In this super-region, Xavier, Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio State are in, and the Musketeers, whom I saw win the A-10 tournament on Saturday, play Thursday in Salt Lake City. Of the four teams mentioned, I think Thad Matta's Ohio State guys will go farthest, making it to the "Sweet 16" round. They open up on Friday, at the convenient site of UD Arena.
UC not getting into the big tournament has to be one of the biggest errors I've seen as of late... then again, Kings Island can outdo that if they pass on a great mega steel coaster for 2007.
This week is has been a little more miserable, and not just because no UC in Tournament, nor my lack of employment. It's because of the air plane crash death of game show host Peter Tomarken on Monday. You may remember him best for hosting the 80s show Press Your Luck, which still airs regularly on Game Show Network. They announced that they will run a PYL marathon on Sunday in memory of Peter.
One of my latest ideas has been a result of seeing the documentary on Music Hall on PBS station WCET, as well as the race to complete the new Busch Stadium in St. Louis. The new Busch will be nice, but even after I visit, for some odd reason, I'll feel like there's something missing.
This big idea is a new arena for Cincinnati near downtown. I've been a sports, building, arena, stadium, and architecture buff for many years, and would love to see the "fusion" of the past, the future, and so on.
When compared to other similer cities, I beleive Cincinnati lacks a major, large (18,000 seat+), and fully state of the art indoor arena. Comparing what exists:
- Cincinnati Gardens (1949) is a nice, historic facility, and just about perfect for a minor-league hockey team, which the building's owners are desperately campaigning for. However, it hasn't had any major renovations since then, and its remaining life is getting shorter. If they don't get the team, all bets are off on the Gardens' future.
- U.S. Bank Arena (1975) is the city's largest indoor arena (over 16,000), and is the most comfortable as well. A complete renovation (1997) of the former Riverfront Coliseum replaced the seating, added a center scoreboard, and improved the main concourse - but it is just not the kind of place for major sporting events, if the city should pursue an NBA or NHL team. NBA will be very tough to get, and an NHL franchise competing with Columbus and Nationwide Arena just isn't going to happen. Next year, it will be as old as the former Riverfront Stadium was when it was torn down. The Arena won't suffer the same fate quite yet.
- Fifth Third Arena (1989) has quite possibly become the most uncomfortable and outdated large arena I've seen in modern days. Going up lots of stairs just to get to the lower level seats, the bleachers, and just about everything else gives it this "temporary" look. It just doesn't fit in with the revamped UC campus full of amazing and cutting-edge buildings. Shoemaker Center is the one arena of the four I'd love to dynamite.
- Cintas Center (2000) on Xavier University's campus is a serious improvement upon "The Shoe" - all individual seats, a simpler concourse, and slightly more restroom fixtures. Cintas has the concrete and plastic look like the UC counterpart, but it's still a nice on-campus arena, that, if kept up right, will be a good facility for decades to come.
This is why I propose a new arena to be located near or in the Downtown and/or the Over-The-Rhine district. It will carry the look of the old WPA-style auditoriums built in the 1930s and 1940s - architecture similar to Carew Tower and Union Terminal, both long-standing Cincinnati art deco landmarks. With attention to detail throughout, it could almost be the "Music Hall" of arenas (though not in the Victorian Gothic style), quite possibly being the best in the nation.
This new arena, or "Auditorium," will seat 18,000 to 20,000 patrons, similar to other modern arenas in Cleveland, Columbus, and Indianapolis. All seats will be vintage auditorium-style chairs, upholstered. The seating bowl will be somwhat asymmetrical - while part of the ring will be surrounded by suites and club seating, the rest will be exclusively standard seating.
Like in modern large arenas, there will be multiple wide concourses, with plenty of concession stands and restrooms. The primary method of moving up and down will be by way of escalators - yes, descending escalators at all times. Elevator banks will be located on the corners of the building, and transport VIPs, disabled guests, and suite patrons to differnt floors. Standard stairs will be available, but de-emphasized.
Again, attention to detail will prevail: artwork and carving will dominate the exterior as well as the interior. Signage and materials throughout will make one feel they have been taken into the 1930s, but the facility will function with the latest of technologies. A state of the art video scoreboard system will be placed a the heart of the auditorium, while physical signage will attempt to symbolize the past. Widescreen monitors and speakers will be placed throughout concourses.
The new Auditorium will be at the center of a revitalized center city area. As new structures will be placed around the facility, existing buildings will be rehabilitated for use as restaurants, entertainment, shopping, offices, and residences, as well as some smaller hotels. New parking structures will be erected in this neighborhood, tying into existing facilities; while this plan will accomodate a future rail transit line.
So far, that's my idea for the future Cincinnati Auditorim.
No comments:
Post a Comment