Edmonton’s new downtown arena, Rogers Place, has officially opened. The 1,110,900 square foot facility in the heart of downtown Edmonton features the largest true high-definition scoreboard in the NHL, expansive concourses with natural light and an impressive array of food and beverage options.

Rogers Place also anchors a major revitalization of Edmonton’s downtown that boasts $5 billion invested in private and public developments, including the new ICE District, which will be Canada’s largest sports and entertainment district.

“Our vision was to build a world-class facility that symbolizes Edmonton’s bold future as a great Northern city,” said Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson. “Rogers Place is the first of many new buildings that will be opening in downtown Edmonton, including Western Canada’s tallest tower. People will look back on today as the day the excitement began.”

Construction of the project started in March 2014, and took two and a half years to complete.

“Today we realized our collective goal of opening our new downtown arena and that excitement is still building all around us,” said Daryl Katz, chairman, Oilers Entertainment Group. “It will still be a few years before we see the full result, with the ICE District and public plaza complete. But for the first time in decades Edmonton will have a world-class urban core to match our world-class community spirit.”

The total budget for Rogers Place and the related infrastructure, including the Downtown Community Arena, was $613.5 million, and the project was jointly designed and built by the City of Edmonton and the Katz Group.