Renovations to KeyBank Center are coming. What was initially reported in the fall has been further confirmed with the recent publication of the Sabres’ plans for a new videoboard and repairs to the building’s roof.
As was detailed in the fall, the team is eyeing additional work throughout the 28-year old arena with one of the biggest pain points for fans, the seats, high on the to-do list. As upgrading the arena has moved back to the front burner, it seemed like a good time to revisit some of the areas of the arena I’ve hoped to see the team address when it comes time to bust out the hard hats.
Making improvements to the seating bowl is obvious to just about anyone who walks in the building. The seats have been there since the building opened and they are showing their age. But there are other sections of KeyBank Center that are underutilized and could bring a better overall customer experience should they be reimagined and depending on the amount of investment the Sabres, county and state care to make.
Some (many?) of the ideas floated in this post may be too ambitious or unrealistic to ever be adopted, but my hope is to offer a healthy mix of feasible and necessary improvements with a few pipe dreams sprinkled in. The building needs quite a bit of TLC and even if the bulk of the attention is paid to the most necessary repair work, there will still be a marked difference down on Perry St.
There’s no question the seats will be one of the first things addressed once the next phase of work gets underway. There are a few different ways to tackle the seating bowl changes. The most straightforward being a straight seat replacement that addresses the broken and dated seats. Or, they could get more creative like the Cavaliers did in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, removing seats in favor of communal gathering spaces. What appetite the club will have for lowering capacity is debatable and given virtually all complaints about the seating covers cleanliness and function, a more basic approach may be more than sufficient while allowing for more creativity in other areas of the building.
100 Level Concourse, the Lexus Club and Suite Level Lounge
Concourse access and flow tends to be another favored complaint regarding the arena and finding space in both the 100 and 300 level for more space for fans to congregate and traverse the arena will be a priority. One thought I had regarding the 100 level would be to rearrange the layout where the Lexus Club currently stands. If the concourse-facing walls were to be pulled down and the Lexus Club converted into a more standard bar, there would be a great deal more space to move around on that side of the building and, more importantly, you’d create a new offering that could eat capacity in pregame and intermission. This move would also allow much more natural light into the concourse, which would be a nice ancillary benefit.
There have been rumors that the Sabres office space on the suite level would eventually be converted into a lounge for suite holders after the team moved operations to 79 Perry St. There hasn’t been any sign or reporting that the plan is still under consideration, though it seems likely that the club would be holding off on the work until they secure a funding agreement for the arena-wide renovations. Assuming they still hope to convert that space, the building will add a substantial amount of space in a premium seating area with waterfront views to boot. What would be curious to explore would be to turn the two-level space currently devoted to the Lexus Club into a single-level bar with a new ceiling establishing a similar space for those on the 200 level. The team could even call back to the old Aud Club with a staircase connecting the 200 level bar to the suite level lounge, giving premium seatholders two new spaces to enjoy before, during and after the game.
A structural engineer I am not, so if that’s something that could even be built, it would be really interesting. The work would result in three new bar areas for ticket holders on every level, while opening up a healthy amount of space in the crowded 100 level concourse.
The Blue Zone
I’d also entertain some sort of new approach with The Blue Zone bar. It’s an original staple of the arena and occupies a prime spot in the concourse. It seems there are structural considerations that would limit the work that could be done to the space, but it strikes me that it’s a space that isn’t well utilized as modern arena amenities evolve. Exactly what else could be done in this space aside from keeping it as a bar with open seating is hard to nail down. Maybe it’s simply making better use of the space that overlooks the atrium. But I would hope this isn’t overlooked as part of a comprehensive project on the 100 level concourse.
300 Level Access
Not dissimilar to the necessary but boring work on the roof, something needs to be done about accessing the 300 level. The current setup of two overloaded elevators and a pair of narrow escalators simply can’t do the job. Doubling the capacity of the escalators would be a start and I think it would be wise to find an area where a new elevator could be installed to not only serve the 300 level but the others areas of the building as well. They could stand to add a new elevator for our friends in the press box as well, it wouldn’t hurt to end the process of sharing the freight elevator for media, team staff and scouts.
Integration with the DLW Station Bridge
Work is underway on the new station and tower at the DL&W Terminal. The stair tower will provide access to the second floor of the building and, eventually, serve as the terminus of a pedestrian bridge connecting the light rail station and DL&W project to KeyBank Center. It will be vital for the team to properly integrate that bridge into the arena. It may be necessary to expand space on the backside of the building to accommodate fans entering and exiting the arena on the subway. That work could serve two benefits, not only allowing for a smooth flow of foot traffic in and out of the arena, but a big enough expansion could add significant space to the 100 level concourse as well. It’s something to keep an eye on as there is already funding in place for the bridge connecting the two structures, whether or not construction needs to wait until the remaining arena renovations begin is to be determined.
Sabres Hall of Fame and Museum
This is a topic I’ve harped on for a while. The Sabres are long overdue to install a proper Hall of Fame for fans to enjoy. There’s a boat load of space behind the Sabres store and along Main St. that should be utilized for this purpose. A detailed telling of the team’s history through museum-type exhibits and interactive features would make for a year-round attraction for fans. The layout of the building would also provide an easy exit through the Sabres store, pushing visitors to pick up a hat, shirt or jersey after a visit to the Hall of Fame.
It would be important to not only use this space to better display and honor the individuals enshrined in the Sabres Hall of Fame, but to collaborate with the Hockey Hall of Fame, Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame and other collectors to provide physical displays of the 50-plus years of hockey in Buffalo. Interactive exhibits that would allow you to replicate Rick Jeanneret’s greatest calls, try and score a goal on Dominik Hasek or to stop a Tage Thompson slap shot would create a special space fit for fans of all ages. Given the space available to the team, this should be a layup, and something that could (and maybe should) be completed outside the scope of the arena renovations.
Two Story Sabres Store
The patio space above the Sabres Store has been a wasteland for ages. It’s rarely used and at one point someone, I believe it may have been Ted Black, said it wasn’t structurally sound to handle foot traffic on a regular basis. Why not reconstruct and enclose the second floor, open a door onto the upper level of the atrium and put in a staircase between the first and second floor of the store to tie it all together?
Adding that second story to the store would allow the team to move the New Era store from the opposite side of the atrium and utilize that space for other purposes (more on that in a moment) while creating a larger overall footprint for the primary store in the arena. They could even keep the New Era branding on that second floor space, making something akin to the flagship store on Delaware. I’m sure there would be issues with that format given Fanatics’ relationship with the league, but it’s food for thought.
A Plaza Project
The last item I want to highlight is no question a blue sky pipe dream. But I think there’s value in the general idea. Making better use of the concourses and creating more common areas for fans to meet and mingle are going to be key aspects of any coming arena renovations. Those types of considerations have also been vital focal points in new arenas and renovations at peer facilities around the country.
Finding or creating that space won’t be a layup, though there is quite a bit of underutilized space in and around the ticket office. Gone are the days of ticket camp outs and long lines for will call and as a result, the shuttered bank of ticket windows at the arena are a relic of a foregone era. Between the space in front of the ticket windows and into the ticket office itself, there is an opportunity to create some sort of new, flexible space for gamedays. What I would like to see is a more aggressive approach with that area of the building.
Not only could something new be done in the current ticket office, but expanding into the plaza would create even more space inside. I think the plaza has become a forgettable, under-utilized space. Even if the team was a regular playoff contender and they were hosting multiple parties in the plaza, the space behind the footbridge is a wasteland even in nice weather. There has to be a better way to utilize that space.
So, what if the team were to expand the footprint of the arena into that portion of the plaza and up to the outer wall of the parking garage? That section of the building is where the ticket office is, therefore an area where some sort of new thinking will be needed once it’s time for renovations. By taking that space (highlighted in the attached picture), the building gains a gigantic new space that wouldn’t just impact the atrium and 100 level concourse, but could be built into the 200 and 300 level as well, depending how ambitious they cared to be. Minimally, this approach grants the team a huge new space in the ground floor of the atrium and the 100 level concourse.
There’s a lot that could be done within that ground floor space. A bar/lounge like the platinum club in Scotiabank Arena that would sit under the seating bowl would be one option for premium seat holders. Creating something for all fans within the atrium would be another option or the team could try and tie some of the space into the existing player facilities, ideally helping with recruiting efforts when needed. This sort of rearranged space would also provide space to expand or adjust the security facilities of the arena either through providing more space or optimizing the flow of the security entrance.
The benefit from the fan’s perspective would be the space added to the 100 level concourse (and above), that footprint could be utilized in many ways. Even though it doesn’t look out on a picturesque part of the city, creating something where more natural light can penetrate the concourse would be a welcome addition, much like I detailed regarding the opposite side of the building with the Lexus Club. That’s a lot of space and a lot of flexibility for a new bar or foot option to be put in while still creating a huge swath of space in what is one of the busiest areas of the 100 level. The same benefit would be enjoyed in the 200 and 300 level if the decision was made to build this out and up.
What I think would be cool is if the existing bridge from the parking garage remained, but was left open as it ran through this new portion of the building. It would make for a unique look as some fans enter the building on the ground floor while others would be walking in on an exposed walkway just above them. Sort of like the effect you get with the open portion of the suite level just above that left hand portion of the 100 level concourse.
One other thing this provides is a new “front door” of the arena. This is an idea I’ve floated before, but a facade update along with this construction would create something of a grand entrance for the building now that Harborcenter blocks much of the atrium. That would make the exterior of the building look more cohesive for those approaching from that side of Perry. It wouldn’t hurt to pop in a few more statues in the plaza either.
We’re still a long way off from any formal announcement of future plans for the arena. How Terry Pegula and the other stakeholders approach this project will weave through political channels before any final plans are set in stone. Budgets will play a role in what the arena looks like on the other side of this era but the one thing we know for sure, it’s in need of plenty of attention as it creeps towards its 30th birthday.
Two in the Box 
