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Giant red letters spelling out 'ROGERS PLACE' have been installed on the sleek exterior of Edmonton's new arena. It's the latest in a series of accelerating milestones for the project — following the hoisting of the National Hockey League's largest high-definition scoreboard — in advance of the futuristic facility's September opening. The 18,641-seat venue is the sports backbone of the transformative Ice District, the mixed-use skyscraping neighbourhood that is pumping new life into the downtown core.
The Edmonton Oilers hockey team is saying goodbye to the 1974-built Rexall Place, which became a relic in a league of teams increasingly eager to redefine their brand with contemporary arenas. The recently completed T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas will become the home of the NHL's newest expansion franchise, bringing ice hockey to a market not traditionally known for its wealth of winter sports. Rexall Place, to be renamed Northlands Ice Coliseum, will find renewed purpose as a multi-level ice facility.
The entryway to the venue hovers over 104 Avenue, linking it to the other parcels within the Ice District. The elevated 'Winter Garden' will be accompanied by commercial development at ground level. These spaces are clad in a silver stainless steel skin that highlights the cutting edge curvilinear shape of the arena. Although branding on a building can often look undignified, the response in our Forum has been favourable so far, with users appreciating the bold pop of colour the Rogers stamp brings to the streetscape.
In addition to hosting Oilers hockey, the arena has already booked numerous big name musical performers, including Keith Urban, Dolly Parton, the Dixie Chicks, and Canada's own Drake. Numerous open houses have given the public a glimpse of the facility throughout construction. They'll be welcomed back on September 10 for the final tour, when the completed Rogers Place promises to impress visitors with its state-of-the-art design.
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