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.