Red Wings arena to have gondola seats, outdoor plaza

The Ilitch family's new hockey and events arena unveiled a slate of cutting-edge fan improvements, including gondola seating hovering close to the action, a practice rink for amateur hockey and a massive video wall on the exterior of the center.

The improvements will add an additional $95 million to the cost of the arena project, which is now under construction at its site on the northern edge of downtown with completion scheduled for fall 2017.

Tom Wilson, president and CEO of Olympia Entertainment, said the extra cost will be privately funded.

The Iitches' Olympia Entertainment announced the enhancements Wednesday saying the plans would create "a more dynamic ... interactive experience for fans."

"These enhancements will ensure we create a unique multi-use venue that brings the best in sports and entertainment to Detroit, while creating a destination for everyone in our community to enjoy," Wilson said. "We're completely focused on delivering an arena that hosts exceptional experiences for our community, players, fans and neighbors while driving additional investment and development in Detroit."

In its announcement, Olympia said the enhancements would include:

Enhanced video and sound capabilities for a more immersive experience, creative food-service options, a skin on the outside of the arena bowl that can display video and graphics, additional elevators and improved seating options, including the gondola seating suspended above the action.

An on-site practice ice for community hockey teams and an outdoor plaza featuring a massive video wall — along with more green spaces across the arena site — that will be regularly programmed with music and entertainment.

Operational improvements such as additional points of sale for concessions and merchandise.

"Our organization is committed to stepping up and making the new Detroit arena special for everyone in Detroit," Wilson said. "With this additional $95 million in privately funded enhancements, we know that we will deliver a world-class venue that our community will be proud of."

The large-scale development is one of the largest downtown-area developments in a generation.

The Ilitches also recently announced the family will donate $40 million to help build a new Wayne State University business school at the southwest corner of Cass and Temple near the new arena. The school would be renamed the Mike Ilitch School of Business for its largest benefactor.

The arena will complement the new M-1 Rail line and nearby attractions such as Ford Field, the Fox Theatre, MotorCity Casino Hotel, the Detroit Opera House and others. The arena and various buildings and residential projects will be built on what are now mostly vacant lots encompassing dozens of blocks along and near Woodward Avenue.

In addition to a roughly 20,000-seat arena, long-term plans call for new residential buildings and dozens of restaurants and retail stores, as well as a hotel, new parks and streetlights and other remade infrastructure. The Ilitch family has said the area will offer an intimate, festive with the feel of some European cities known for street life.

New retail connected to the arena structure will be open even when the arena is not in use, featuring a first-ever design for a glass-covered streetscape inside the complex with trees and other urban amenities. The below-ground-level playing surface and sleek building design are meant to give the arena a human scale unlike more imposing and monolithic arenas in many cities.

Contact John Gallagher: 313-222-5173 or gallagher@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @jgallagherfreep.