Neal S. Blaisdell Center Replacement Discussions Begin

Local politicians and officials have begun discussions on how to go about replacing the historic Neal S. Blaisdell Center, which has just celebrated its 50th anniversary this past year.  The arena, concert hall and exhibition hall are all suffering from deferred maintenance, and worst of all, the original size and shape made it very challenging for more modern events to be hosted there.  Experts feel that the current arena, which can only host 7,000 people for concerts, is much too small, and a 12,000 to 14,000 seat venue would be much more attractive for performers and their agencies.  Deputy director Tracy Kubota of the Department of Enterprise Services, which oversees the facility, stated, "It's an aged facility.  It's a 50-year-old structure. How much more can we get out of it? We can make do, but we just don't know when something large enough will happen to put us offline."

Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell has stated that that he would like to set aside city funds to create a master plan as to what to do with the Blaisdell Center site.  The discussion is still in its earliest stages, but it appears clear that something must be done soon.

Source: Honolulu Star Advertiser, 1-12-2014, www.staradvertiser.com
Posted by Jeff Uyemura-Reyes, Principal Broker, REALTOR®
Global Executive Realty, LLC
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