Little Caesars Arena

Little Caesars Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Midtown Detroit. Opened on September 5, 2017, the arena, which cost $862.9 million to construct, replaced Joe Louis Arena and The Palace of Auburn Hills as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), respectively.

The arena features a unique, clear plastic roofed concourse connecting it to offices and shops surrounding it. It was designed to be the flagship of a new $2.1 billion  sports and entertainment district, The District Detroit, with mixed-use neighborhoods with new residential and retail outlets located around the Cass Corridor, Ford Field, and Comerica Park. However, this has yet to materialize.

Design
Little Caesars Arena was designed by HOK, and features a unique "deconstructed" layout. Buildings housing retail outlets, including several restaurants, the arena's box office, and the offices of the Red Wings are built outside the arena, but a glass roof is erected between the buildings and the arena itself. The roof forms an indoor "street" that serves as the arena's concourse. The concourse will remain open year-round, even if an event is not occurring inside the arena, allowing it to also be used as a venue of its own. There is also an outdoor plaza with a large video display.

The eight-story arena is built as a bowl, with its floor  below street level with seating capacities of 19,515 for ice hockey and 20,332 for basketball. The bowl also features a "gondola" seating level suspended above the stands. The exterior of the bowl structure is capable of displaying video projections. A  practice ice rink is also inside the arena. In addition to serving as the practice facility for the Red Wings, the rink serves as the home of both Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club and Little Caesars Amateur Hockey League as well.

The Bell Centre in Montreal has been cited to be one of the biggest influences of the arena's design. Christopher Ilitch described the arena's design as being "revolutionary", and believes that it may influence future arena designs in other cities.

The arena features a centerhung scoreboard that measures at . The arena also features 45 LED displays covering more than  and 16.5 million plus LEDs in and around it.

The previous goal horn used at Joe Louis Arena from 1994 to 2017 was not moved to Little Caesars Arena, as it was determined that its acoustics would have made it all but impossible to hear, and that its use of nitrogen in its operation made it unsafe to use in the new building. An amplified recording of the horn was played over the sound system instead, in a move that received mixed reviews from Red Wings fans. Ahead of the 2023–24 season, Little Caesars Arena installed a new horn matching the model previously used at Joe Louis Arena, but using compressed air rather than nitrogen.

History

Rumors and announcement

It was reported in May 2012 that the Red Wings had hired HKS, Inc. and NBBJ to design a new arena for the team, which would replace Joe Louis Arena. The new arena would be owned by the city's Downtown Development Authority (DDA) and its land would be leased to Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Red Wings' parent company, Ilitch Holdings, rent free for a long term. Olympia would have full operational control of the arena, an arrangement similar to the one Olympia had with the city-owned Joe Louis Arena. Sales of game tickets, parking, concessions, souvenirs, and any potential naming rights deals would not be subject to revenue sharing with the City of Detroit as they were with Joe Louis Arena. The city earned an average of $7 million per year through these revenue sharing agreements.

Olympia Entertainment officially announced in December 2012 its intention to develop a new district in downtown Detroit composed of offices, residential facilities, and "a new state-of-the-art, multi-purpose events center", with an estimated cost of $650 million. In June 2013, the DDA officially announced the location of the new arena and entertainment district. An estimated 58 percent of the cost to construct the arena was to be funded by public tax dollars, about $261 million. On July 24, 2013, the Michigan Strategic Fund approved the DDA's request for $650 million in funding.

Christopher Ilitch unveiled renderings of the new arena and entertainment district on July 20, 2014, referring to it as The District Detroit. He explained that the project's goal was to "build out a sports and entertainment district that is world-class and rivals anything in the country, perhaps the world." The district, which would complement the QLINE streetcar, was primarily built on vacant land near the Cass Corridor along Woodward Avenue, and would incorporate five distinct neighborhoods with new residential and apartment units and European-influenced designs. The district would also feature a hotel, new restaurants, and new retail outlets. Olympia Development would fund the refurbishment of public infrastructure around the arena district, such as street lighting, sidewalks, and paving. One of the neighborhoods, referred to by Ilitch as "Wildcat Corner", would incorporate the area occupied by the Tigers and Lions' home venues of Comerica Park and Ford Field, respectively, and replace several parking lots with new apartment complexes featuring street-level retail outlets.

Ilitch emphasized the impact of the arena district project would have on Detroit's economy: the new facilities would result in 1,000 new jobs in the city, and 8,300 new jobs would be created for the construction process. Olympia was committed to having 51% of the construction jobs be filled by residents of Detroit. Additionally, two Michigan-based contractors would be among those working on the arena, and 80% of the materials used in the construction of the arena was also to be sourced from Michigan-based companies when possible.

Olympia Entertainment CEO Tom Wilson described an intent for the arena to be an "epicenter" for hockey, prospecting it as a site for events and tournaments at the college and junior levels such as the IIHF World Junior Championship and the Memorial Cup. Wilson also stated its commitment to continue hosting the annual collegiate Great Lakes Invitational at the arena, provided the universities involved maintained their desire to participate.

Construction

A formal groundbreaking ceremony was held at the arena site on September 25, 2014. Following the completion of the new arena, Joe Louis Arena was demolished, and its former site was to be redeveloped into a hotel and retail complex. The sale of the Joe Louis Arena site came as part of a bankruptcy settlement between the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company and the city of Detroit.

Mass excavation at the arena site began on April 24, 2015, a few days after Detroit City Council approved a zoning change, allowing vertical construction to officially commence.

The Detroit Historic District Commission approved the demolition of the Park Avenue Hotel on June 10, 2015, to make room for what will be the arena's loading dock. Olympia Development claimed that the Park Avenue Hotel stood in a high-security area. A demolition permit was issued on June 22, 2015. Detroit-based Adamo Demolition was the contractor listed on the permit. Despite protests, the building was imploded on July 11, 2015. On August 30, 2015, Olympia Entertainment announced that an estimated  of soil had been excavated in recent months for the below-grade bowl, and hundreds of deep pier foundations were being drilled and filled with concrete through September. The steel frame of the arena began to go up in late fall.

Construction of the ice surface began on January 5, 2017. On February 16, 2017, various construction changes began inside the arena in order to accommodate the Detroit Pistons. Construction of the ice rink began on March 8, 2017.

Pistons' move 

In late October 2016, it was reported that the Pistons were considering a move from The Palace of Auburn Hills to Little Caesars Arena as soon as the 2017–18 season, pending city and league approval. Pistons owner Tom Gores, Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Arn Tellem, and Olympia Entertainment had been in negotiations over a partnership since the summer of 2015, with talks intensifying just as the Pistons were set to open their 2016–17 season; the terms also included a possible merger between Olympia and the Pistons' holding company Palace Sports & Entertainment. The Pistons sought land to construct a new headquarters and practice facility within the vicinity of the arena.

On November 22, 2016, the Pistons officially announced that they would move to Little Caesars Arena starting with the 2017–18 season.

On June 20, 2017, Detroit City Council approved the Pistons' move to Little Caesars Arena. On August 3, 2017, the NBA Board of Governors unanimously approved the move, which made it official. This marked the first time since 1974 that all four of Detroit's major league sports teams played in the city limits on a regular basis, and the first time since 1978 that the Pistons played in the city of Detroit on a regular basis. The move also marked the first time since 1961 that they and the Red Wings shared the same arena on a regular basis. The move made Detroit the only U.S. city to have four major league sports teams in its downtown district, and one of only two U.S. cities to have four major league sports teams play in a single complex, the other being Philadelphia.

On October 8, 2017, as a byproduct of the move, Olympia Entertainment and Palace Sports & Entertainment formed 313 Presents LLC, a joint venture that handles entertainment bookings and event management at the venues owned by both companies.

Opening 

Little Caesars Arena opened on September 5, 2017, with a ribbon cutting ceremony. The Red Wings played their inaugural game at Little Caesars Arena during the preseason against the Boston Bruins on September 23, 2017. They won the game 5–1. They played their first regular season game at the arena on October 5, 2017, against the Minnesota Wild. The Red Wings won the game 4–2.

The Pistons played their inaugural game at Little Caesars Arena during the preseason against the Charlotte Hornets on October 4, 2017. They lost the game 108–106. Their regular season home opener, also against the Hornets, was played on October 18, 2017. The Pistons beat the Hornets 102–90.

Upon moving to Little Caesars Arena, the Pistons unveiled a new basketball court featuring the Platinum Equity logo in place of the LCA logo, making them the only NBA team not to display any arena signage on the court.

In the inaugural season of Little Caesars Arena, concerns were raised over diminished attendance of Red Wings and Pistons games. During the Red Wings' first regular season game at the arena, the sight of a half empty lower bowl was noticeable due to it being nationally televised. When asked about this, Olympia CEO Tom Wilson explained that many fans went to the concourse to check out the arena, noting that the same thing happened during the first event. In early November 2017, the team announced that all of the home games played at that point were sellouts despite the sight of empty seats. Like the Red Wings, the Pistons have had similar issues. When asked about it, they stated that ticket sales were up despite the empty seats.

Subsequent developments 
In October 2018, it was announced that all of the arena's red seats would be replaced by black ones. Media outlets noted that the red seats made the sight of empty seats appear more obvious.

In August 2018, Google relocated a regional sales office from Birmingham to leased office space on the Little Caesars Arena property.

, beyond a new Little Caesars world headquarters across from Comerica Park, the Wayne State University Mike Ilitch School of Business neighboring Little Caesars Arena (both of which have ties to the Ilitch family), and an office building, little of the promised redevelopment tied to the arena has materialized.

Budget 
It was originally announced that Little Caesars Arena would cost $450 million to construct, on top of an additional $200 million for constructing the new district. $285 million of the total $650 million cost would be public funds, with $365.5 million in private funding.

On May 23, 2017, it was reported that the cost of the arena had risen to $862.9 million.

In June 2017, a lawsuit was filed by Robert Davis and city clerk candidate D. Etta Wilcoxon, seeking to prohibit the use of school property tax revenue to fund Little Caesars Arena and the new Pistons headquarters without a public vote. The money had originally been approved by voters only for use by Detroit Public Schools Community District to cover operational expenses. District Judge Mark A. Goldsmith dismissed much of the suit, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue over the issue. The judge did, however, allow an unrelated count, alleging violations of the Equal Protection Clause by the DPSCD against Davis, to move forward.

The DDA, which owns the arena, uses an estimated $15 million annually in state school taxes to repay Michigan State.

Naming rights 

On February 11, 2016, it was reported that a local businessman had sold the domain name "littlecaesarsarena.com" three weeks earlier to an international brokerage firm for "five figures", which suggested that Little Caesars, a pizza chain also owned by the Ilitch family, had acquired the naming rights to the new arena. Olympia Entertainment officially announced on April 28, 2016, that the venue would be known as Little Caesars Arena. It was also revealed that a large Little Caesars logo would be displayed on the arena's roof; the previous plan for the LED roof was dismissed as being a "placeholder". Chris Ilitch defended the decision of not selling the naming rights to a third-party company, arguing that it was meant to reflect Little Caesars' position as a "legacy business" of the Ilitch family.

The announcement was poorly received. Prior to the unveiling of the official name, some fans suggested to The Detroit News that the arena should have been named after Gordie Howe. Following Howe's death on June 10, 2016, an online petition began to circulate requesting that Little Caesars Arena be renamed in honor of the former Red Wings player.

A number of nicknames have emerged for the venue, including "LCA", "The Pizzarena", "The Hot N' Ready Arena", "The Pizza Box", "The Pizza Palace", and "The DoughJoe".

Events

Ice hockey
The 2017–18 edition of the Great Lakes Invitational moved to the arena for the first time from January 1–2, 2018.

The 2020 NCAA Men's Frozen Four was scheduled to be held at Little Caesars Arena, hosted by Michigan State University. However, on March 12, 2020, the NCAA announced that all championships for the season would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Basketball

The first regular season college basketball games held at Little Caesars Arena were played on December 16, 2017, with a doubleheader featuring the Michigan Wolverines playing the Detroit Mercy Titans, and the Michigan State Spartans playing the Oakland Golden Grizzlies.

As part of a contract carried over from Joe Louis Arena, Little Caesars Arena hosted the Horizon League's men's and women's basketball tournaments until 2019, under the blanket title Motor City Madness. Detroit began hosting the men's tournament at Joe Louis Arena in 2016 under a 5-year deal, and the women's tournament in 2017. The tournaments moved to Indianapolis for 2020.

Little Caesars Arena hosted first and second-round games during the 2018 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, hosted by the University of Detroit Mercy. Although the nearby Palace of Auburn Hills hosted preliminary rounds of the Tournament in 2013, this was the Tournament's first visit to Detroit since the city hosted the 2009 Final Four at Ford Field. The Tournament will return to the arena for the Midwest Regional in 2024. The Tournament was originally slated to return in 2021. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the games were relocated.

On July 17, 2019, the Michigan State Spartans and the Oakland Golden Grizzlies announced a six-year deal that extended their series. The games will rotate between Little Caesars Arena and the Breslin Center. The first game was played at the arena on December 14, 2019, while the second game was played on December 21, 2021. The third and final game will be played in 2023.

The 2020 Big3 championship game was scheduled to be held at Little Caesars Arena on August 29, 2020. However, on May 18, 2020, the Big3 announced that the 2020 season would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On November 11, 2022, the Michigan Wolverines and the Eastern Michigan Eagles played at Little Caesars Arena.

Combat sports
Little Caesars Arena hosted UFC 218 on December 2, 2017.

The 2022 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were held at the arena, hosted by the University of Michigan.

Figure skating
Little Caesars Arena hosted the 2019 U.S. Figure Skating Championships.

Professional wrestling

In its first WWE event, Little Caesars Arena hosted the pay-per-view Hell in a Cell on October 8, 2017, followed by its first Raw broadcast on March 12, 2018.

Raw returned on December 28, 2018, to pre-record an episode aired on New Year's Eve. Nearly a year later, a match was recorded for Fox's New Year's Eve with Steve Harvey following the live SmackDown at the arena on December 27, 2019. SmackDown was originally scheduled to return on March 13, 2020, but the show (and all other WWE programming) was called off and relocated to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Raw returned on December 27, 2021, for the final episode of the year.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) hosted its first event at Little Caesars Arena on June 29, 2022, including a live broadcast of Dynamite, featuring the second Blood and Guts special and match, and tapings of Rampage and Dark: Elevation.

Esports
In August 2019, Little Caesars Arena hosted the 2019 League of Legends Championship Series Summer Finals. The event featured a performance by Detroit musician Jax Anderson for its opening ceremony.

Concerts

Reception 
In June 2018, the arena was named "Sports Facility of the Year" at the 2018 Sports Business Awards.

References

External links

 

2017 establishments in Michigan
Basketball venues in Michigan
Boxing venues in the United States
College basketball venues in the United States
College ice hockey venues in the United States
Detroit Pistons
Detroit Red Wings
Indoor ice hockey venues in Detroit
Little Caesars
Midtown Detroit
Mixed martial arts venues in the United States
National Basketball Association venues
National Hockey League venues
Olympia Entertainment
Sports venues completed in 2017
Sports venues in Detroit