ORLANDO, Fla. — The new home for the Orlando Magic is just five months shy of opening and, Tuesday, WFTV went inside for the first time to see the progress on the $380 million venue.
Hundreds of contraction crews are working long hours every day to make sure the new Amway Center in downtown Orlando opens on time in October 2010. WFTV got a tour inside the new state-of-the-art venue (see photos) .
SLIDESHOW: Go Inside New Amway Center
"There really is not another facility like this in North America. This has been designed to compile the best of the facilities out there," Magic COO Alex Martins said.
The total cost for the 875,000 square foot facility is $380 million. It's nearly three times the size of the current Amway Arena. There will be 18,500 seats for NBA games and not a bad seat in the house.
"Everyone is literally on top of the action. So, even if you look up at the upper bowl of this facility, everyone will be very much on top of the even floor," Martins said.
There will be bars, restaurants and clubs on all seven levels for every ticket buyer. The largest NBA scoreboard is being constructed at center court.
Late Tuesday afternoon, the NBA announced Orlando will host the 2012 All-Star game. That alone is expected to fill thousands of hotels and pump $100 million into our local economy.
"I don't think there is a better building in North America that could do a better job at hosting an All-Star game than what the Amway Center will be capable of hosting," Martins said.
The west side of the new Amway Center still has some work to do, but it's coming together.
The Magic COO says whether you buy a $5 ticket or a $500 game ticket, you will have access to the same kind of amenities inside the arena.
WFTV
