They saw the building rise from the ground, steel beam by steel beam, and tuned in for Thursday’s grand opening. But on Saturday, tens of thousands of people finally got a chance to see inside Rogers Place themselves.
Over 57,000 tickets were claimed for the free open house, held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Every 30 minutes, a new wave of 4,000 people were let inside.
Justin and Julie Lee were the first fans in on Saturday morning, eager to see the $613.7-million project.
“It was absolutely amazing! It was beyond any of my expectations. And I can’t wait to come watch my first Oilers game. I’m so excited to come back,” Julie said.
“Blown away. One of the big things I noticed is just how open it is, how light it is with the windows everywhere,” said Justin, who works downtown and has watched the construction over the past two-and-a-half years.
READ MORE: ‘It’s really going to wow people:’ Rogers Place staff say public will be blown away by facility
The couple left their kids at home for the tour, but said they are excited to bring them to future concerts and Edmonton Oilers games at the downtown arena.
“This is a day we’re going to be able to tell our grandchildren about,” Julie said.
At 819,200 square feet, Rogers Place is almost twice as large as Rexall Place, which was the home of the Edmonton Oilers from 1974 until the end of this past season.
READ MORE: Rogers Place just the latest incarnation of hockey hubs in the heart of Edmonton
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“I’m just in awe…just of how open it is,” said Oilers fan Deniz Ozbey.
“There’s no more looking through a little tunnel with your popcorn waiting to get back to your seats. You can still view the game. It’s incredible.”
The arena can seat over 18,000 people at hockey games and over 20,000 for concerts. Over half of the seats are in the lower bowl.
Between the lower and upper bowls are exclusive rings of executive suites, theatre suites and loge seats. At the far end is a sports bar and an after-hours-type club. Between the blue lines in the lower bowl are wider club seats, with exclusive lounge access.
BELOW: From top to bottom, a gallery of Rogers Place.
The City of Edmonton’s Rick Daviss, who was the arena project manager, visited other arenas in North America during the planning and design stage and is confident there is no other like Rogers Place.
“This is your house! Edmontonians, you put up with this for five years of debate and construction and mess and traffic and everything else. We’re done! Enjoy it,” Daviss said on Saturday.
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“We’re pleased to be able to deliver this project on time and on budget,” Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson said. “Thirty months to build something like this just goes to show what Edmonton’s construction companies and construction workers are capable of.”
Iveson pointed out the spin-off effect the arena is having on the rest of downtown.
“People may not yet realize the scale of the investment that the arena catalyzed,” Iveson said. “A number of condominium projects elsewhere in downtown that have opened because of this, a number of restaurants.”
READ MORE: Ice District development already paying off: Edmonton officials
The project’s completion required thousands of workers and an enormous amount of material. At the peak of construction, an estimated 9,000 workers helped build the arena. Even more people applied for jobs.
“We received, I think, over 18,000 applications and we hired about 1,600 people,” Rogers Place general manager Susan Darrington said. “We’ve got the best of the best of Edmonton in Rogers Place.”
The arena will see its first true test next week, when country singer Keith Urban will christen the arena with its first concert on Friday, Sept. 16.
The first pre-season Edmonton Oilers game is on Monday, Sept. 26 against the Calgary Flames. The two teams will face off in a battle of Alberta home opener on Wednesday, Oct. 12.
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