St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena

St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena
Location St. Elizabeths East Campus
Washington, D.C.
Coordinates 38°50′49″N 76°59′29″W / 38.846840°N 76.991304°W / 38.846840; -76.991304Coordinates: 38°50′49″N 76°59′29″W / 38.846840°N 76.991304°W / 38.846840; -76.991304
Public transit Washington Metro
at Congress Heights
Owner Washington, D.C.
Operator Events DC
Capacity 4,200
Construction
Broke ground Summer 2017
Opened September 22, 2018
Construction cost $65 million
Architect Rossetti Architects and Marshall Moya Design
Tenants
Washington Mystics (WNBA) (2019–)
Capital City Go-Go (NBA G League) (2018–)

St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena is a 18,000-square-foot center for the St. Elizabeths East Campus, in Congress Heights, a residential neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C.. The arena is home to the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. In addition, it houses a practice facility for the Washington Wizards of the NBA.

The arena was officially opened on September 22, 2018.[1]

Location and design

The 4,200 seat arena will mainly be used for basketball; however, there are plans for the facility to also host concerts, community events and other sporting events. The location of the arena was selected due to its proximity to St. Elizabeths Hospital, distance to the greater Washington, D.C. area, location to the Congress Heights station of the Washington Metro, the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers and ability to improve the local community through jobs and infrastructure improvements.[2]

History

Construction for the arena, to include razing of surrounding buildings, began on February 19, 2016.[3] Of the $65 million estimated cost for construction, 90% of the cost will be taxpayer funded. The District of Columbia will own the facility while Events DC will operate the facility.[4]

Members of the DC Council sought to introduce legislation capping public expenditure in the case of cost overruns.[5] In July 28, Greg O'Dell, Chairperson of Events DC, requested an additional $10 million in funding while decreasing the number of seats in the facility.[6] He said earlier estimates were premature.[6] In 2018, O'Dell announced that the cost had increased to $68.8 million, due in part to additions like drywall, and catwalks and higher than anticipated costs like contractors.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "DC Entertainment & Sports Arena in Southeast Opens". Retrieved September 23, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Location - St. Elizabeths ESA". Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Bowser Kicks Off St. Elizabeths Demolition for Wizards' Practice Facility". Retrieved August 1, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Bowser outlines details of St. Elizabeths deal". Retrieved September 15, 2015.
  5. ↑ O'Connell, Jonathan (March 1, 2016). "D.C. Council member proposes spending cap for Wizards facility". Washington Post.
  6. 1 2 O'Connell, Jonathan (July 28, 2016). "Cost of Wizards practice facility rises $10 million before construction can even begin". Washington Post.
  7. ↑ GIAMBRONE, Andrew (March 1, 2018). "Price Tag of Taxpayer-Funded Wizards Arena Grows to $69 Million". The Washington City Paper.
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