Ab SchIt was -23 C outside, but that didn’t stop hundreds of Edmontonians eager to visit the future home of the Oilers, Rogers Place, this past Saturday.
Still over half a year from completion and located in the city’s downtown core, Rogers Place will seat 18,500 spectators and 20,000 concertgoers. The arena and attached Winter Garden are estimated to cost the city $536.5 million. The entire Ice District project also includes an LRT connection, pedway and downtown community rink to be used for Oilers practice and MacEwan Griffins games.
The Winter Garden, which will encompass 24,000 square feet of public meeting space, is the main differentiating structure between Rexall Place and Rogers Place. The “tip of the oil drop” will serve as a queuing space where fans can stay warm indoors while waiting to enter a game or concert — right now, increased security can sometimes make Rexall Place’s lines stretch into the cold outside. A corridor system will also connect the Winter Garden to the MacEwan LRT.
MacEwan University student Mamoon Bhuiyan was happy to check out Rogers Place as an Oilers fan. Though he wished Rogers Place was a little further along in construction, the sneak peak was still “amazing,” he said.
“I was born and raised here, so I’ve been watching hockey my whole life,” Bhuiyan said. “It’s actually pretty amazing (to see the new venue.)”
Associate Professor Dan Mason works in the Department of Physical Education and Recreation, and was involved in the early planning phases of Rogers Place and the Ice District as a consultant. Evaluations determined Rexall Place needed to be replaced or renovated, but renovations would have cost more than $250 million, Mason said, so the idea to build an entirely new arena downtown was born.
“If you were going to have a new facility or renovate a facility the best way to do that would be to put it downtown,” he said. “The idea would be to spur other development around it.”
Making Rogers Place community-oriented as part of Ice District was partly to encourage more people to live downtown. Right now, Edmonton has a lower downtown population compared to other cities, Mason said. Having more amenities, like an arena and another grocery store, will be part of what might increase the number of people in the area.
Constructing Rogers Place and Ice District might also benefit Edmonton now that the economy is slow, Mason said. The arena is providing jobs when other projects are being put on hold or cancelled.
“I think it will be interesting to see how the economy influences the success of the project as well, in terms of its use,” Mason said.
MacEwan student Jessica Johnson was very happy to get a first look. From her perspective, Rogers Place is already starting to change downtown, she said.
“I think the city is just really revitalizing,” Johnson said. “I’ve already noticed, just going to school, that it’s just such a different crowd that’s excited to come here now. Before, downtown had such a stigma that it was kind of getting run down.”
If you missed Saturday’s sneak peek tour, you can still watch a live stream of the lower bowl construction on the Rogers Place website.
