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Exterior of the venue in 2020
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  Entertainment and Sports Arena Location within Washington, DC Show map of the District of Columbia Entertainment and Sports Arena Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena (planning/construction) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1100 Oak Dr SE Washington, D.C. 20032 |
| Location | St. Elizabeths East Campus |
| Coordinates | 38°50′48″N 76°59′30″W / 38.8465744°N 76.9915343°W / 38.8465744; -76.9915343 |
| Public transit | Washington Metro atCongress Heights |
| Owner | District of Columbia |
| Operator | Events DC |
| Capacity | 4,200 Detailed capacity[1]
|
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 17, 2017 |
| Opened | September 22, 2018 |
| Construction cost | $69 million ($85.8 million in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| Architect |
|
| Project manager | Brailsford & Dunlavey |
| Structural engineer | Setty & Associates |
| Services engineer | Wiles Mensch Corporation |
| General contractor | Smoot Construction |
| Main contractors | Gilbane Building Company |
| Tenants | |
| Capital City Go-Go (NBAGL) 2018–present Washington Mystics (WNBA) 2019–present | |
The Entertainment and Sports Arena is a multi-purpose events facility, located on the St. Elizabeths East Campus, in Congress Heights, a residential neighborhood in southeast Washington, D.C.
The arena is home to the Washington Mystics of the WNBA and the Capital City Go-Go of the NBA G League. In addition, it houses a practice facility for the Washington Wizards of the NBA.
The arena was officially opened on September 22, 2018.[3]
The 4,200-seat arena is mainly used for basketball; however, there are plans for the facility to also host concerts, community events and other sporting events. The location of the arena was selected due to its proximity to St. Elizabeths Hospital, distance to the greater Washington, D.C. area, location to the Congress Heights station of the Washington Metro, the confluence of the Potomac and Anacostia Rivers, and ability to improve the local community through jobs and infrastructure improvements.[4]
Construction for the arena, to include razing of surrounding buildings, began on February 19, 2016.[5] Of the $65 million estimated cost for construction, 90% of the cost was to be taxpayer funded. The District of Columbia owns the facility while Events DC will operate the facility.[6]
Members of the DC Council sought to introduce legislation capping public expenditure in the case of cost overruns.[7] On July 28, Greg O'Dell, Chairperson of Events DC, requested an additional $10 million in funding while decreasing the number of seats in the facility.[8] He said earlier estimates were premature.[8]
In 2018, O'Dell announced that the cost had increased to $68.8 million, due in part to additions like drywall, and catwalks and higher than anticipated costs like contractors.[9] The final cost was nearly 25 percent more than estimated, which DC taxpayers were required to cover.[10]
Events DC boasted about the number of local business used in the construction of the facility, but could not provide a list of any of the businesses. Local businesses reported that they were unable to find work at the site.[10]
Events DC significantly underestimated the costs of operating the facility and in 2019 the Events DC board approved more than $1 million in additional costs to cover the shortfall.[11] A contract for a firm to find naming rights for the facility was funded at $180,000 per year.[11]
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