Arena took downtown Nashville from eerie to epic
On April 1, 1993, during his State of Metro Address, then-Mayor Phil Bredesen shared his vision for Nashville.
In what became known as the "helicopter speech" because he described his vision as if flying over the city, Bredesen projected a downtown including a new arena which would spark economic resurgence.
NHL All-Star Weekend is the latest example of how Bredesen's vision and the reality that developed has provided tremendous economic impact to Lower Broadway and revitalized the entire city.
It changed many lives, too, including these seven:
The adviser: Dave Cooley
"There had been a couple of studies and general discussions about building an arena, but nothing ever serious," said Dave Cooley, an adviser to Bredesen as mayor and governor.
"Then, in his State of Metro speech on April 1, 1993, he laid out a vision of an arena, a stadium, a symphony hall, a country music hall of fame. It's pretty amazing to look back at that speech. The mission was to revitalize downtown.
"When he took office, there were police cars parked up on the (Broadway) sidewalks with their blue lights; they were on the sidewalks, not beside the sidewalks. His thinking was to make the major public investment that would build confidence and spur investment."
The first leader: Russ Simons
Before the arena hosted its first concert and before Nashville was granted a professional hockey expansion franchise, Russ Simons had a strong feeling about what it could do for the city.
"I think there's no question that once people see you pull off an event in a quality facility, there is the impetus to come back," Simons, then vice president of Leisure Management International, the arena's first management firm, said in a Tennessean story on Dec. 8, 1996.
Phil Bredesen's arena idea forever changed Nashville
More than 19 years later, Simons looks back with pride.
"The building has met every expectation and more for our community. Was some of it luck? Yeah," said Simons, now managing partner for Venue Solutions Group. "But there were a whole lot of people who were committed to make it work. I've met a lot of smart people, but he (Bredesen) is really on top of the list."
The promoter: Butch Spyridon
Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. since 1991, remembers how difficult it was to bring top-name music acts to Music City before the arena was built.
"We were missing conventions. We could not host touring acts — both local and national — because Municipal (Auditorium) was not big enough," Spyridon said. "We also could not do the number of sporting events that we wanted to do. If we were going to be Music City, we needed a venue that has capacity and also great acoustics.
"Russ (Simons) and I were two of the group that pitched U.S. Figure Skating to come. We had a hole in the ground, but we wanted to demonstrate to the public that we can make this work. U.S. Figure Skating took a risk that we would be done in time" for its national championships, Feb. 8-16, 1997.
"I had zero doubt that the (arena) would be a success," Spyridon said. "Certainly the sports team happened faster than I thought."
The 1st employees: Britt Kincheloe, Nat Harden
The vice president of service and retention for the Predators, Britt Kincheloe remembers the Lower Broadway scene before the arena opened in 1996.
"I started as a temp on Dec. 6, 1996, before the building opened. I was at the front desk, answering phones. Back then (Lower Broadway) was sketchy," she said.
"When I started working here, I reported to the temp agency offices on Second Avenue. I would get in my car and drive to the arena because (back then) you didn't want to walk along Broadway."
When the Predators came in 1998, the franchise hired Kincheloe. She's had numerous positions while climbing the corporate ladder, witnessing the revitalization of Lower Broadway along the way.
"It gives me chills," she said. "The area has grown so much since 1996. From the old fire hall to the Schermerhorn, from the gravel parking lot turning into Walk of Fame Park ..."
Colleague Nat Harden also began working for the Predators in the franchise's infancy.
"At the time when (Bredesen) talked about building the arena, the big selling point was how it was going to transform downtown," he said. "To be here from the beginning, it's been quite an experience and exceeded everybody's expectations."
The marketer: Mark McNeely
"In the early 1990s, Lower Broadway was nasty," said Mark McNeely, senior partner at MP&F Public Relations, which was deeply involved in marketing the arena when it opened.
"The arena caused Lower Broadway redevelopment to happen. It's been a great catalyst for our city," he said. "It's been a a real success story. You look around (Nashville) and it seems like there is always something else new.
"I've lived here 40 years. What's happened in our city, well, it's amazing."
The benefactor: Sean Henry
Henry did not arrive in Nashville until 2010, more than a decade after the arena was built. Hired as Predators president and chief operating officer, he and then-CEO Jeff Cogen turned the arena into one of the nation's busiest entertainment venues.
When Cogen announced in October of 2015 that he was leaving the team after NHL All-Star Weekend, Henry was named president and CEO.
"We like that the rest of the our league and industry (are) saying, 'What are they doing down there in Nashville? How are they the second-busiest building in America? How are they selling all of those games out?' " Henry said.
"There is no doubt that the arena was the first domino off Mayor Bredesen's vision. Bringing a team here after it opened allowed (Lower Broadway's revitalization) really to ignite and hit another level. The arena wasn't the only thing. It took a lot of other vision, a lot of other investment, a lot of other people buying in.
"Now, when people come, instead of just going to their hotel and going down Broadway and going to our building, they are out in the streets and they are out at the honky-tonks and the restaurants."
Arena firsts
First event: Amy Grant's Tennessee Christmas (Dec. 18, 1996)
First sports event: World gymnastics tour (Dec. 27, 1996)
First sports event that grabbed national attention: U.S. Figure Skating Championships (Feb. 8-16, 1997)
First college basketball tournament: Ohio Valley Conference (Feb. 28-March 1, 1997)
First SEC men's basketball tournament: Kentucky beat Ole Miss to win title (March 8-11, 2001)
First Predators regular-season game: 1-0 loss to Florida (Oct. 10, 1998)
First Predators postseason game: 3-1 win over Detroit (April 11, 2004)
Original cost
$144.5 million overall (equivalent to $218 million today)
$99 million: Hard costs (excavation, building construction, attached parking garage, fixed seating)
$13 million: Land cost, relocations, demoltion, environmental costs
$12 million: Furniture, fixture, equipment, scoreboard, office space
$10.5 million: Soft costs (professional services, administration)
$10 million: Food service (concession stands, commissary equipment)
Did you know?
►From the groundbreaking on Jan. 20, 1994, to the first event held in the arena on Dec. 18, 1996, the construction took two years, 10 months, 28 days to complete.
►The 250-foot radio tower is a nod to the city's radio roots, specifically WSM radio, which has broadcast country music since 1925.
►The Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame is located in the arena.
Reach Dave Ammenheuser at 615-259-8352 and on Twitter @NashSportsEd.
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