It was ten years ago today, June 23 1998, that ground was broken for the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. I remember it like it was yesterday. The old St. Paul Civic Center stood on that ground at the time. I remember St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman and Governor Arne Carlson being in the fight of their political lives trying to get the arena built in St. Paul. I also recall some local politicians trying to kill the deal. Some went as far as to say the deal for the arena would "bankrupt the city." Their lack of foresight was frightening.
Well, as we now know, the arena eventually was built and NHL hockey returned to Minnesota. The impact on downtown St. Paul has been immeasurable. Here are some of the national accolades that the arena has received:
"Best Stadium Experience," ESPN the Magazine, 2003, 2007
"Best NHL Arena," SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, 2006
"Best Fan Experience," Forbes, 2006
Six-time nominee for "Arena of the Year" by Pollstar magazine, an industry publication.
"Best NHL Arena," SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily, 2006
"Best Fan Experience," Forbes, 2006
Six-time nominee for "Arena of the Year" by Pollstar magazine, an industry publication.
Today's St. Paul Pioneer Press featured a great 10-year anniversary article that summarizes the political fight that took place to build the X:
The same voices that cried doom and gloom back in the '90's were quieted, although they reemerged during the Twins stadium debate a few years ago. I truly believe the new Twins stadium will have the same effect on the Warehouse District of Minneapolis that the X had on St. Paul. I'd sure hate to think of downtown if we listened to those voices and the Xcel Energy Center was never built.
Peace.
Jeff
9 comments:
Jeff,
I don't quite follow your logic that just because one new stadium was a rousing success, that it follows that any other new stadium will be a similar success.
There are several key differences between the X and the new Twins stadium:
1. With the X, it was built to attract a hockey team that we didn't currently have. Now, we already have a baseball team with a place to play. (As ugly as that place may be, it's still a home.) I don't think they were going to move any time soon, despite all the bluster. Remember the threatened sale to Don Beaver in North Carolina in the late '90s if Pohlad didn't get a stadium?
2. Downtown St. Paul was (and still is on most nights) devoid of any life after 6:00 PM, and really needed the boost. The same can not be said about the warehouse district. It doesn't need the same level of infusion.
3. The X is a multi-purpose arena. It can host other sports, college hockey tournements, concerts, political rallies, etc. The only non-Twins events that the new stadium would ever hold would be the MLB All-star game. It definitely wouldn't be as utilized as the X.
Basically, the X has been a great success. Minnesota always has and always will support hockey. Especially after a few years without.
However, after a few years with the new Twins stadium, if the Twins ever hit the skids for an extended time (which generally doesn't happen to teams that have a quality front office and player development plan, which the Twins do have right now, but perhaps not forever into the future), then attendance will eventually sag, new stadium or not. It would take a much deeper level of incompetence for the Wild to lose their fanbase.
So I don't think that just because the X has been a success means that the Twins stadium will be a success on the same scale. Two completely different situations.
Neil K
Um, first off, the Twins host 81 home games, which is twice as many as the Wild have, so they've got a pretty good head start.
Also, there's already talk about having the new Twins ballpark host other events. It can host the high school baseball tournament, for example. I think I've read that Fenway has hosted concerts before, though you have to be careful not to damage the turf when you do that stuff.
Lastly, the new ballpark is being credited with helping to spur a lot of the new residential development around the warehouse district, which is playing a big part in the resurgence.
If St. Paul could figure out how to get people to live downtown, it wouldn't be so dead after 6:00.
That's OK with me, I like it how it is after 6 pm, I can actually go there, to a WILD game, etc. and have fun. I HATE Murderapolis, and I DON'T need or want that kind of night life anyway. Please, by all means, keep it there, don't bring the scum to downtown St. Paul, I don't want any whorehouse district like they have over there anyway, with their gangster rap and shootin and the like. Keep it there, and keep St. Paul a good city, not like crapolopolis.
Snyde43,
Good point, in that there are 81 home games per year, vs. half that for the Wild. However, much of the revenue from the new stadium is not *new revenue*, just replaced revenue, since they are already playing 81 games downtown, just at a different location. True, there will be higher attendance, and people will be more likely to hang out and spend money in the warehouse district vs. near the dome, but not all the revenue derived from Twins games would be new.
However, I'm not sure if the new residential development around the warehouse district that you mention is a positive or negative. If it were selling, it would be a positive, but everything I've heard lately says that's there's a condo glut downtown.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to going to games at the stadium, and hope it's as beneficial as the X has been, but I'm just not sold yet that it will be. We'll see.
Neil K
Some is "replaced" revenue, but the increased revenue from higher attendance and more people hanging around the Warehouse District will be pretty significant. Consider also that with Wolves games and other events next door at Target Center, there's probably going to be something going on at least half the year. That can only help those business owners who depend on people visiting the area.
And I know some out-of-town folks are bitching about the lack of a roof, but those who do bite the bullet and have a nice outdoor baseball experience will only come back and hopefully make a day or weekend out of it.
What I've read is that the increasing number of folks moving to downtown Minneapolis is spurring a broader variety of retail and amenities that will improve the overall health of the downtown Minneapolis economy, which in turn, strengthens the overall Minneapolis economy if we keep more people doing their thing in the city rather than heading out to suburban malls or whatever.
As for Anonymous, I've heard all your ignorant hating on my city before. We're more than happy for you to stay over in St. Paul too, thanks.
The thing about new stadiums and arenas is that they must be created to appeal to sports fans and non-sports fans alike. Pat Ruesse talks about this a lot. They must offer an experience that cannot be obtained elsewhere. The X offers this in St. Paul. If it didn't we might has well kept the old Civic Center.
New stadiums have amenities, club levels and skyboxes for instance, that appeal to people who will gladly pay high prices "to be seen," eat some good food, have some drinks, etc. Not all of them are sports fans. It's quite a phenomenon if you think about it. I would be the first to agree that this may wear off after a few years if the product on the field is poor. But if you have a poor product in a poor stadium - watch out. Look at the Twins in the mid-90's.
Stadiums that are "done right" also lead to additional development around them. The nice thing about the Twins location is that the Warhouse District already has some of this in place. There are opportunies on the North side of the stadium that should be available. I hope the Twins and the city of Minneapolis don't screw up this opportunity to develop that area.
Now, regarding the amenities that I just mentioned, the Metrodome offers nothing. There is no club level. The skyboxes are basically closets that don't face the field. The only development spurred on by the Dome is Huberts. The Dome is an embarrassment on so many fronts that I don't have time to even scratch the surface.
A well-made stadium should offer a reason for the ticket buyer to show up. The Metrodome is one of two stadiums in MLB today (Tropicana in Tampa being the other) that actually gives the ticket buyer a reason to NOT show up - good weather. Many, many people have remarked to me that they won't go to a game in the summer if the weather forcast is good. I understand that some people enjoy going to games in the Dome in April or September if the weather is crappy, but I don't believe it makes up for "lost ticket sales" in the summer when kids are off from school and families are looking for places to spend their money.
I believe Minneapolis is on the right track with the Twins stadium, but Neil is correct that there are some unanswered questions. I hope that these opportunities are not lost.
Boy is Anonymous Don Imus? Sounds like a guy has issues with people that don't look like him.
freealonzo-it seems to me that anonymous does not want the violence and gang-banging that goes on in minneapolis to seep into st paul. in case you have been living in a cave for the last 20 years, or more likely, are a politically correct liberal with your head up your ass, yes, they are black. deal with that fact. that does not make him/her don imus. sounds like you have issues with people that don't think like you
One of the things that I can appreciate about the Twin Cites is that Minneapolis and St. Paul are so different. I like that. Many people have remarked that they are really not "twin" cites at all.
Yes, Minneapolis has some crime problems that St. Paul does not experience to the same degree. My family, however, chose to live relatively close to the city of St. Paul because of the amenities the city has to offer. We realize that there are some "warts" that go along with this.
I have ran into quite a few people that have lived in the suburbs thier entire life and seem "scared" to go near either city. I have told these people that some of my favorite restaurants are on University Avenue in St. Paul and I have been asked "if I wear a bullet proof vest to them."
That is ignorant.
I really had no intention of turning this into a discussion about race.
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