Plans Revealed For Downtown Fort Wayne Arena

Plans include office space for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants.

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Plans for a $105 million sports arena and event center in downtown Fort Wayne have been presented for the first time to the Allen County Capital Improvement Board. Denver-based design firm Sink Combs Dethlefs showcased renderings and potential cost breakdowns. The venue could host events such as concerts, Fort Wayne Mad Ants basketball games, conventions and could even be configured for arena football games.

It did not include sketches for ice hockey. The Fort Wayne Komets currently share the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum with the Mad Ants. The center would connect to the Grand Wayne Convention Center and be located across the street from Parkview Field and the Allen County Public Library. It would include an underground parking lot with room for up to 225 spaces. Inside the building, plans call for basketball capacity of 5,646 and concert capacity of 5,986.

Last July, the board approved a $283,000 contract with Sink Combs Dethlefs to develop programming, design and cost estimates for the arena.

See slides of the plan presented Thursday to the CIB: