Case Study: Gateway Economic Development transforms Rocket Arena with Thornton Tomasetti

Gateway Economic Development transforms Rocket Arena with Thornton Tomasetti’s 85-foot glass entryway

The customer, Gateway Economic Development, the owner of Rocket Arena, faced the challenge of modernizing a multi-purpose arena that had gone decades without a major renovation. They engaged vendor Thornton Tomasetti to provide structural design, façade engineering, and protective design services to transform the aging facility and enhance the fan experience.

Thornton Tomasetti implemented a comprehensive solution that included a new 85-foot-tall glass-enclosed public entryway spanning a city block and a façade consisting of 1,475 glass pieces. This added over 40,000 square feet of public space and created an immersive fan entryway featuring over 2,000 square feet of LED panels. The project successfully transformed the arena into a modern entertainment hub, bringing it up to NBA recommendations and significantly updating its engagement features for fans of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Cleveland Monsters.

Gateway Economic Development