope and assumption that we'll operate it," he added.
"The Pacers will participate in funding and have fronted the first $1.5 million to get the design underway. It would be a fieldhouse for the 21st century. Ellerbe Becket is chief architect working with a local firm. Huber, Hunt & Nichols is construction manager.
Ellerbe Becket will use a combination of Indiana's Hoosier tradition and the latest architectural technology to create the Conseco Fieldhouse in downtown Indianapolis. Inspired by the small fieldhouses throughout the state of Indiana, the new facility will be home to the NBA Indiana Pacers. The Conseco Fieldhouse will seat 18,000 to 20,0000 spectators for a variety of events including basketball, hockey, concerts and numerous entertainment events. The "best seats in the house" will be maximized by adding more baseline seats and increasing the width of the upper concourse. The 28 lower-level and 37 upper-level suites will offer spectacular court views. A full array of team, staff and fan amenities are included in the design of this "fieldhouse for the 21st century."
As with all modern sports facilities, the fieldhouse would include amenities like luxuary suites and club seats, according to Fuson.
"We're restricted on everything we have here at Market Square Arena. The site would be three blocks from the RCA Dome. With the Circle Centre mall now in operation, I think we can create one of the finest entertainment streets in the nation," he said.
Once the fieldhouse becomes reality, Market Square Arena will be torn down. "We're not a city that can meet the demand of two arenas of this size in the downtown area. Our hope is that the majority of people who come here will come to that building," said Fuson.
"It would also be attractive to an Arena Football League franchise. And our convention center is extremely busy, so some of the flat shows could move there. We're a very active city now. We just finished the Final Four and are one of two finalists for the future home of the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association)."
Market Square Arena, in fact, played host to the Intersport Sam Dunk and Three-Point contest competitions and the National Association of Basketball Coaches Allstar Game during Final Four week in late March and early April.
"We don't only look at events (exclusively) in the building. We volunteer for events of a national scope, like the Final Four," said Fusion.
The Pacers, struggling for a playoff berth, were averaging 15,500 in mid-April. The Ice, in its third season at Market Square Arena, continues to experience an attendance increase. This season the average is 6,000-plus.
"That's a legit number. There are no major complimentary ticket giveaways," said Fuson. The Twisters, entering its second season of operation, averaged 3,000 in attendance last year.
"The team has new owners this year and we think increased exposure will help crowds. If you win, you'll get the press. But the crowd reaction was really good during the first year," said Larry Taylor, the arena's executive director.
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