Utah Hockey Club’s launch was so quick last fall that Salt Lake City’s Delta Center didn’t have time to adapt to accommodating the sport, which has a much larger playing surface than basketball.
The renovation of Delta Center taking place over the next three summers, starting this month, will address that issue in part through a novel riser seating system in both end zones of the 34-year-old arena. Nearly all dual sport arenas are built around a hockey-focused seating bowl, but Delta Center was a basketball-only arena for 33 years. The riser system, created by StageRight, will enable the arena to accommodate the more gradual slope of a hockey seating bowl, while maintaining the steeper seating bowl found in basketball arenas.
Additionally, the renovation — which, combined with a mixed-use development on the east side of the building, could top $3B in investment from Smith Entertainment Group and the city — will raise the venue’s event floor two feet and expand the seating bowl out 12 feet in each end zone to make room for the riser system and improve sightlines in the corners and lower bowl, while setting the stage for future phases of the renovation that will tweak the upper bowl. Delta Center currently has roughly 5,000 seats, mostly in the upper bowl, that can only see one of the two hockey goals.
“Our ultimate goal in this transformation is that both sports can have an incredible fan experience, that one or the other is not sacrificed,” said Jazz President Jim Olson, who is the executive representing SEG on all facilities projects.
For basketball, the riser system will consist of 29 rows of retractable seats extending 28 feet from the Level 3 concourse down to the court behind each baseline, maintaining the steeper basketball viewing experience. The riser system uses a unique triple scissor lift system to create the right steepness (known as rake) for basketball seating and sightlines, while the permanent seating beneath will be built for more gradual hockey seating bowl steepness.
When the renovation (which has received a $525M funding commitment from the city) is complete, seating capacity for hockey will increase from 11,131 to approximately 17,000 — with every seat in the upper and lower bowls having full views of both goals — and capacity for basketball will increase from 18,206 to nearly 19,000 seats.
Delta Center’s operations team current completes a changeover in eight hours, down from the 12 hours it initially took last fall when the arena hosted NHL games for the first time. Olson expects changeover times to go through the same learning process with the new system and again land on about eight hours, too.
The renovation goes beyond just the riser system. New premium spaces will be added on Level 1, the restroom capacity at Delta Center will increase by 12%, and four new dehumidifiers will be installed to maintain top-level ice conditions in the arena at all times. This summer, SEG will also begin building a 450-stall parking structure, designed by Walter P. Moore, that will be connected to the back of the arena and be used by premium seat holders. Construction on the garage will begin this summer and be completed before the 2026 NBA and NHL seasons.
The venue’s current main entrance faces northeast, but a prominent new entrance will be added to the east side of the arena where an entertainment district is being developed. Utah-based Okland Construction is the general contractor; SCI Architects is the lead design firm; and CAA Icon serves as a strategic advisor.
