Thomas & Mack will greet fans with a new entrance plaza, concourse enhancements and a new practice facility, Cox Pavilion, that can accommodate events in its own right.
Sam Boyd Stadium and Thomas & Mack are more than just collegiate venues. They are major community entertainment facilities in Las Vegas, rivaling most professional facilities in gross revenue and events.
“Today’s sports and entertainment facilities can’t be considered successful unless they allow for maximization of event days,” said Marty Haynes, AIA, senior project designer for Ellerbe Becket, the firm in charge of renovating Sam Boyd and Thomas & Mack. The firm has designed some of the country’s leading professional and collegiate venues, such as Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix and Turner Field in Atlanta. In addition, Ellerbe Becket renovated two of the most famous sports facilities in the world: Madison Square Garden in New York City and the University of Notre Dame Football Stadium.
Haynes said Ellerbe Becket went into the Sam Boyd renovation knowing the stadium accommodates more than 20 events a year, including the Las Vegas Bowl and UNLV Runnin’ Rebels football games.
The stadium was completely overhauled, which included adding 9,000 seats; creating a new press box with 16 suites and 488 club seats; doubling the width of the existing concourse; and adding new restrooms, additional concession stands and new graphics and signage.
Not to be outdone, the Thomas & Mack Center’s facelift includes upgrades to the concourse, restrooms and concessions. The new entrance plaza encompasses the southern hemisphere of the arena and will be used for pre-event activities. Features include a performance stage, new landscaping, expanded ticket offices and a patterned plaza design.
The Thomas & Mack Center hosts more than 200 events a year. Besides being home to the UNLV basketball team, Thomas & Mack is the main venue in Las Vegas for concerts, National Finals Rodeo, industrial shows, ice shows, circuses, and community events such as high school graduations, trade shows and exhibitions.
“The design includes a high degree of flexibility for multiple purposes and events,” said Haynes. “The architecture not only displays value, it serves as a source of pride for the university and the Las Vegas community.”
An innovator since its founding, Ellerbe Becket provides integrated architecture, engineering, interiors, planning and construction services from 12 office locations worldwide. The firm is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 1999. In nine decades, Ellerbe Becket has designed nearly every major building type in all 50 states and 20 countries.
