With input from the community, designs for the new James Brown Arena and Bell Auditorium have been updated, and a schematic rendering was presented at a meeting Thursday at the Bell.
“We heard feedback in terms of what people would like to see,” said HB Brantley, the managing principal with the H.J. Russell and Company’s Russell S.P.A.C.E. Venues Group, a construction company out of Atlanta which focuses on sports, public assembly, convention and entertainment projects. An initial meeting was held in September 2020.
MORE: Renderings and Budget for New James Brown Arena
Brantley along with architect Mike Harvey of Perkins & Will presented a slide show with the renderings as well as a video.
“This is the second step of a three or four step process,” Brantley said. “We are now more focused.”
The $228 million project would result in the demolition of the current James Brown Arena, the construction of a new facility and additions to the Bell Auditorium including a space connecting the two buildings.
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Harvey said that some of the community input allowed for a tweaking of the design. People were concerned about something unique to Augusta that would not take away from the history of the Bell Auditorium.
“The Bell has a prominent façade on Telfair,” he said.
Additions to the Bell would not take away from this presence or the historical significance of the building.
MORE: Parking for New Arena Discussed at Retreat
The current coliseum has part of its structure 40-feet below ground and there are multiple water problems, Brantley said. The new building would be about 100 feet tall, a similar height as the Augusta Marriott at the Convention Center.
Exteriors would include bricks because they are important in Augusta’s landscape. The bricks wouldn’t be just rows of stones; they’d have character and have a flow much like that of a curtain on a stage, said Harvey.
And the windows would also have a theatrical influence with their angles inspired by the grills of classic microphones.
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Outside the buildings would be a space for public art.
The new James Brown Arena has several levels and could seat upwards of 11,000 people. It could be used for a variety of types of performances and events from basketball games to monster truck rallies to concerts and Cirque Du Soleil-type events.
SPLOST 8 has $25 million included for the coliseum. Voting is March 16.
Brantley said that there would likely be another meeting in August and a final one in October before a possible bond referendum vote in November.
Construction could begin as early as the first quarter of 2022 with the project completed in September 2024, Brantley said.
To see the renderings, visit newjamesbrownarena.com.
Charmain Z. Brackett is the Features Editor for The Augusta Press. Reach her at charmain@theaugustapress.com
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