KNIC Partners to Make the Bronx Home to the World’s Largest Indoor Ice Sports Facility; Story Attracts Major National Coverage
Backed by NHL Legend Mark Messier and Olympic Figure Skating Champion Sarah Hughes, $275 Million Kingsbridge National Ice Center Will Feature Nine Year-Round Ice Rinks, Including 5,000-Seat Center Show-Rink that Will HostMajor Ice Hockey and Skating Events; Story Garnering Extensive National Coverage (round-up below)
The Bronx will soon be the site of the world’s largest indoor ice facility as Mayor Bloomberg today announced a $275 million plan pursuant to which KNIC Partners will transform the iconic Kingsbridge Armory into the Kingsbridge National Ice Center.
Backed by NHL legend Mark Messier and Olympic Figure Skating Champion Sarah Hughes, the 750,000 square-foot facility will feature nine year-round indoor rinks, including 3 Olympic- and 6 NHL-sized rinks. A 5,000-seat center show-rink will host major hockey and figure skating events, including local, regional, national and international tournaments, camps, competitions and shows.
“Through this redevelopment the Kingsbridge Armory will now have an interior program befitting its iconic exterior architecture,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The construction of the world’s largest indoor ice rink facility will create recreational opportunities for millions of visitors and local residents, and most importantly create hundreds of jobs for the local community.
“Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the Kingsbridge Armory, the Bronx and ice sports in the United States,” said Kevin Parker, founder of KNIC Partners. “I thank Mayor Bloomberg and the New York City Economic Development Corporation for this tremendous honor and for believing in our vision. As the most spectacular facility of its kind anywhere in the world, the Kingsbridge National Ice Center will serve as a source of pride for the Bronx and all of New York.”
The Kingsbridge National Ice Center will be an international sporting destination similar to the US Open and on par with Yankee Stadium and Madison Square Garden in attendance, drawing more than 2 million visitors a year, including first-time skaters and champion athletes alike. This world-class facility will immediately become a global center of hockey, figure skating, speed skating, synchronized skating, ice dancing and curling.
Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at the Kingsbridge Armory and was joined by Deputy Mayor for Economic Development Robert K. Steel, New York City Economic Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky, KNIC Partners LLC Founder Kevin Parker, Mark Messier, Sarah Hughes, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., and City Councilmember Fernando Cabrera.
Once completed, the Kingsbridge National Ice Center will more than double the number of ice facilities in New York City, which currently has only seven year-round ice rinks.
Of the nine ice rinks, five will be located on the main floor and four will be constructed on two platforms elevated approximately 40 feet above the main floor. At least two rinks at KNIC will be sled hockey-compatible for people with disabilities. The facility is expected to be open 365 days a year.
In addition to the ice rinks, the facility will feature: a wellness center, with off-ice training fitness, rehabilitation and sports therapy programs; dressing rooms and lockers with storage for individual hockey equipment; concession space; retail space for ice sport goods; and parking for approximately 480 cars.
KNIC also plans to create a foundation to establish free after-school ice sports and academic tutoring programs for disadvantaged youth. The program will be modeled after the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation in Philadelphia and will be developed with guidance from Mark Messier and Sarah Hughes.
The project is expected to be completed in September 2019. Renderings are available at www.flickr.com/nycmayorsoffice. Additional information is available at www.nyc.gov.
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The story is already garnering widespread national media attention:
The Wall Street Journal: “City Puts Bronx Future on Ice”
The New York Times: “Plan for Ice Center In Bronx Armory to Move Forward”
Newsday: “Kingsbridge Armory Set To Become Ice Skating Facility, Bloomberg Says”
The New York Post: “Bronx Armory to Be Ice Rink”
NY1: “Icy Plans in Store for Bronx Armory”
News 12 Bronx: “Kingsbride ArmoryTo Become World’s Largest Indoor Ice Skating Complex”
Gothamist: “Renderings : Kingsbridge Armory Will be ‘World’s Largest Indoor Ice Facility'”
About the Kingsbridge National Ice Center
The Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), proposed for the iconic Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx, would be the largest ice sports facility in the world. With nine year-round indoor rinks, including a 5,000-seat center show-rink, KNIC would be an international sporting destination, drawing more than 2 million visits a year.
KNIC will welcome first-time skaters and champion athletes alike, with recreational skating, private and group instruction, training, rehearsals and competitions all under one giant, historic roof. Educational and athletic programs led by New York Rangers legend Mark Messier and Olympic gold medal-winning figure skater Sarah Hughes will make ice sports accessible and exciting for young people in the surrounding community with free instruction, equipment and ice time. And with special events including tournaments, camps, competitions and shows, this world-class facility will become a global center of hockey, figure skating, speed skating, synchronized skating, ice dancing and even curling.