Renderings Revealed: The $800M Overhaul Of Capital One Arena Getting Underway
The first hammer is in the wall for the $800M renovation and expansion of the Capital One Arena.
Mayor Muriel Bowser, Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis and other city and team officials held a ceremonial start of construction on the project Thursday, which is expected to be completed for the 2027-2028 hockey and basketball seasons.
The bulk of the work will be completed during the summers, as the teams will continue to play in the arena through the renovation.
The details and initial renderings were revealed in October, as was the team behind the effort: CAA ICON, Gensler and Clark Construction. New renderings were released Thursday, including the first renderings of the arena’s exterior.
“We are really pleased with how the structure looks, let me just say that,” Bowser said at Thursday’s event. “It’s not just a paint job but it’s really making the building a new state-of-the-art facility.”
The major revamp was announced when earlier this year, Leonsis made the decision to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the District through at least 2050, after previously setting them up to move to Northern Virginia months earlier.
The plans include expanding the main entrance on F Street, widening the concourses, creating 65% more concession and 30% more restroom space, revamping the food options, and more than doubling the size of athlete spaces with a new film room for the Capitals and a new on-site training facility for the Wizards. The venue will also take over 200K SF in the adjacent Gallery Place complex, mostly for back-of-house operations.
“The arena will be a marvel of modern design and technology, the intersection of style and comfort and a futuristic and first-class fan experience from street to seat,” Leonsis said in a statement Thursday. “In this greatest city in the world with its extraordinary and historic monuments, we believe this building will be a monument but built on momentum – something bold and bright for now and the future.”
The renovation is also planned to include a new United Airlines club for 800 guests and a UA lounge for 150, and luxury viewing suites called The Vaults.
The official start of construction comes two days after the D.C. Council approved $515M to purchase and revamp the arena. Monumental plans to contribute at least $285M to the project, bringing the total planned cost to $800M.
The District owns the land on which the arena sits and now plans to purchase the building itself for $88M. It will then lease it back to Monumental through 2050, with the option of four five-year term extensions that could take the lease as far as 2070.
