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Legacy
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How It All Began
In 1946, William H. and Edward A.
Hobart had a vision. Their vision was a vastly expanded
recreational program for the City of Troy. This expansion would
involve an 18-hole golf course, a new football stadium and a
winter sports arena. They proposed that if the citizens of Troy
passed a $450,000 bond issue to build the golf course and
stadium, the C.C. Hobart Foundation would build and give to the
City of Troy a winter sports facility.
Troy
City Council accepted and approved the plan. At a special
election in 1947, the citizens overwhelmingly approved the plan.
The new municipal golf course opened in April, 1947, and the
stadium in September that same year. On September 6, 1950, the
vision became a reality with the opening of Hobart Sports Arena.
Since then many charitable, religious, civic, and educational
groups have benefited from using the facility.
Over the years, some of the best
known entertainers in the world have performed at the Arena. It
has hosted all types of sporting events, trade shows,
conferences, concerts, etc. The events and activities have
generated millions of dollars for the Greater Troy area.
The Legacy Continues
In
1995, Lucia Bravo visited Hobart Arena and noticed several areas
that needed to be upgraded. After discussing this with her
husband, Robert, the Bravos had a vision of giving more than one
million dollars to be used as seed money for the renovating of
Hobart Arena.
They felt by committing such an
amount, that the citizens of Troy, other groups and
organizations would also donate towards the upgrading of the
facility. In 1996, Troy City Council and the Recreation Board
approved the project and a renovation committee was formed. The
architectural firm of Lorenz and Williams of Dayton, Ohio, was
hired, and a complete assessment of the facility’s needs were
made and prioritized.
The goal of the Bravos, the arena’s
Renovation Committee, and the architects was to bring Hobart
Arena up to modern day standards, equivalent to the day it was
opened.
In April of 1997, the first project
began. The scope of the renovation project included the
following: the arena’s roof and exterior areas were repaired,
windows were replaced, exterior lighting was upgraded and new
landscaping was added; the main entrance and lobby were
upgraded; in the corridor, a rubberized floor was installed,
walls were revamped and a ceiling added; the concession stands
were relocated to make room for the constructions of the Troy
Hall of Fame in the hall entrance; the restrooms and locker
rooms were renovated; the arena’s ceiling was painted; the ice
surface was enlarged and new seating was installed; the
acoustics were evaluated and baffles and a new sound system were
installed. Troy City Council paid for and installed a new
electrical system and air-conditioning system.
In
2015 Troy City Council continued its commitment to Hobart Arena
by approving a $9.6M Renovation and Expansion Project that began
in February of 2016 and was completed in May, 2017. Over the
last 10 years, the wide variety of events taking place in the
building increased significantly. This renovation and expansion
project intended to address the various areas of the building
that continued to present challenges for the building when
hosting events. The primary focus was the improvement of
pedestrian traffic flow by creating more space in the corridors,
adding concessions stands and restroom facilities. In addition,
a second lobby was added to the south end of the building
closest to the main parking lot. The west lobby remains and is
now ADA accessible. All of the dressing rooms were moved “back
of house”. All of the maintenance and storage areas were
consolidated and moved “back of house” also for increased
efficiencies. A multipurpose room, The Bravo Room, was added to
better accommodate arena events and to also provide a banquet
space available for rent. |
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