Capital One Arena renovations are underway. Here's what to expect.
Many of the changes scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2025-26 Washington Capitals and Wizards seasons will go unnoticed by fans, as the initial work will be focused, out of necessity, on the event level of the nearly 30-year-old building. Improvements coming in future years include wider concourses, a 40 percent increase in the number of arena restrooms, expanded concession offerings, the installation of blue seats and a new sound system and scoreboard.
Over the next few months, the Capitals and Wizards are getting new locker rooms, each twice as large as the spaces the teams previously used. New training and recovery rooms, a film room and a players' family lounge are also expected to be ready in time for next season. The redesign of the event level will involve relocating several back-of-house spaces used by support staff to the mixed-use Gallery Place building adjacent to the arena, where previous tenants included Lucky Strike and Bed Bath & Beyond.
'At the completion of this project, we will have a brand-new building, from the event level through the roof and really expanding over to Gallery Place,' Jim Van Stone, Monumental Sports & Entertainment's president of business operations, said during a media tour of the space Wednesday.
The Gallery Place building will eventually house Monumental's administrative offices, box office and security operations staff. It will be anchored by a 12,000-square-foot team store and a Grand Pavilion with multiple entrances to the arena, which will feature five additional retail boutique shops. Monumental's broadcast studio opened in the same square block last year.
Other changes marked for future phases of the project include relocating the main entrance to the arena closer to the corner of 7th and F Streets, a redesigned entrance on 6th Street and the opening of a grand food hall on the 400 level.
The exterior of the arena will also look drastically different by the time the project is scheduled to be completed ahead of the 2027-28 season, thanks to the installation of an immersive veil that will encircle the building. The modernized nod to the saddle-shaped design of Capital Centre will have the ability to change color.
Three new premium spaces will be completed this summer and be available for the 2025-26 season. They include the United Globe Club and United Globe Lounge, which will replace the Etihad Lounge, and the Vaults — 10 all-inclusive suites with lounge-style seating areas, a tasting room and access to 18 lower-level seats in Sections 110, 111 and 112. Premium spaces on the 100 and 300 levels will be renovated in later phases of the project.
Van Stone said Monumental hopes to increase the number of annual events Capital One Arena holds by the end of the renovation. The venue, which opened as MCI Center in December 1997, is slated to host several marquee events in the coming years, including Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games for the NCAA men's basketball tournament next March, the 2027 Frozen Four and Sweet 16 and Elite Eight games for the NCAA women's basketball tournament in 2028.
Earlier this month, Monumental opened the Reserve, an interactive space on the third level of Capital One Arena offering season plan holders, clients and other interested parties a preview of the changes coming to the building over the next three years.
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