ORLANDO, Fla. — Orlando's new half-billion dollar Magic arena opened Friday and its already drawing crowds. The city has been talking about the project for years and it spent millions to complete the new Amway Center on Church Street (see map).
SEE IMAGES: Sneak Peek Inside Amway Center TRAFFIC: Road Closures & Parking Info EVENTS: Upcoming Amway Center Events
City officials are expecting huge crowds for the open house Saturday, as many as 50,000 people. A few thousand already got a chance to see the very impressive and expensive building Friday.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and local leaders cut the ribbon on the new home for the Magic around 10:00am, letting the public into the nearly half-billion dollar building they started paying for two years ago.
The facility will be operated by the City of Orlando and owned by the Central Florida community. Dyer gave WFTV a one-on-one tour, showing off views from some of the 18,000 seats, luxury suites, indoor and outdoor bars as well as a full-service restaurant with a view of the floor. Some tickets prices for Magic basketball games start as low as $5.00 per seat.
Amway Open 04 Ss Amway Open 04 Ss SEE IMAGES: Inside New Amway Center No matter how much you pay for a ticket, you will have access to the Amway Center's numerous amenities, including the upscale restaurants and lounges like The Ozone and the Skybar, which is located in the 180-foot tower. Both of those venues inside the Amway Center will stay open after the games and concerts are over.
While the Magic put up $50 million for the $480 million project, plus $12 million in future lease payments, the city is still on the hook for about $22 million a year to pay off what it borrowed.
"For companies struggling in a crippling recession, work on the Amway Center literally saved their business," Dyer said.
Dyer defended the investment in the State of Downtown address, and during WFTV's tour.
"We don't expect average, we expect the best. We expect to lead the country," he said.
"Can we afford it though?" WFTV reporter Eric Rasmussen asked.
"Absolutely, we can afford this," Dyer replied.
The Mayor insists Orlando will make a big piece of its money back when it hosts the NBA All-Star Game in 2012. That's just one of the many events he says the city could not have landed without the new arena.
Thirteen new businesses are set to open and nine businesses recently opened their doors, including Timothy Adebule's art gallery.
"The new arena will bring more so I opened so I opened a gallery," he said.
There is even something for the kids. They can play their own game of basketball in Stuff's Kids Zone, named after the Magic team mascot.
One of the big differences between the old Amway Arena and the new Amway Center is the number of restrooms. The old building had four restrooms, while the new facility has 19 for women and 18 for men. Additionally, the Amway Center is equipped with 18 elevators.
Some roads in downtown Orlando were closed Friday to accommodate the thousands of fans headed to get their first look at the brand new Amway Center. Division Avenue from Church Street to South Street was closed Thursday night at 7:00 and will reopen Saturday night at 9:30. Church Street from Division Avenue to Hughey Avenue is closed until Monday morning at 6:00.
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