SEATTLE — Locals know it because it’s an icon, but those who aren’t from around here know it from its presence in the lower portion of the million or so Seattle skyline photos taken from Kerry Park.



The “it” in this case is the 44-million pound landmark on the National Register of Historic Places officially known as the Seattle Center Arena roof.



Elvis and Jimi played under this thing. So did John, Paul, George and Ringo, along with The Glove, The Reign Man, The Hawk and Detlef. Pulling in A-list musical acts while also playing home to an NBA franchise is what made this roof — and the arena as a whole — a destination within the Pacific Northwest.



But here’s the thing about being historic: it’s just a nice way of saying something is old, potentially outdated, which was the case for the roof and the venue it covered. Major acts were no longer coming en masse when the SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in...