FirstOntario Centre (aka Copps Coliseum) | ? | 4 fl | Proposed

[SteelTown]

With the white/light grey exterior, OVG could install some cheap, really cool LED lighting to spruce up the look.

[TheRitsman]

Originally Posted by Berklon

Yeah, I get that the interior was the main reason for the renovation - it's just that an aesthetically pleasing exterior goes a long way in improving the look of the downtown core.

Having downtown be busy regularly and encouraging redevelopment of the plaza, auto body shop along Bay and some of the parking lots will do a heck of a lot more than the exterior of FOC. Not that I don't want to see it updated, but the economic impacts of downtown being busy 2-4 days per week would be a lot more.

The arena can host 18,000 people. When that venue is full it nearly doubles the population of downtown.

[Innsertnamehere]

The exterior is going to be reclad so that it looks fresh and how the arena relates to the street updated including street level restaurants with patios, from my understanding. It'll be a massive upgrade.

I'm not overly fussed about how the upper levels will be clad.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by jonny24

The company I work for is bidding on some of the work.

Level 1 is part concourse, part club area, part locker rooms etc.

Level 2 is concourse, with access to lower bowl at mid height.

Level 3 is concourse, as it is now, but with suites around the long sides of the bowl that block the current top-of-bowl access to the lower bowl.

Hi jonny24... appreciate your past clarifications! I am wondering if you would be able to help clarify a few things a bit further. Will Level 3 be used for access to both the upper and lower parts of the bowl at the end zones of the bowl? And Level 2 will be used for lower bowl access only at the long sides of the bowl? Will the Level 2 concourse wrap all the way around the arena or will it be something like a horseshoe shape?

[BCTed]

Overall, I am pretty happy with this whole deal.

Notes:
1. It is actually happening AND it is a legit really big spend AND it is privately funded AND it involves the biggest names in the arena and concert businesses.
2. It looks like there will be a ton more food and drink options and a ton more concourse space and it will just feel more modern and big-league.
3. There will be a bit of an exterior clean-up, but nothing substantial. I am cool with that.
4. They have not announced a new video board. OVG did not put one into Baltimore's arena either, citing the focus on the concert business. It will be a shame if the current board does not get upgraded. It is crap. Let's see.
5. I am sure that they will be able to get an AHL team or an OHL team in there and there will probably be NHL and/or NBA pre-season games taking place, along with wrestling or other sports. I am not excited by the OHL or AHL and it is too bad that the NHL remains a pipe dream. And as big as these renos are, it will probably still not quite be an NHL-ready arena once they are done, e.g. it will not have an NHL-sized number of suites.
6. The celebrity chef restaurant sounds pretty cool.
7. They have to do something about the troubled people near the arena. I do not know what.

On the whole, pretty darn exciting news for Hamilton and its downtown!

[Innsertnamehere]

Early in the process there were talks of moving the Salvation Army, but I haven’t heard anything about that for a while.

The overall trend seems to be to push these services east outside of the downtown to “clean up” the downtown.

[ScreamingViking]

Originally Posted by Innsertnamehere

The overall trend seems to be to push these services east outside of the downtown to “clean up” the downtown.

Yep. Won't be many places left to put them when the next cleanings occur... Hamilton mountain maybe? Because we know there won't be any moved to Ancaster or Waterdown.

[JakeLRS]

Originally it was stated a new video board would be installed.
Renders show it will likely be the same size as the current one however.

Just please make sure it doesn’t look like the hideous new one Sasktel centre got.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by JakeLRS

Originally it was stated a new video board would be installed.
Renders show it will likely be the same size as the current one however.

Just please make sure it doesn’t look like the hideous new one Sasktel centre got.

That thing is an El Cheapo one million dollar job. I think they are treating it as somewhat temporary since Saskatoon is in the very early stages of planning out a new 16,000 seat arena.

[jonny24]

Originally Posted by BCTed

Hi jonny24... appreciate your past clarifications! I am wondering if you would be able to help clarify a few things a bit further. Will Level 3 be used for access to both the upper and lower parts of the bowl at the end zones of the bowl? And Level 2 will be used for lower bowl access only at the long sides of the bowl? Will the Level 2 concourse wrap all the way around the arena or will it be something like a horseshoe shape?

This would easier if I could just post pics/plans, but I'm not actually on the project, just snooping though the files we have on it, plus they're actually somewhat confusing without all the accompanying sections etc.

Level 3: Wraps fully around

Access to upper bowl all around
Access to top of lower bowl for Club (Bay St end)
Access to top of lower bowl (Loge seats, York side)
Access to top of lower bowl (Suites, Jackson Sq South side)
Access to top of lower bowl General Admission (all 4 corners, Jackson Sq East end)

Level 2: Horseshoe shape - does not wrap the Jackson Sq East end. Just says "fit out by others" in that space, can't tell if it's supposed to be a restaurant or what.

Access to lower bowl at mid-bowl height (i.e. below the clubs/loges/suites) at York, Bay, and JS South sides.
No access to lower bowl at mid height on the JS East end. The lowest 10 rows at this end retract to make room for a concert stage, so you can only access this part of the bowl from the top.

Level 1: NW corner (York/Bay) is concourse. Access to ice/floor.
Along Bay is "Event Level Club" and "Floor Suites". This area has access to the lower bowl from the bottom, as well as to the floor.

The bottom 3 rows around the whole rest of the bowl also retract, I guess for larger floor space, and the front rows in this mode will be elevated. Looks like in retracted mode, the floor-level access to the bowl goes away.

[BCTed]

Originally Posted by jonny24

This would easier if I could just post pics/plans, but I'm not actually on the project, just snooping though the files we have on it, plus they're actually somewhat confusing without all the accompanying sections etc.

Level 3: Wraps fully around

Access to upper bowl all around
Access to top of lower bowl for Club (Bay St end)
Access to top of lower bowl (Loge seats, York side)
Access to top of lower bowl (Suites, Jackson Sq South side)
Access to top of lower bowl General Admission (all 4 corners, Jackson Sq East end)

Level 2: Horseshoe shape - does not wrap the Jackson Sq East end. Just says "fit out by others" in that space, can't tell if it's supposed to be a restaurant or what.

Access to lower bowl at mid-bowl height (i.e. below the clubs/loges/suites) at York, Bay, and JS South sides.
No access to lower bowl at mid height on the JS East end. The lowest 10 rows at this end retract to make room for a concert stage, so you can only access this part of the bowl from the top.

Level 1: NW corner (York/Bay) is concourse. Access to ice/floor.
Along Bay is "Event Level Club" and "Floor Suites". This area has access to the lower bowl from the bottom, as well as to the floor.

The bottom 3 rows around the whole rest of the bowl also retract, I guess for larger floor space, and the front rows in this mode will be elevated. Looks like in retracted mode, the floor-level access to the bowl goes away.

Awesome. Thanks for the details --- really appreciate you taking the time! That is pretty much what the renders seem to hint.

I wonder how they will assign section numbers and stream people to their seats for lower bowl general admission given that some of it will be from Level 3 and some from Level 2. I guess I/we will learn in 18 months or so!

[Djeffery]

Originally Posted by jonny24

The bottom 3 rows around the whole rest of the bowl also retract, I guess for larger floor space, and the front rows in this mode will be elevated. Looks like in retracted mode, the floor-level access to the bowl goes away.

If I remember right from the big tournaments of the 80's, Copps could hold an international ice surface, which would explain the retractable seats around the bowl.