The 18,000-seat venue downtown is now called Gainbridge Fieldhouse, thanks to a multiyear sponsorship deal between Pacers Sports & Entertainment and Indianapolis-based insurance holding firm Group One Thousand One LLC, the parent of Gainbridge Insurance Agency LLC.
The renovations are part of a three-phase $360 million project that tipped off in 2020.
The teardown of the 770-space structure began in March and is expected to be completed sometime this summer, followed immediately by the start of construction on the new 1.5-acre plaza space.
Upgrades already completed to the 21-year-old facility include new courtside clubs, an improved retractable seating system and a refreshed center-hung scoreboard.
The Indiana Pacers on Friday said the team will once again be able to welcome fans to home games—on a highly restricted basis because of the pandemic—starting Jan. 20.
Plans for a grand, glass-wrapped entry pavilion as part of the $360 million renovation to Bankers Life Fieldhouse have been tabled, in favor of minimal updates that largely keep the existing facade intact.
The new measures are part of the venue’s effort to meet accreditation standards established by the International Well Building Institute at buildings across the country.
Plans for the All-Star Game and related festivities in February at Bankers Life Fieldhouse have been scrapped due to the COVID-10 epidemic.
The 770-space parking structure at 121 E. Maryland Street is set to be torn down starting in March or April, according to a demolition contract approved by the Capital Improvement Board on Friday.
The Capital Improvement Board is significantly scaling back the first phase of a $360 million Bankers Life Fieldhouse renovation as uncertainty about working conditions and the NBA season have thrown a wrench into the construction schedule.
The tournament started Wednesday night at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Fans were present for Wednesday’s games, but the conference that evening barred fans for the remaining days.
University of Nebraska Basketball Coach Fred Hoiberg was taken to a hospital for evaluation after he left Wednesday night’s 89-64 loss to Indiana University in the Big Ten Conference Tournament.
The decision came less than two hours after the NCAA said it would play its March Madness games in empty stadiums and shortly after the first Big Ten game tipped off at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The board approved eight bids—mostly to local firms—for the first and second phases of the $360 million project.
The change comes as the Pacers look to create court-facing gathering areas like those found at other new or renovated venues.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment hopes to pin down a new multimillion-dollar sponsorship deal before the first phase of a $360 million renovation to the venue begins next summer.
The board carries $56 million in liability insurance for its facilities, including a $1 million general liability policy and a $55 million umbrella policy.
The Indiana Fever will play at Hinkle Fieldhouse on the Butler University campus for two-plus seasons while Bankers Life Fieldhouse undergoes its massive renovation, Pacers Sports & Entertainment announced Thursday.
The move pushes forward the Capital Improvement Board’s deal with the Pacers, which calls for more than $360 million in renovations to Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment is going down to the wire in lining up a new sponsor for the fieldhouse. But the wait might give it extra leverage to strike an especially lucrative deal.
