LECOM Harborcenter

Last updated

LECOM Harborcenter
HarborCenter Dec2015.JPG
LECOM Harborcenter
General information
StatusCompleted
TypeStadium, commercial, hotel
Architectural style Postmodern architecture
Location100 Washington St, Buffalo, New York, United States
Coordinates 42°52′36″N78°52′36″W / 42.87664°N 78.876686°W / 42.87664; -78.876686
Construction startedMarch 1, 2013
Topped-outJune 25, 2014
CompletedOctober/November 2014 (Restaurants/rinks/training facility)
August 2015 (hotel)
OpeningOctober 31, 2014 / November 6, 2014
Cost US$ 172.2 million (est)
Owner Terry Pegula
Management Buffalo Sabres
Height
Roof240 ft (73 m)
Technical details
Floor count20 [1]
Floor area600,000 sq ft (56,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architecture firm Populous
DeveloperHarborcenter Development, LLC
Main contractor Mortenson Construction
Other information
Number of roomsHotel: 205 rooms
Parking750 spaces
Website
lecomharborcenter.com
The Rinks at Harborcenter
The Rinks at HarborCenter logo.png
LECOM Harborcenter Interior - Buffalo, NY.jpg
LECOM Harborcenter
Location7th Floor
Public transit Buffalo Metro Rail (Canalside)
OwnerTerry Pegula
OperatorBuffalo Sabres
Capacity 1,800 (Rink 1)
150 (Rink 2)
Surface200' x 85' (Rinks 1 and 2)
Construction
Broke groundMarch 1, 2013
OpenedOctober 31, 2014
Tenants
Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA) 2014–present
Buffalo Jr. Sabres (OJHL) 2014–present
Buffalo Beauts (NWHL) 2015–2019
Erie Kats (NJCAA) 2014–2018
Buffalo Sabres (practice facility)

LECOM Harborcenter is an American mixed-use development in Buffalo, New York, developed by Pegula Sports and Entertainment. The building occupies a full 1.7 acre city block formerly known as the Webster Block, directly across from and connected to the KeyBank Center and Canalside. [2] The building is also near the southern terminus of the Canalside station.

Contents

The development features retail and restaurant space, a 205-room Buffalo Marriott Harborcenter Hotel, as well as two hockey rinks that are the home of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres of the Ontario Junior Hockey League, the Canisius Golden Griffins of the NCAA, and the Erie Kats of the National Junior College Athletic Association. The rinks are also the Buffalo Sabres practice facility.

Construction

The beginning concept for the building, specifically the dual ice rinks and parking garage combo came after Buffalo Sabres chief development officer Cliff Benson led a group of team officials to Washington, D.C. to view the Washington Capitals practice facility, the Kettler Capitals Iceplex. [3] The complex, which is built on top of a parking garage, has seating for 1,200, a training center, proshop, and is home to many area teams. This trip helped the group form their ideas. Originally just planned to be two hockey rinks on top of a parking garage, the hotel and restaurant concepts were later added to the plan by Terry Pegula's wife, Kim Pegula. [4]

Construction of the 20-story Harborcenter began in March 2013, [5] the same month the Webster Block was purchased from the City of Buffalo for $2.2 million. [6] The building was built by Mortenson Construction with ICON Venue Group serving as the project manager. [7] The building's hockey rink portion topped out on June 25, 2014, as the last structural beam for the hotel was put into place. Building construction was completed on the whole building in August 2015. [8] The rinks and restaurants opened on October 31 and November 6, 2014. The hotel opened on August 27, 2015. [9] [10]

Operations

Harborcenter was financed by Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula and is owned by the Pegula's company Pegula Sports and Entertainment. [11] The building contains indoor parking for 750 vehicles, and features two NHL regulation indoor ice rinks on the building's sixth floor, one with an 1,800-seat capacity and the other with a 150-seat capacity. IMPACT Sports Performance owned by the Pegulas operates Harborcenter's 5,000 square foot, high performance off-ice training facility located on the building's 6th floor. The building also contains a classroom and RapidShot Hockey Training System.

The development is one of the most expensive for any privately funded single building in the city of Buffalo history. The project is designed to achieve LEED certification, with a goal of LEED Silver. The building was pledged by Pegula and others involved upon obtaining the property to open at the time by September 2014 making it one of the faster projects in the area.

On September 10, 2019, Pegula Sports and Entertainment reached a 10-year naming rights agreement for the building with Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine (LECOM). [12]

Commercial tenants

The building contains a 205-room Marriott hotel operated by Shaner Hotels, plus retail and restaurant space. [13] A two floor 716 Food and Sport restaurant opened on October 31, 2014. Also, Harborcenter features a flagship Tim Hortons that pays tribute to Tim Horton, the Buffalo Sabres, and the former Buffalo Memorial Auditorium. [14] The restaurant opened on October 30, 2014. A Statue of Tim Horton was dedicated across the street the same day. The building also contains a pro shop.

The building also has storefronts along Main Street known as The Shops at HarborCanter for smaller street front tenants which are expected to be leased out. The first store that opened in Harborcenter was Red Siren, which is a women's specialty store. It features gifts, jewelry, leather and clothing not currently found in the Buffalo area. Red Siren opened in the Summer of 2015, around the time when the Mariott Harborcenter Hotel opened. [15] Other stores include Modern Nostalgia, Fowler's Chocolates and Clayton's Toys & Gifts. [16] It was announced in July 2016 that Modern Nostalgia would be leaving Harborcenter. They were replaced by Healthy Scratch, a quick-serve restaurant and boutique operated by Kelly and Jessica Pegula. [17] Clayton's, Fowler's and Red Siren all announced their departure from Harborcenter in September 2017, with employees citing slow sales and inconsistent traffic for their departure. [18] [19]

In May 2015, it was announced that Advanced Care Physical Therapy would lease space inside Impact Sports Performance, located inside the Harborcenter. This provides a complete range of sports medicine services to athletes and employees who use the facility. [20]

Hockey tenants

The development's two ice rinks, known collectively as The Rinks, is the home of the Canisius Golden Griffins, an NCAA Division I college hockey program in Buffalo, as well as the Buffalo Jr. Sabres [21] [22] with the Griffins and Junior Sabres playing in the larger rink 1 known as KeyBank Rink at Harborcenter with separate dedicated dressing rooms. Rink 1 is also home to the Erie Community College Kats's of the NJCAA. The smaller rink 2 is known as New Wave Energy Rink under a separate naming rights deal.

The Rinks are also the home to the Academy of Hockey and the Harborcenter Cup as well as serving as the Buffalo Sabres' practice facility. The rinks were opened on October 31, 2014 with the first of back to back games between Canisius and Ohio State which resulted in a 3–3 tie, and games involving the Buffalo Jr. Sabres 16U and 18U teams.[ citation needed ]

Annually, in November, the Buffalo Sabres Thunder, a special needs hockey team, hosts a tournament known as the Coach Michael Steffan Invitational Tournament (formerly named Buffalo Fall Festival) at The Rinks. [ citation needed ]

In 2015, the NHL Scouting Combine was moved from Toronto to Harborcenter under a two-year pact. Buffalo also hosted the NHL Entry Draft in 2016. The NHL subsequently announced that it would continue to hold the combine in Buffalo through at least 2019. [23] [24] The 2015 IPC Ice Sledge Hockey World Championships were held at Harborcenter. [25]

In January 2016, the venue hosted the inaugural National Women's Hockey League all-star game. [26] In 2016, the CHA conference tournament in women's college hockey began to be hosted at Harborcenter. [27]

From June 22 to July 3, 2017, rink 1 hosted a charity event known as 11 Day Power Play, which set a world record for the longest continuous hockey game. [28] It has since become an annual event at Harborcenter.

The 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were co-hosted by the KeyBank Rink and KeyBank Center. [29]

In September 2018, it was announced that the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, an NCAA Division I Men's ice hockey league tournament would be moving to Harborcenter from Rochester's Blue Cross Arena starting in 2019.

The NHL Rookie Tournament is also hosted at HarborCenter.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KeyBank Center</span> Multipurpose indoor arena in Buffalo, New York

KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League since 1996, is the largest indoor arena in Western New York, seating 19,070. It replaced the Sabres' former home, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, where the team played from 1970 to 1996. The venue is also home to the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Memorial Auditorium</span> Former multipurpose arena in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, colloquially known as The Aud, was a multipurpose indoor arena in downtown Buffalo, New York. Opened on October 14, 1940, it was home to the Canisius Golden Griffins (NCAA), the Buffalo Bisons (AHL), the Buffalo Bisons (NBL), the Buffalo Braves (NBA), the Buffalo Sabres (NHL), the Toronto-Buffalo Royals (WTT), the Buffalo Stallions (MSL), the Buffalo Bandits (MILL), the Buffalo Blizzard (NPSL) and the Buffalo Stampede (RHI). It also hosted events such as college basketball, concerts, professional wrestling and boxing. The venue was closed in 1996 after the construction of the venue now known as KeyBank Center, and remained vacant until being demolished in 2009.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blue Cross Arena</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in Rochester, New York, U.S.

Blue Cross Arena, also known as the War Memorial, is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Rochester, New York. For hockey and lacrosse, its seating capacity is 10,662. The arena opened on October 18, 1955, as the Rochester Community War Memorial. It was renovated in the mid-1990s and reopened as The Blue Cross Arena at the War Memorial, on September 18, 1998. It is home to the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park</span> Military and naval museum in Buffalo, New York, US

The Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, formerly known as The Buffalo Naval and Servicemen's Park, is a museum on the bank of the Buffalo River in Buffalo, New York. It is home to several decommissioned US Naval vessels, including the Cleveland-class cruiser USS Little Rock, the Fletcher-class destroyer USS The Sullivans, and the submarine USS Croaker. All three are open to the public for tours.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canalside station</span> Light rail station in Buffalo, New York, US

Canalside station is a Buffalo Metro Rail station located in the 100 block of Main Street next to the South Aud Block of Canalside in the Free Fare Zone, which allows passengers free travel between this station and Fountain Plaza station. Passengers continuing past Fountain Plaza are required to provide proof-of-payment. Unless there are events occurring at KeyBank Center, in which case Special Events station will be utilized, this is the southern terminus of Metro Rail. Since Erie Canal Harbor station serves as a terminal, immediately north is a double crossover. Erie Canal Harbor station is located close to Amtrak's Buffalo–Exchange Street station and the two stations are connected by a lit pathway beneath Interstate 190 with decorative cement and signage.

Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's brand of full-service hotels and resorts based in Bethesda, Maryland. As of June 30, 2020, there were 582 hotels and resorts with 205,053 rooms operating under the brand, in addition to 160 hotels with 47,765 rooms planned for development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Jr. Sabres</span> Ice hockey team in New York, United States

The Buffalo Jr. Sabres are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Buffalo, New York. They are part of the Ontario Junior A Hockey League. Its current general manager is Sean Wallace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2008 NHL Winter Classic</span> Outdoor National Hockey League game in Orchard Park, New York

The 2008 NHL Winter Classic was an outdoor ice hockey game played in the National Hockey League (NHL) on January 1, 2008, at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. It was the league's inaugural Winter Classic game, and was contested between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Buffalo Sabres; the Penguins won, 2–1, in a shootout on a goal by captain Sidney Crosby. The event was the NHL's second outdoor regular season game, and the first outdoor regular season professional ice hockey game to be played in the United States. Due to the snowy conditions, the game was at the time colloquially referred to as the "Ice Bowl" by residents of the area and Sabres' fans. The event was sponsored by AMP Energy, and was televised in the United States on NBC and in Canada on CBC and RDS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canalside</span> Neighborhood of Buffalo in Erie County, New York, United States

Canalside, formerly known as Canal Side and also referred to as Erie Canal Harbor, is a mixed-use recreational and entertainment district in downtown Buffalo, New York. It is the recreation of the western terminus of the Erie Canal, which was destroyed in the early 20th century. Canalside is situated on the Buffalo River, in an area that was historically home to the Seneca people.

Larry Quinn is an American ice hockey executive, businessman and politician, best known for his involvement with the Buffalo Sabres of the NHL. Quinn has had two stints in the Sabres organization, the first in the 1990s as team president, and the second in the mid-to-late 2000s as managing partner, minority owner, and de facto president. Quinn, in 2014, won election to Buffalo Public Schools' board of education.

The Northtown Center at Amherst, formerly the Amherst Ice Center and the Amherst Pepsi Center, is a 1,800-seat multipurpose arena in Amherst, New York, located adjacent to the University at Buffalo. The current sponsor is Northtown Auto, a Buffalo area chain of auto dealerships. The ice arena features NHL regulation-sized ice sheets as well as an Olympic-sized ice sheet, which is also capable of hosting sledge hockey. The main ice arena has a capacity of 1,800 with the other rinks having less capacity. The facility will melt the ice of one rink in the summer to create a roller hockey rink, sports training facility, restaurant, and pro shop.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MedStar Capitals Iceplex</span> Practice arena of the Washington Capitals

MedStar Capitals Iceplex is the practice arena of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. The highest ice rink above street-level in the United States, it is located on the eighth floor atop the parking garage adjoining the Ballston Quarter in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegula Ice Arena</span> Sports arena in Pennsylvania, US

The Pegula Ice Arena is a 6,014-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Pennsylvania on the campus of Penn State University. The facility is located on the corner of Curtin Road and University Drive near the Bryce Jordan Center. The arena is named after Kim and Terry Pegula for their donations to fund the arena and it replaced the 1,350-seat Penn State Ice Pavilion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Pegula</span> American businessman (born 1951)

Terrence Michael Pegula is an American billionaire businessman and petroleum engineer. He is the owner of the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and, with a consortium of private equity firms and athletes, the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He is also the president of both franchises. Amassing his fortune via investments in fracking, Pegula has interests in natural gas development, real estate, entertainment, and professional sports. His net worth is over $7 billion.

John R. Koelmel is board chairman at Kaleida Health and chairman of the New York Power Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Buffalo Beauts</span> Former womens professional ice hockey team in Amherst, New York

The Buffalo Beauts were a professional ice hockey team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). They played in Amherst, New York, a suburb of Buffalo, at the Northtown Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Pegula</span> American businesswoman (born 1969)

Kim S. Pegula is a South Korean-born American former businesswoman and the wife of American multibillionaire Terry Pegula. She was the president of Pegula Sports and Entertainment, the holding company that managed the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League and the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, in addition to several other minor league sports teams and entertainment assets. By extension she was the president of several teams under Pegula Sports and Entertainment, including the Bills and Sabres; Pegula, Shahid Khan, Zygi Wilf were the only three NFL team owners who were not born in the United States. Pegula Sports and Entertainment was dissolved in 2023, following an incapacitating stroke she suffered the year prior.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MSG Western New York</span> Television channel

MSG Western New York is an American regional sports network that is a joint venture between MSG Entertainment and Hockey Western New York LLC. The channel is a sub-feed of MSG Network, with programming oriented towards the Western New York region, including coverage of the National Hockey League's Buffalo Sabres and the National Football League's Buffalo Bills. It replaced MSG Network on television providers in the Sabres' media market in 2016.

Pegula Sports & Entertainment (PSE) was an American sports and entertainment company based in Buffalo, New York. The company was established after billionaire Terry Pegula combined his sports, property and entertainment assets into one company. The company's assets include the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League, the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League, the Buffalo Bandits and the Rochester Knighthawks of the National Lacrosse League, and the Rochester Americans of the American Hockey League. The company was operated by Kim Pegula, Terry's wife, as president and CEO.

References

  1. ↑ "MARRIOTT, SHANER HOTELS EXCITED TO PARTNER WITH HARBORCENTER". nhl.com. July 17, 2013. Retrieved August 24, 2013.
  2. ↑ Terreri, Jill (February 19, 2013). "HARBORCENTER gets city, state approvals". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  3. ↑ http://www.wgrz.com/news/article/179714/1/Webster-Block-City-Picks-Sabres-for-Development-in-Downtown-Buffalo [ dead link ]
  4. ↑ http://www.harborcenter.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/HARBORCENTER-GroundUp.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  5. ↑ Terreri, Jill (March 11, 2013). "Streets to close around First Niagara Center". Buffalo News. Archived from the original on April 20, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  6. ↑ Fink, James (March 8, 2013). "Sabres deeded site of $170M Harborcenter". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
  7. ↑ "Hockey-Themed Mixed-Use Development". ICON Venue Group. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Mortenson Celebrates Substantial Completion of the Buffalo Marriott HARBORCENTER Hotel - Sports - News - Mortenson". www.mortenson.com.
  9. ↑ "HarborCenter Grand Opening set for November 6". WGRZ-TV . Gannett Company. Archived from the original on October 14, 2014. Retrieved October 14, 2014.
  10. ↑ Fink, James (August 21, 2015). "HarborCenter Marriott ready to open by early September". Buffalo Business First. American City Business Journals. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ Fink, James (February 12, 2013). "Sabres say Harborcenter cost rises to $170M". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved February 28, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Call it LECOM Harborcenter, after naming rights deal". The Buffalo News. September 10, 2019. Retrieved September 21, 2019.
  13. ↑ "Hotel Flag Chosen: Marriott Buffalo Harbor Center". Buffalo Rising. July 17, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Tim Hortons – The Flagship Store Opens". October 30, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Retail store 'Red Siren' to open in HARBORCENTER". WGRZ-TV . Gannett Company.
  16. ↑ Watson, Stephen T. (May 19, 2015). "Sabres identify last 3 retailers for Harborcenter mini-mall".[ permanent dead link ]
  17. ↑ Fink, James (August 11, 2016). "Pegula daughters to open Healthy Scratch in Harborcenter". Buffalo Business First. American City Business Journals.
  18. ↑ "Three initial retail stores pulling out of HarborCenter - Buffalo - Buffalo Business First". Archived from the original on August 10, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Three stores in Shops at Harborcenter will close". The Buffalo News. August 10, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Advanced Care PT expands with new site at Harborcenter". Buffalo Business First. American City Business Journals. May 2, 2015. Retrieved August 6, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Sabres Set To Acquire Land And Minor Hockey Program". Junior Hockey News. Junior Hockey News. March 8, 2013. Retrieved April 10, 2013.
  22. ↑ Big plans, big questions for new women's pro hockey league. ESPN. Retrieved April 12, 2015.
  23. ↑ Harrington, Mike (August 18, 2014). "NHL Scouting Combine to hit Harborcenter in 2015 and '16". Buffalo News.
  24. ↑ "NHL Scouting Combine to remain in Buffalo". NHL.com.
  25. ↑ "Buffalo to host two world championships in 2015". Niagara Frontier Publications. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  26. ↑ Clinton, Jared. "NWHL season to begin Oct. 11, All-Star Game set for Jan. 24". The Hockey News. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  27. ↑ "College Hockey America women's championship booked for Harborcenter". Buffalo Business First. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  28. ↑ "Hockey marathoners break record on 11th day". Associated Press. July 3, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
  29. ↑ "USA HOCKEY SELECTS BUFFALO SABRES AS HOST OF 2018 IIHF WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP". NHL.com. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Canisius Golden Grifffins
2014–present		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
first arena
 Host of the
Buffalo Beauts
2015–2019		Succeeded by
Preceded by Home of the
Buffalo Jr. Sabres
2014–present		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Host of the
IIHF World Junior Championship
2018 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Host of the Division III men's Frozen Four
2020 		Succeeded by
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.