OFFICIAL: The College Basketball Experience (NABC Hall of Fame) building design

[Highlander]

Great facility...and for $10 you can go in and play some pick up basketball downtown on a nice court....welcome addition.

I'm interested in knowing how this works.  Is it like regular pick-up on a playground or is it somehow regulated.  I would think the age range of visitors alone would make that difficult to manage plus the propensity for arguments, fighting, and injuries.  I was really surprised to hear that pick-up b-ball would be part of the experience.  I've played pick-up all my life and depending on the nature of the other players it can be either great fun or really not worth the hassle. 

[anniewarbucks]

If you have 2 teams that want to play a game then pay your $10.00 per person admittance and go ahead and play they do have a fully operational scoreboard and bleachers for your fans to sit in. Or you can do some one on one, two on two up to 5 on 5 with about any one. They even have a 3 on 3 playground court set up if you want to play that type of game. The only way that I see it being regulated is by the employees that work there.

[loftguy]

I'm interested in knowing how this works.  Is it like regular pick-up on a playground or is it somehow regulated.  I would think the age range of visitors alone would make that difficult to manage plus the propensity for arguments, fighting, and injuries.  I was really surprised to hear that pick-up b-ball would be part of the experience.  I've played pick-up all my life and depending on the nature of the other players it can be either great fun or really not worth the hassle. 

Went yesterday.  Now understand the praise for this venue.  Well executed.

Highlander, there is a full court available for pickup games.  There is staff on hand and prominently posted rules for the facility.  No alcohol.  No swearing.  No fighting or excessive aggression.  Offenders will be removed by security for violations of these guidelines.

The list of rules is more comprehensive and had I known of this thread previously I would have been more attentive to the rest of the details.

Put this on your must-do list.  I'm a low, low level sports fan and I had a great time.

[skim82]

Does anyone know if this place will be open for the 4th of July???

[KCMax]

Collison: College Basketball Experience on top of its game

In fact, the CBE is doing far better than it anticipated when it opened along with the Sprint Center in October 2007. The 41,000-square-foot facility at 13th Street and Grand Boulevard has attracted more than 400,000 visitors since then and has hosted far more events than it anticipated.

“We only expected about five events per year, and we’ve had 400 — more than 100 each year,” Henderson said.

[Highlander]

Collison: College Basketball Experience on top of its game

In fact, the CBE is doing far better than it anticipated when it opened along with the Sprint Center in October 2007. The 41,000-square-foot facility at 13th Street and Grand Boulevard has attracted more than 400,000 visitors since then and has hosted far more events than it anticipated.

“We only expected about five events per year, and we’ve had 400 — more than 100 each year,” Henderson said.

I wonder how many of those visitors were visiting as a result of the Big XII tourney being in KC? KC residents are going to comprise the lion's share of visitors but I'd suspect a lot of the out-of-towners that have stopped by were via the Big XII tournament.

[NDTeve]

Collison: College Basketball Experience on top of its game

In fact, the CBE is doing far better than it anticipated when it opened along with the Sprint Center in October 2007. The 41,000-square-foot facility at 13th Street and Grand Boulevard has attracted more than 400,000 visitors since then and has hosted far more events than it anticipated.

“We only expected about five events per year, and we’ve had 400 — more than 100 each year,” Henderson said.

I wonder how many of those visitors were visiting as a result of the Big XII tourney being in KC? KC residents are going to comprise the lion's share of visitors but I'd suspect a lot of the out-of-towners that have stopped by were via the Big XII tournament.

Thanks Mizzou.

[UrbanNebraska]

Collison: College Basketball Experience on top of its game

In fact, the CBE is doing far better than it anticipated when it opened along with the Sprint Center in October 2007. The 41,000-square-foot facility at 13th Street and Grand Boulevard has attracted more than 400,000 visitors since then and has hosted far more events than it anticipated.

“We only expected about five events per year, and we’ve had 400 — more than 100 each year,” Henderson said.

I wonder how many of those visitors were visiting as a result of the Big XII tourney being in KC? KC residents are going to comprise the lion's share of visitors but I'd suspect a lot of the out-of-towners that have stopped by were via the Big XII tournament.

I have been twice from Omaha. Stopped once before a Royals game and once before a concert at Uptown. That place is really a fantastic perk of the Sprint Center.

[FangKC]

The College Basketball Experience has contributed a lot since it opened. However, I am not a big fan of the building design from the exterior point-of-view. I think the property could have been designed a lot better to fit and interact with the street, and the parcel been better executed overall.

I don't like the mostly blank streetwall facing 13th Street on the north.

I realize that it needs blank interior walls for most of the exhibits. If I were doing it all over again with the clean slate of the site, I would have placed most of the museum space underground (on its' current footprint, and under the front Sprint Plaza area and the connecting Sprint Arena lobby area.

Then, on the footprint of the current above-ground portion, I would have placed the QuikTrip space facing Grand instead of in the interior lobby. That way, it could have been open to the public most of the time when there are no events in Sprint Center. Downtown would have gotten a fully operational QuikTrip space that served visitors and residents all the time; instead of the temporary QuikTrip only open during events. It could have been configured in a way to serve the public who wasn't attending SC events, while at the same time serving those who had bought tickets. Win-win.

There would probably have been enough space at street-level to have a second retail space as well.

Above the QuikTrip, I would have placed three levels of parking in a garage-adding 276 additional spaces (based on the Board of Education parking garage up the street, which would easily have fit on the same footprint). Above the garage, I would have created office space for the National Association for Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). This would have freed up the retail space in the former Bonfils Building at 12th and Grand that the NAIA currently uses for office space.

The additional parking spaces would have freed up more parking spaces in the future devoted to business and retail on say the block on Grand between 12th and 13th as well as served NAIA.

On the sides of the building where the three levels of parking garage face Grand and 13th, I would have created advertising space for rent (billboards and electronic signage) to enhance Sprint Center revenue for the City.

My plan would have:

* created the College Basketball Experience Museum
* had a QuikTrip contributing to downtown during most business hours
* added a second retail space at the site
* created office space for NAIA on-site
* freed up the Bonfils Building for additional retail spaces (it has four street level retail doors)
* added 276 parking spaces that don't exist now
* created signage for revenue and visual excitement
* created a more dynamic street experience and activity from additional retail spaces
* probably created a space for the NCE Museum that was more energy-efficient (underground).

[KCMax]

The place is rather dark on the inside. Maybe it has to be since its a museum, but it would be nice if the upper level had a lot of sunlight.

Seems like they should also have like a college gift store. Maybe they don't want to pay for NCAA licensing, but it seems like you could probably sell college gear there, and do quite well especially when there is a tourney next door.

That being said, it is a pretty cool "museum" with interactive stuff, cool drills that get you moving, and then displays on the inductees for people that like to read about history.

[aknowledgeableperson]

My plan would have:

probably cost more money than what was on hand for the CBE.

[KCPowercat]

Maybe it wouldn't have been more money....we just don't know.

[FangKC]

The garage parking would have probably added more cost since it's expensive to build, and rent would likely be less. However, one could have made additional revenue from event parking at night and on weekends, when most downtown garages sit empty anyway. The point of building a garage there was to free up other parcels downtown from any parking garage that might come in the future. For example, if a new building goes on the Copaken parcel on Grand between 12th and 13th, any underground parking there would probably not be enough --especially if it's a tower. Thus, additional above-ground parking would need to be constructed on that block, or an adjacent one. I'm trying to maximize the number of parcels for office, housing, and retail near P&L.

Additional rent would also have come from the second street-level retail space on Grand, and the rent from the NAIA office space, revenue which doesn't exist now.

One could have also added an office or residential tower on that corner on top of the garage. However, I don't know if the City can own a building offering commercial office space or rental apartments. It's too bad if they can't because rental apartments might actually pay off TIF right now than empty retail space in P&L. Rental apartments are still in demand downtown, and occupancy rates remain high. New rental apartments would likely drive demand for retail in empty P&L storefronts.

Having a QuikTrip open many more hours than just during events would have also added more sales tax revenue to City coffers.

The advertising rental space on the side of the garage would also have added more revenue. I'm not advocating plastering billboards and electronic signs all over downtown. I just think the City should allow some around the Power & Light District. Having large electronic advertising signage would create some visual excitement around the entertainment district. The AT&T Longlines Building has large blank walls that aren't that attractive anyway, and they loom over the District. They are perfect for electronic signage (if AT&T wanted to do that).

The sides of the Town Pavilion Garage are also well-suited for this purpose, and it might actually distract people from the large monolithic parking garage on that block. It's sort of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse. More Times Square than Signboard Hill.

The roofs of Palace Clothing, Traders on Grand, Chambers, Willy's, Hanna Rubber, and Berlau Paper buildings also come to mind.

[aknowledgeableperson]

Remember, there was a budget number for construction that took into account how the bonds would be paid off. Part of that construction budget included funds to be raised by the CBE for the CBE portion of the building. As to what was constructed if memory is correct the initial construction costs were underestimated and additional funds were needed. Even then cuts had to be made to complete the projects within budget.

[FangKC]

So does the CBE own that building, or does the City own it, and they pay rent?

If CBE owns the structure, then does the City still own the land underneath it?

And if CBE owns their building, then how does one deal with the fact it's attached to Sprint Center? Is it like a condo arrangment?

[aknowledgeableperson]

So does the CBE own that building, or does the City own it, and they pay rent?

In going over the old postings it would appear that it is not a city-owned building. There were some tax credits given to the NABC for construction.