(WBIR) The outdated Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum are in dire need of renovations, and failure to bring them up-to-date will result in the continued erosion of market share and diminishing events, performances and attendance, according to a recently completed study.
The complex, according to the 119-page report, needs improved rigging capacities, more floor space and increased seating.
The report, which the city sought to determine the future of the connecting downtown facilities, suggests three options: Do nothing; renovate the building; or replace it entirely.
The proposals range from $26 million to $33 million to keep it as is; $141 million to $205.4 million for an overhaul; and $221 million to almost $280 million to tear it down and begin anew.
The improvements, according to the report, would not only help the coliseum and auditorium better compete within Knoxville and East Tennessee but also in comparable areas, like Asheville, N.C., for example.
“The Civic Auditorium and Coliseum are more than 50 years old, and it was time to take a good, hard look at their future,” Mayor Madeline Rogero said in a released statement. “The consultants have presented us with detailed information about their current conditions and rough cost estimates for either retaining or replacing them.
"Now we really want to hear from the community before we make any decisions about how to proceed.”
The city will hold a public meeting to help local leaders discuss the building's future. It’s been set for 6 p.m. Jan. 14 at the Civic Auditorium on Howard Baker Jr. Ave. In addition, comments and suggestions can be sent to comments@knoxvilletn.gov.
The feasibility study was led by Texas-based Conventions, Sports and Leisure International. The company, which won a bid to oversee the analysis, was paid $98,000.
The report suggests that the improvements could create tens of millions of dollars in economic impact for the area, although the study also notes that the benefits won’t happen overnight and could take years. The report analyzed attendance and performance numbers and estimated that they, too, would increase.
For example, in 2014, some 172,350 people attended a combined 83 performances. By keeping the building as is, that number would jump to about 180,000 per year and 85 performances. A redeveloped or a replaced coliseum could bring in 350,000 people per year for 125 performances.
The downtown arena is home to a number of sports teams, including one of its main tenants, the Knoxville Ice Bears professional ice hockey team.
The arena has also featured thousands of world-class acts since it opened in 1961. During the past five decades, it's hosted circuses, theatrical productions, musicals, comedians, and major concerts, including the Rolling Stones and Stevie Wonder.
Although the facility has a lot of history, it also has some major problems.
When it was designed, for example, musical performers stacked their speakers on the floor. Now they hang them from the roof trusses, which aren't strong enough to hold them.
The downtown facility currently features an exhibition hall, a 4,800-square-foot ballroom, a 2,500-seat auditorium, and an arena that maxes out at 7,100 seats. The limited size of the outdated structure has caused some entertainers to steer clear of Knoxville.
It took two years and $5.1 million to originally build the facility in 1961. Every sitting president from Richard Nixon through George W. Bush has visited the building during various stops in Knoxville.
It also was the site of the final shows for some famous performers. Randy Rhodes, a former guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne, and George Jones played at the coliseum before they died.
