UPDATE (Thursday, 3:07 p.m.): Mobile city officials have released information about plans for the new Mobile Civic Center.
The new state-of-the-art facility is expected to attract big name artists to the city.
The city is partnering with Oak View Group and Live Nation as part of a “multi-year operating agreement that includes the new Civic Arena, Mobile Convention Center and Saenger Theatre,” according to a news release from the City of Mobile Communications Department.
“Mobilians have been talking about what to do about our aging Civic Center for nearly two decades, and we are excited to put this workable, affordable plan into action,” said Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
“We have partnered with some of the entertainment industry’s leading companies to help design and operate the region’s most technologically advanced arena, one that will have the versatility to host all kinds of events and attractions and meet the unique needs of our community.”
“This is a game changer for mobile.”
The new centre will be able to host everything from small performances to shows with audiences of over 10,000.
“The construction of a new state-of-the-art arena in Mobile with modern production capabilities will provide us with the opportunity to attract artists who have historically stayed away from our market,” said John Petrnak, vice president of Live Nation Arenas.
According to the announcement, OVG operates venues across the country, including stadiums, arenas, theaters, convention centers and cultural facilities.
The new center will cost $300 million to build and will be funded through cash contributions from the city and project partners, as well as “sponsorship opportunities, strategic borrowing through the bond markets and other sources.”
City officials expect demolition work to begin in August 2024, with construction of the new facility beginning by February 2025.
UPDATE (Thursday, 2:05 p.m.): Mobile Civic Center will be demolished and a new entertainment center will be built in its place, according to Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
Mobile Chamber of Commerce President Bradley Byrne said the city has lost more than $18 million in maintenance costs for the civic center over the past decade. The 16.5-acre space would include a theater, hotel, retail stores, apartments, a new civic center and plaza space.
He said the new civic center will be able to host concerts, indoor sports, figure skating and family entertainment. It will also be used to organize Mardi Gras. City officials say the new facility will help bring more than 400,000 visitors a year to Mobile.
UPDATE (Thursday, 2 p.m.): Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson makes a “major announcement.”
UPDATE (Thursday, 11:50 p.m.) Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson is scheduled to make a “major” announcement about the future of the Mobile Civic Center today at 2 p.m.
Area news organizations received an email at 12:01 p.m. Wednesday that simply said media members were invited to hear “a major announcement from the City of Mobile.”
“Mayor Sandy Stimpson will be making some important announcements along with other City of Mobile officials and external partners.”
No other details were provided in the media alert.
WKRG News 5 broke the news this week that Stimpson wants to demolish the 60-year-old Civic Center.
Stimpson’s Instagram posts this week include a picture of him with the Mobile Civic Center in the background and cryptic messages about the announcement, such as “Nothing happening right now” and “3.14.24.”
News 5 will be live streaming the press conference on WKRG.com and on our Facebook page.
If you haven’t already, please like and follow this page – you’ll get reliable information!
How Mayor Stimpson took inspiration from Taylor Swift
Editor’s note: This update has been amended to let you know that News 5 will be live covering Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s 2 p.m. meeting.
UPDATE (Wednesday, 3:03 p.m.): News 5’s Asher Redd spoke with the president of the local Mardi Gras Association about Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson’s reported plans to demolish the Mobile Civic Center.
The president of the Mardi Gras Association said he learned of Stimpson’s plans to demolish the 60-year-old building through a WKRG News 5 Facebook post.
(Taylor Swift photo by Ashok Kumar/TAS24/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management, with Mayor Sandy Stimpson, courtesy of the City of Mobile.)
Stimpson plans to meet with the entire local mystical community on Thursday, but has not said exactly what he plans to talk about.
“They didn’t tell us anything about what the meetings would actually be about,” said the president of a local mystical society.
Stimpson first mentioned demolishing the Civic Center shortly after taking office as mayor in 2013. He told the Mardi Gras Association that the building would no longer be usable after April 2016.
There were proposals in 2019 to demolish the building as part of a retail and residential project called Mobile Live, but that proved too costly.
“We’ve been hearing the same story for the past few years,” said the president of a local mystical society. “It’s a bit worrying that this plan has failed and that this time it might be legal.”
Stimpson posted a photo to Instagram on Tuesday of himself sitting with the Mobile Civic Center in the background.
He captioned the post, “Nothing special going on right now.”
This is a remake of a post Taylor Swift made on November 22, 2020, when she used the exact same caption right before releasing her album.
The mayor also posted a countdown timer on his social media accounts that will expire at 2 p.m. Thursday, when the mayor will make what officials are calling a “major announcement.” (News 5 will be livestreaming the meeting here on WKRG.com.)
It’s unclear what the city will do with the land if the Civic Center is demolished.
“I’m excited to see what the city has planned for the site, and I’m curious to see what other ideas the city has in addition to that,” said the president of a local mystical society.
Some local Mardi Gras organizations would like to see a new civic center built at the site, as long as they can host Mardi Gras balls there.
“The layout of the old building has served us very well since the ’60s,” said the president of a local mystical society.
Stimpson is scheduled to make the announcement in front of the Civic Center on Thursday at 2pm.
News 5 reached out to the city for additional comment, but the city declined to comment directly about the civic center.
Mayor Stimpson proposes demolishing Civic Center
Previous Post:
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include citizen reactions to the Civic Center news.
MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — News 5 reports Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson will officially propose demolishing the Mobile Civic Center.
12 arrests in Northwest Florida child sex abuse sting: FDLE
Multiple sources confirmed that the announcement is expected to be made in the coming days.
The city is considering renovating the 60-year-old building, which has annual operating losses of well over $1 million.
It is unclear whether the mayor will propose demolishing the entire Civic Center complex, which includes the 10,000-seat arena, 3,000-seat Expo Hall and 1,900-seat auditorium, and building a new facility in its place.
Stimpson considered demolishing the Civic Center soon after taking office in 2013. In 2015, his office announced the building would be closed after April 2016, but the news was met with stiff opposition from the Mardi Gras Mysticism group, which uses the Civic Center as the site of its annual Carnival ball.
The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office is making marijuana use in public a crime that will result in immediate arrest.
In 2019, architecture firm Cordish proposed demolishing the Civic Center and replacing it with a residential and retail development called Mobile Live. But the project proved too costly.
In 2022, the Mobile City Council approved renovations to the Civic Center as part of a master plan for the property.
Port City residents feel the city is making the right decision regarding the Civic Center.
“I love the old Civic Center, but I’m all for whatever the leaders of this great town think,” one resident said.
“I think it’s good that it’s time for us as a city to move forward,” said another resident. “This has been an issue since I was born so we probably need to do something about it. We can talk about it for years. If city leaders say this is something we should do and they’ve done the research, then we support it, we support it and let’s move forward.”
A spokesperson for the Mardi Gras Association, which uses the center as a venue for its balls, responded in a statement.
“As an organization that uses the existing Civic Center, I believe the mayor and his staff understand the importance of Mardi Gras to the city and economically to the city. I trust the mayor will do what’s best for Mardi Gras in Mobile and its continued thriving.”
Mardi Gras Association spokesman
A press conference to announce the announcement is expected in the coming days.
