Toyota Center likely name for new arena
A new baseball stadium. A new football stadium. Now a new basketball and hockey arena. They're all impressive facilities, but I can't help but wonder what we might have been able to do if we'd taken even a fraction of the money involved and tried to do some good with it?
The $202 million arena is still under construction, but the Rockets' relocation is quickly approaching. Team officials plan to move into their offices in less than a month. The building's official ribbon-cutting is scheduled for Sept. 4.
Details are still being completed for when the first event will be held at the new facility. A concert likely will be scheduled for the week of Oct. 6. The Rockets will take the court for the first time for a preseason game, which is tentatively scheduled for Oct. 12.
The arena is the third sports venue to open in Houston in the past 3 1/2 years. The Astros moved into their new ballpark in 2000 and Reliant Stadium opened before the Texans' inaugural season in 2002.
Despite being the third venue in such a short period of time, Rockets officials are confident their new home will impress Houstonians -- whether they are attending basketball games, hockey games, concerts or family shows.
While the Rockets have a 30-year lease on the building, the venue has been designed to host a wide range of sports and events. With the venue situated on the east side of downtown, officials plan to take advantage of the nearby George R. Brown Convention Center and the new Hilton Americas hotel. By combining the location and state-of-the-art venue, the Rockets expect to attract events that Houston has not been able to get in the recent past.
Hosting the NBA All-Star Game and NCAA regionals are goals, along with eventually landing an NHL franchise.
All told, you're probably looking at a total in excess of $600 million for all three sports palaces. Was this really the wisest use of that money? I suppose it depends on your perspective. Yes, they're all impressive, state-of-the-art facilities. Even so, there are so many other priorities that could have been attended to with that money.
