New York–based SHoP Architects working alongside Detroit-based stadia specialists Rossetti are to give the Quicken Loans Arena a massive makeover. The stadium, known as “The Q,” has been open since 1994 and is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While a new arena would cost up to $750 million (according to Quicken Loans), the proposed refurbishment is set to total $140 million.
The Cavs will pay $70 million of this, plus any overrunning constructions costs. The rest will come from the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, and Destination Cleveland. Work will begin next year and the stadium will remain open during this period; the Cavs will keep The Q as their home until 2034.
Despite only being 22-years-old, The Quicken Loans Arena is one of the oldest facilities in use on the National Basketball Association circuit. SHoP and Rossetti’s design features a new glazed facade which stretches the stadium’s footprint closer to the street edge. This fenestration reveals an undulating arrangement of what appears to be wood panels which, given their location well inside the facade and north-facing orientation, don’t seem to serve any shading purpose. Aside from aesthetics, entrance and exit gangway areas will witness an increase in space, thus aiding circulation—a necessity considering The Q hosts more than 200 events every year.
“The $140 million transformation, half of which the Cavalier’s will be paying, ensures that this public facility will remain competitive in the future,” Cleveland mayor Frank Jackson said in a press release. “This investment provides an innovative solution for extending the use and impact of The Q for years and years to come without the need for a much more expensive new arena. In addition, the seven year extension of the Cavalier’s lease through 2034 will represent one of the longest tenures in the same facility in all of sports.”
Mayor Jackson, however, appears to be forgetting the wealth of stadia (for rugby, soccer, and cricket) in Europe and Australia that have endured for well over a century. Even Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago—home to the Red Sox and Cubs baseball teams respectively, surpass 100 years. Heck, the Indians’ Progressive Field—a mere 200 feet away from The Q—opened six months before its basketball counterpart (sorry Jackson).
Meanwhile, NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said: “We understand the impact this project will have in continuing the great momentum we have all seen recently in the city. We look forward to holding our week of NBA All-Star events in Cleveland in the near future following the successful completion of The Q transformation project.”
