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Crown Event Center

Architect rendering of the Crown Event Center


Latest Project News


Crown Event Center Committee Receives 100% Design Update (May 20, 2024)

View the May 20, 2024 Crown Event Center Project Update Presentation HERE



The Crown Complex, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville is comprised of five venues, including a 2,440-seat Theatre and 4,500-seat Arena that opened in 1967; and a 10,880-seat Coliseum, 60,000-square-foot Expo Center and 9,200-square-foot Ballroom that opened in 1997.

The original Crown Theatre and Arena must close by November 2025, and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has approved the construction of a new state-of-the-art multipurpose event center (the Crown Event Center) to replace these facilities. The Crown Event Center will be located in Downtown Fayetteville at the intersection of Gillespie Street and Ottis F. Jones Parkway on the block between the County’s Historic Courthouse and the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

In 2022, the Board of Commissioners hired MBP Carolinas as the owner’s representative for the project and established a three-member Crown Event Center Committee includes Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the committee, Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council. Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis serves on the Committee in an ex-officio capacity. A Project Delivery Team (PDT) was also established, which is comprised of key County staff and representation from MBP Carolinas, current Crown Complex Manager Oak View Group (OVG), project architect EwingCole and Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon.

The Crown Event Center Committee held a kick-off meeting for the new Crown Event Center project on April 20, 2022. On Sept. 6, 2022, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved guiding principles for the project following an engagement process that included members of a Community Engagement Committee comprised of representation from current users of the Crown Complex, community members, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, the business community, and municipal and civic leaders.

The guiding principles are a set of value statements intended to establish a common direction for the project and inform decision-making throughout the project.


graphic outlining guiding principles for crown event center

 

The County hired EwingCole as the project architect in November 2022. Once on board, EwingCole engaged the Community Engagement Committee and other stakeholders to provide feedback on what they believe needs to be included in the new Crown Event Center to make it successful. This information was incorporated into the Conceptual Design process, which resulted in the Board of Commissioners approving a building program of 131,500 square feet and an updated project budget of $131,703,300 on May 15, 2023. The Board approved a Schematic Design on Aug. 15, 2023.

TA Loving/Metcon was brought on as CmaR in September 2023, and the PDT began working with the CMaR to reconcile project cost and schedule. On Jan. 23, 2024, the Crown Event Center Committee approved an updated design for the facility with a building program totaling 134,000 square feet and a total project budget of $145 million.

The PDT completed the 100% Design Development package on Apr. 29, 2024, and presented updated renderings of the new Crown Event Center’s exterior and interior spaces to the Crown Event Center Committee on May 20, 2024. The PDT will come back before the Committee in June to present the Design Development Cost Model for approval, which will then allow for the development of construction documents.

The project team currently estimates breaking ground on the new Crown Event Center in September 2024 with construction completed in early 2027.

 

Architect rendering of people standing in an event center lobby

 

Additional information related to the project and the Crown Event Center Committee will be posted on this page throughout the duration of the project.


Crown Event Center Moves into Construction Document Phase

Jun 18, 2024, 12:01 PM by Diane Rice

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center Committee gave its approval Monday to allow the project to move into the Construction Document development phase with an anticipated groundbreaking for the new Crown Event Center planned for September 2024.

The approval followed the presentation of updated pricing for the project from the Construction Manager at Risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon. The CMaR conducted pricing on the 100% Design Development documents completed by project architect EwingCole, which were presented to the Committee on May 20 along with updated renderings of the Crown Event Center’s exterior and interior spaces.

Matt DeSilver, Area Manager with MBP Carolinas, which serves as the County’s Owners Representative for the project, shared that the 100% Design Development cost estimate for construction came in just above the Board’s approved construction budget of $117,864,211 at $122,173,918. However, he noted that this estimate includes built-in design escalation costs through the midpoint of construction as well as design contingency.

He said the Project Delivery Team conducted value engineering to bring the estimated construction cost down below the approved budget to $117,194,895. Items that were removed from the estimate as part of the value engineering process included an operable partition in the multipurpose room, interior window blinds, reduction of LED exterior signage and upper-level audience divider curtains in the main event hall. DeSilver said these items will still be priced so they can be included in the project in the event costs ultimately come in lower than the approved budget.

Committee members voted unanimously to approve the 100% design development cost estimate and to authorize the Project Delivery Team to move into construction document development.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners previously approved a total project budget of nearly $145 million in February. DeSilver said the project is still on schedule to break ground in September 2024 with anticipated completion in early 2027. He said next steps for the project will include the development of construction documents and preparation of the early site package.

Additionally, Ryan Parker with Metcon announced the CMaR will host an outreach event for subcontractors, suppliers and vendors interested in participating in the Crown Event Center project this Thursday, June 20 from 3 to 5:30 p.m. at the FSU HUB, located at 1073 Murchison Road, Fayetteville. For more information, contact 910-521-8013.

The Crown Event Center Committee is comprised of Cumberland County Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the Committee, Board Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council, along with Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis, who serves in an ex officio capacity. The Project Delivery Team (PDT) is made up of County staff, and staff from the County’s owner’s representative MBP Carolinas, project architect EwingCole, construction manager at risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon and Crown Complex Manager OakViewGroup (OVG).

For more information on the Crown Event Center project, go to cumberlandcountync.gov/crowneventcenter.

  • Contact Us

    Phone: 910-678-7724
    Address:

    117 Dick Street
    Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301

    Email:
    email_envelope
    Contact: Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager

    Contact Us

    Phone: 910-678-7724
    Email:
    email_envelope
    Contact: Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager
    Address:

    117 Dick Street
    Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301