Civic Center getting a new look

Civic Center getting a new look

"It may be time for a new name for the Civic Center.

After all, Ruby Diamond Auditorium was rechristened Ruby Diamond Concert Hall four years ago following a $35 million renovation.

Similar changes are taking place at the Civic Center, as Florida State University begins to give it a makeover that someday will surpass the dollar amount invested in Ruby Diamond.

FSU has been making significant upgrades to the 32-year-old multi-purpose arena’s infrastructure since it officially acquired the Civic Center last year from Leon County.

The most noticeable improvements are under way right now, as Michigan-based Irwin Seating Co. removes all 10,702 seats and replaces them with garnet-on- garnet leather seats that offer a higher back than their well-worn, patchwork colored predecessors.

The work began Aug. 11, a little more than a week after the commencement ceremony for the summer term. About half of the lower section will have new seats in time for the annual convocation for incoming freshmen on Aug. 24.

To date, FSU has spent roughly $15 million on the Civic Center, said Kyle Clark, executive vice president of FSU’s Office of Finance and Administration.

“It’s absolutely amazing the transformation you can already see at the Civic Center,” Clark said. “When I saw it recently, I thought it was breath-taking.”

The timetable calls for the lower portion of the arena to be completed by Oct. 1,, the upper portion by Dec. 1. The scoreboard is being replaced with what Clark called a “multi-media center” that includes a high-definition Jumbotron. There will also be a ribbon board around the circumference of the lower bowl to provide statistics and, of course, advertising.

Clark credited Seminole Boosters, the fundraising arm of FSU athletics, for underwriting much of the work being done at the Civic Center. While the facility is home to FSU basketball, it is also used for a host of other events, including concerts, touring Broadway performances and graduations.

Jerry Kutz, senior vice president with the Boosters, said improving the Civic Center is one of the cornerstones of the organization’s Champions Campaign, an eight-year, $250 million fundraising effort that dovetails with the university’s $1 billion capital campaign.

Kutz is leading the Champions Campaign, which also provides for scholarships and operating resources for FSU athletics.

“Outside of Doak Campbell Stadium, (the Civic Center) is the most visible stadium we have. And, along with Doak Campbell, it’s the most easily identifiable in need of renovation,” Kutz said. “It’s been a long time since anything significant happened there. There was certainly a need for new seating and more.”

The new seats and other infrastructure improvements are expected to improve the acoustics, long the subject of disdain for patrons of concerts and musicals. FSU and the management company hired to run the Civic Center, Global Spectrum, will be assessing what’s needed to upgrade the acoustics, Clark said.

“We know we need to make an investment,” Clark said. “We just want to make the right investment.”