The Tucson Convention Center (TCC), previously named the Tucson Community Center, is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes a 9,275-seat indoor arena, two performing arts venues, and 205,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of meeting space.
In 2009, ground was broken on a major renovation to construct a new convention center hotel and substantially expand the exhibition space.
Architectural firm DLR Group designed the new Tucson Hotel and Convention Center. The project is under construction. The main tower is a 400 foot, 27-story Sheraton hotel featuring 525 guest rooms. Features include an open courtyard, outdoor pool, bar and lobby lounge, fitness center, café, rooftop pool deck, business center, and 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of meeting space including a 19,000-square-foot (1,800 m2) ballroom.
The project includes an 118,000-square-foot (11,000 m2) expansion of the adjacent Tucson Convention Center. The renovation will add a new exhibit hall, two ballrooms, five large meeting rooms, a new main entry and 1,060-car parking garage.
The project is scheduled for completion in 2012. Cost is preliminarily estimated at $246 million.
Edit: Tucson has not started construction on an expansion of the convention center and a hotel.[1]
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The University of Arizona Wildcats club hockey team currently plays at Tucson Arena and is the primary tenant at this time. Although associated with the college, the team receives no funding directly from the school. The hockey team is a Division 1 member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Until recently, Leo Golembiewski had been the head coach for the last 27 years, leading the team to 21 straight national tournaments with eight Semi-final appearances and one national championship. The new coach, Sean Hogan hopes to take the team into a new direction and look in the coming seasons.
The Tucson Convention Center has been host to many other events including the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, concerts, monster truck shows as well as many live WWE television broadcasts featuring Raw, SmackDown & ECW on Sci Fi.
TCC's current arena is outdated and operates at a 3 million dollar deficit every year. In 2005, a feasibility study was performed, revealing that a new arena in downtown Tucson is possible. April 4, 2007, Tucson city council approved funding of $130 million for a new 10,000-12,000 seat arena. Supporters claim that the new arena would add significantly to the ongoing Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment project. Currently, most performances in Arizona are held in Phoenix because of the larger facilities. When attempting to bring larger names to the city, Prince and Cirque du Soleil both declined performances because the existing arena's ceiling is too low.[2] Upon completion, the facility would contain a higher elevation as well as an expanded seating capacity. Over 4,000 parking spaces would also be added to the grounds around the TCC as well as ten new meeting rooms able to accommodate up to 1,000 people.
In February 2009, 360 Architecture was revealed as the new designer in negotiations with the city of Tucson, replacing HNTB. After numerous changes to its proposed location, the arena is currently 90% locked in for a site located on the southeast corner of Interstate 10 and West Congress Street in downtown Tucson. A previous arena design replicating a desert tortoise has also been changed and 360 plans to start a new design from scratch. Tucson-based Swaim Associates will be working with 360 Architecture, serving as the project coordinator.[3]