Cobo Revamp Under Way

Construction got under way April 21 in a $221 million renovation project at Detroit’s Cobo Center with the goal of completion in 2014.

The project, part of a three-year, three-phase revamp, includes replacing the facility’s 12,191-capacity Cobo Arena with a 40,000-square-foot ballroom with a glass wall and open-air terrace, installing a three-story glass atrium that will link the facility’s main floor with a new entrance and adding 25,000 square feet.

The last major expansion at the facility was completed in 1989.

The arena was home to the Detroit Pistons before the team moved in 1978. The facility also hosted top artists including Jimi Hendrix, Bob Seger, Bruce Springsteen, Queen and KISS, which recorded its KISS Alive! live album at the arena in 1975 and played there again in 2009.