In 1991, when Larry H. Miller realized that the Utah Jazz needed a larger arena in order to become a permanent Utah franchise, he commissioned a 20,000-seat facility to be built in downtown Salt Lake City. Still being designed as it was being constructed, it became the fastest built stadium of its size, and was erected in roughly 16 months. Originally called the Delta Center, the venue is now named Vivint Smart Home Arena, and is set to undergo a $125 million-dollar renovation at the end of this basketball season.

“Unlike many renovation projects, the majority of the budget will go toward experiential things that the fan can see, touch and taste,” says Tim Romani, CEO of ICON Venue Group, the development and project management support team.

Several new additions include an updated plaza that will feature an extended entryway that brings visitors inside for ticket and box office services, an indoor atrium with game-night entertainment, a videoboard for outside watching parties, and a new marquee with full-circle graphics capabilities.

While it may be hard to imagine the downtown cityscape with a new arena, locals may be pleased to know that the renovations will be mainly upgrades to improve fan experience.

“It has been clear from the outset that Vivint Smart Home Arena’s bones are very good and form an ideal basis to create an unsurpassed 21st century NBA facility‎,” said Murray Beynon, principal of SCI Architects. “The creation of interactive social and viewing platforms along with an array of new fresh food options will transform the fan experience on all six levels.”

The four upper corners of the arena will be opened up with casual gathering spaces where fans can watch the game. All the individual suites on level four are being remodeled with exceptional sightlines and an array of first-class amenities. Larger suites are being added to host business and community groups for special event night experiences.

Level two will house five themed club experiences for pre-game dining and halftime socializing. Four unique floor suites will also be added where fans enter their box seats in the stands through a private portal and hospitality suite.

In addition, the main floor will feature cooking stations installed throughout the arena, allowing for “live” kitchens in the clubs and concession stands throughout the arena.

Additional renovation features include:

• Full array of solar panels on the roof, produced by Vivint Solar and installed by Hunt Electric.
• New chairback seats in the lower and upper bowls.
• Remodeled Jazz and visiting team locker rooms.
• Deployment of useful technology for fans such as mobile app, high-speed Internet, cloud-based technology and predictive analytics.

Fans will be able to track the progress of the arena renovation project at vivintarena.com by clicking on the “Arena Rising” button.