Nashville Predators Eye Major Bridgestone Arena Upgrades

NASHVILLE, TN — The old rule-of-thumb is that the average lifespan of a pro sports arena is 30 years.

Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, a key cog in the revitalization of Lower Broadway, will celebrate its 20th birthday in December, but leaders of the Nashville Predators say they see no great value in a new building, particularly if the existing one can get a smorgasbord of dramatic upgrades.

The team, along with leading sports-facility architecture firm Populous, outlined a series of concepts — the team calls them "conversation starters" — for the future of the arena at Fifth Avenue and Broadway during Thursday's meeting of the Metropolitan Sports Authority.

Among the ideas is replacing the rather utilitarian and squat space that the team shares with the Register of Deeds office on the Sixth and Broadway side of the arena with a tower that could include a hotel, offices or residential space, plus meeting space, street-level retail, team store and visitors center.

The team's offices would move down Sixth to the intersection with Demonbreun Street — currently the site of the undersized on-site parking garage. A new ice rink would be located on that corner, across from the Music City Center, as well.

The report also mentions a new social rooftop patio area and a restaurant to anchor new retail space, as well as more pedestrian improvements like more bathrooms and concession stands and increased concourse amenities.

Predators President and CEO Sean Henry told The Tennessean that adaptations are also being explored to cater to younger demographics who crave a more social and tech-heavy experience than their Gen-X and Baby Boomer forebears.

“It’s not just improving the building,” Henry said. “It’s looking where we are now, how the fan base evolves and millennials consume entertainment slightly different than I do and very differently than my parents do.”

In the spirit of the concepts being the start of a conversation rather than a demand, no price tag was attached.

The Predators received more than $8.7 million in state and Metro subsidies in 2015.

Image via Populous and the Nashville Predators