With $100 million budgeted for an overhaul of the XL Center set to start next year, consultants in the arena business say that Connecticut needs to spend big to just stay in the game as cities around the nation invest in major venues. With the $100 million secured at the close of this year’s legislative session, XL Center managers are now in the middle of the design process, sketching out a multiyear, multiphase renovation of the 48-year-old arena, once known as the Hartford Civic Center. An upgraded XL is seen as crucial to continued viability for the arena and key to hopes of attracting an NHL franchise. Carstensen’s team has studied the XL Center over the decades and recommended continuous upgrades. “If they’re going to invest in XL, make sure that you’re not building something that’s out of date.”
https://www.stamfordadvocate.com/business/article/hartford-xl-center-renovations-18196926.php