Bob_R
04-09-2005, 09:14 AM
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) - Hockey fans stepping out of trains toward a new arena for the New Jersey Devils in downtown Newark will be greeted by a giant video screen that could show highlights of Stanley Cup seasons.
"You'll be able to see this from the Pulaski Skyway," Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek said, referring to an elevated roadway several miles away.
The screen is among the most striking features of the arena's exterior, a model of which was unveiled Thursday.
"It looks like no other arena in America today," Mayor Sharpe James said, noting it will incorporate the facade of a long-shuttered rail station. That facade was uncovered in recent days as construction crews have begun dismantling vacant structures to make way for the arena.
The $310 million, 18,000-seat building is on schedule to open in September 2007, Vanderbeek said, replacing the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford as the team's home.
Under their agreement signed in February, the city will pay $210 million; the team will pay $100 million toward the cost of the arena and any cost overruns. The deal followed six years of efforts that initially began with the owners of the New Jersey Nets.
The Nets, now under new ownership, intend to leave the Continental arena in several years for an arena being planned for Brooklyn, N.Y., but James said he would welcome them to Newark if the move falters.
Architect Morris Adjmi has reworked his exterior design for the Newark facility, adding glass and eliminating brick columns.
Vanderbeek and the mayor said they were confident there will be hockey next season. The 2004-05 NHL season was lost to a lockout, and the owners and players have not yet agreed on a contract.
"I'm extremely optimistic we'll play hockey," Vanderbeek said, adding that his preference would be to do so with the regular players rather than replacement players.
The new arena is to stand just west of Penn Station, at Broad and Market streets, among the most congested arteries in the state's largest city.
The plan includes 3,800 parking spots within two square blocks, Vanderbeek said, adding that 55 percent of fans will need to take trains or buses. That is a big departure from the Meadowlands, which has no train service and few buses.
"This is an urban area, people will have to get used to it," he said.
"You'll be able to see this from the Pulaski Skyway," Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek said, referring to an elevated roadway several miles away.
The screen is among the most striking features of the arena's exterior, a model of which was unveiled Thursday.
"It looks like no other arena in America today," Mayor Sharpe James said, noting it will incorporate the facade of a long-shuttered rail station. That facade was uncovered in recent days as construction crews have begun dismantling vacant structures to make way for the arena.
The $310 million, 18,000-seat building is on schedule to open in September 2007, Vanderbeek said, replacing the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands sports complex in East Rutherford as the team's home.
Under their agreement signed in February, the city will pay $210 million; the team will pay $100 million toward the cost of the arena and any cost overruns. The deal followed six years of efforts that initially began with the owners of the New Jersey Nets.
The Nets, now under new ownership, intend to leave the Continental arena in several years for an arena being planned for Brooklyn, N.Y., but James said he would welcome them to Newark if the move falters.
Architect Morris Adjmi has reworked his exterior design for the Newark facility, adding glass and eliminating brick columns.
Vanderbeek and the mayor said they were confident there will be hockey next season. The 2004-05 NHL season was lost to a lockout, and the owners and players have not yet agreed on a contract.
"I'm extremely optimistic we'll play hockey," Vanderbeek said, adding that his preference would be to do so with the regular players rather than replacement players.
The new arena is to stand just west of Penn Station, at Broad and Market streets, among the most congested arteries in the state's largest city.
The plan includes 3,800 parking spots within two square blocks, Vanderbeek said, adding that 55 percent of fans will need to take trains or buses. That is a big departure from the Meadowlands, which has no train service and few buses.
"This is an urban area, people will have to get used to it," he said.