Field of Schemes' First Take

The great Neil deMause over at fieldofschemes.com posted his first take on the proposed new Baltimore Arena. He has two good links detailing a couple of different scenarios. Neither of them sound great.

Formal Request For Proposals Announced

From today's Baltimore Sun comes the news that the Baltimore Development Corp. (BDC) has asked "for proposals that would design, develop, build and operate a new arena, with iconic design that might include ground-level shops and housing a tower." M.J. "Jay" Brodie, president of the BDC is looking for proposals with "...maximum private financing..." 

Yesterday's Baltimore Business Journal (BBJ) has its more detailed take here. They mention a separate request for proposals "seeking a consultant to assist in the process of reviewing the  (new arena -Ed.) proposals..." and to come up with a plan for a possible temporary location for events during the new arena's construction.

The Sun article admits the venture would be paid "largely with public money". The BBJ's article says "City and state officials have said they will be willing to contribute public financing towards the project..."

The deadline is November 26, 2008.

Edit 8.28.08: Here is the BDC's official press release announcing the two requests for proposals.

More Arena Memories

Check out this Baltimorean's memories of the Civic Center/Arena from brightestyoungthings.com, a largely DC-centric entertainment site.

Another Pool Push From Dan Rodricks

The Baltimore Sun's Dan Rodricks' continues to push for "the Michael Phelps Aquatic Sports Center in the new downtown arena". From August 19th, here's my take on it. I will agree with Mr. Rodricks questioning the logic of investing in a flood plain.

Another Opinion (from Frederick, MD)

Frederick News Post columnist Elizabeth Marsh Cupino writes an opinion piece about Baltimore's plans to build a new arena.

You Can Probably Forget About Putting A Pool In The New Arena

From today's Baltimore Sun, a rumor that Michael Phelps and his business partners are going to buy the "North Baltimore Aquatic Club's Meadowbrook facility, neighboring ice skating rink and post office..." in the Mount Washington neighborhood. 

Best part of the rumor: buying the post office. Yes, it is small and likely needs to be replaced, but has a new location for it been found? I need to look into that some more.

I always thought Dan Rodrick's idea of putting a pool in the basement of the new Baltimore Arena was an interesting one, but a bit of a stretch realistically. It would just drive up the cost of the building. I'd love for Olympic-caliber swimmers to train (and live and eat and shop) in downtown Baltimore. I just don't know how a training facility like this pays for itself. 

If the pool is in the basement, it would have to be for training purposes only. Otherwise, where do the 10,000+ spectators sit?

Baltimore could still host an Olympic swimming trials without a pool in the basement. Omaha built a temporary pool on the arena floor for the 2008 U.S. trials. It only cost $250,000.

Baltimore Mariners Indoor Football Team Sold

The Baltimore Mariners, of the American Indoor Football Association, have been sold to a local ownership group. The Baltimore Business Journal has all the details. Their season is expected to start in March 2009, with games at the Baltimore Arena.

Baltimore Indoor Football Tryouts

The Baltimore Mariners of the American Indoor Football Association (AIFA) have just announced registration details for open tryouts. Tryouts will be held in White Marsh on October 12th. The Mariners second season will begin in March of 2009 and games are held at, you guessed it, the Baltimore Arena.

More from Rodricks

Another push for a swimming pool in the basement of the new Baltimore Arena.

A History of Rock & Roll in Baltimore

Vocal "major-league sized arena" proponent (here and here), radio personality and Baltimore Sun columnist, Dan Rodricks posted this blog entry detailing Civic Center appearances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who, The Monkees and Herman's Hermits.

A History of Pro Wrestling in Baltimore

From August 4th, here is a nice history of professional wrestling at the Baltimore Civic Center/Arena by Bob Magee of WrestlingDotCom.

Beijing Inspiration

The 2008 Olympic Games began this past Friday and a number of the venues may inspire the designers of the new Baltimore Arena. The National Stadium (aka The Bird's Nest) and the National Aquatics Center (aka The Water Cube) have gotten a lot of press.

However, The Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium, with a seating capacity of 18,000, is a better "apples to apples" comparison. Also, with a seating capacity of 20,000, is The National Indoor Stadium. But Baltimore already has something similar, don't you think?

Baltimore Sun Op/Ed from Aug. 6, 2008

Dennis Coates penned this Baltimore Sun Op/Ed piece from this past Wednesday. Mr. Coates doesn't put forth an opinion per se, but clearly points out "All the evidence is that stadiums and arenas have little or no effect on the number of jobs or on the level of income in the community." He also suggests "... as you decide how you feel about the project, focus not on the economic development benefits or what Baltimore deserves, but on whether this is the best use of public money..."

Mr. Coates is the president of the North American Association of Sports Economists. 

Baltimore Arena Watch: The First Post

Two weeks ago city and state officials announced that they will replace the Baltimore Arena, currently named the 1st Mariner Arena, with a new, bigger venue on the current site. 

There is much debate over the building of a large arena. Will it bring a major league (NBA or NHL) tenant? If it can't, shouldn't the city build a smaller (and cheaper) arena that matches the capacity of the current one? And what about the issue of building on the current site? To the casual observer, there is enough room to construct a bigger building on that site, using the eastern surface parking lot and the parking garage on the south. 

The loss of income for the 2-3 years of construction worries many. But that die has been cast. My feeling is there are fewer infrastructure costs with this site versus sites mentioned further south, near the other stadiums. Mass transit, water lines, etc. are all ready in place. Ground floor retail opportunities in the new building hope to bridge downtown to the city's ongoing west-side redevelopment.

This blog hopes to be a hub for news and discussion concerning the funding, design, construction and occupancy of the Baltimore Arena.