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Crown Event Center

The Crown Complex, located at 1960 Coliseum Drive, Fayetteville is comprised of five venues, including a 2,440-seat Theatre and 4,500-seat Arena that opened in 1967; and a 10,880-seat Coliseum, 60,000-square-foot Expo Center and 9,200-square-foot Ballroom that opened in 1997.

The original Crown Theatre and Arena must close by November 2025, and the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has approved the construction of a new state-of-the-art multipurpose event center (the Crown Event Center) to replace these facilities. The Crown Event Center will be located in Downtown Fayetteville at the intersection of Gillespie Street and Ottis F. Jones Parkway on the block between the County’s Historic Courthouse and the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse.

In early 2022, the Board of Commissioners hired MBP Carolinas as the owner’s representative for the project and established a three-member Crown Event Center Committee, which includes Commissioner Jimmy Keefe, who chairs the committee, Board of Commissioners Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeannette Council. Cumberland County Civic Center Commission Chairman McBryde Grannis serves on the Committee in an ex-officio capacity. A Project Delivery Team (PDT) was also established, comprised of key County staff and representation from MBP Carolinas, current Crown Complex Manager Oak View Group (OVG), project architect EwingCole and Construction Manager-at-Risk (CMaR) TA Loving/Metcon.

The Crown Event Center Committee held a kick-off meeting for the new Crown Event Center project on April 20, 2022. On Sept. 6, 2022, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners approved guiding principles for the project following an engagement process that included members of a Community Engagement Committee comprised of representation from current users of the Crown Complex, community members, educational institutions and nonprofit organizations, the business community, and municipal and civic leaders.

The guiding principles are a set of value statements intended to establish a common direction for the project and inform decision-making throughout the project.

graphic outlining guiding principles for crown event center

The County hired EwingCole as the project architect in November 2022. Once on board, EwingCole engaged the Community Engagement Committee and other stakeholders to provide feedback on what they believe needs to be included in the new Crown Event Center to make it successful. This information was incorporated into the Conceptual Design process, which resulted in the Board of Commissioners approving a building program of 131,500 square feet and an updated project budget of $131,703,300 on May 15, 2023. The Board approved a Schematic Design on Aug. 15, 2023.

TA Loving/Metcon was brought on as CmaR in September 2023, and the PDT began working with the CMaR to reconcile project cost and schedule. On Jan. 16, 2024, the PDT provided an update to the Crown Event Center Committee that the cost of building the new Crown Event Center had increased due to a larger building program and unprecedented escalation in certain trade areas. The Crown Event Center Committee directed the PDT to redesign the facility to fit within a total project budget of $145 million. On Jan. 23, 2024, the PDT presented a redesigned facility with a building program totaling 134,000 square feet and the Committee authorized the PDT to continue moving forward with the redesigned facility. The PDT estimates breaking ground on the new facility in September 2024 with construction completed in early 2027, however the team will continue working to shorten the timeline to complete the facility as early as possible.

Additional information related to the project and the Crown Event Center Committee will be posted on this page throughout the duration of the project.

Feasibility Study Presentation

Crown Complex

Feasibility Study

Committee Agendas & Minutes

County Unveils Downtown Site for New Crown Event Center

Nov 28, 2022, 18:47 PM by Jon Soles

The Board of Commissioners announced today the selection of a site in Downtown Fayetteville for the Crown Event Center, a new multipurpose event center that will replace the existing Crown Theatre and Arena.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners has announced the selection of a site in Downtown Fayetteville for the Crown Event Center, a new multipurpose event center that will replace the existing Crown Theatre and Arena. The announcement came during a special meeting Monday at 1 p.m. in the Judge E. Maurice Braswell Cumberland County Courthouse at 117 Dick Street, Fayetteville.

Cumberland County Manager Amy Cannon revealed that the Board has selected the parking lot in front of the Courthouse as the site for the new facility, which is anticipated to open in October 2025 when the existing theatre and arena are scheduled to close.

Cannon said the site selection process has been a priority of the Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center Committee, to keep the project moving forward in order to meet the established deadline.

“The site that is being brought forward today is one that meets the guiding principles for this project, which were established through a significant community engagement process that started with the Board, the Crown Event Center Committee and then the community,” said Cannon. “We are very excited about this being downtown, right in front of our courthouse complex.”

The County worked with MBP Carolinas, the owner’s representative for the project, to engage the Timmons Group to assist with site review for the new facility. Timmons Group reviewed and evaluated potential sites within the three areas identified in the Market & Financial Feasibility Study completed by CSL in 2021 – the existing Crown Complex site, Downtown Fayetteville and the I-295 outer loop. Their evaluation criteria included ownership, environmental issues, vehicular circulation and parking. Displaced parking was a factor that was considered as part of the site selection process. Additionally, parking and accessibility will be an important part of the design process as the project moves forward, as well as looking at programming to maximize opportunities for events that take place at times that will allow for the maximization of available parking in the area.

Following Timmons Group’s initial evaluation, the Crown Event Center Committee and Board of Commissioners narrowed the options down to two final sites for additional geotechnical evaluation and a phase 1 environmental site assessment. Following that evaluation, the Crown Event Center Committee recommended the final site to the Board of Commissioners for approval.

“We are extremely excited today to be able to share with the community the site that has been selected for this facility,” said Glenn Adams, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. “We believe this will be a transformative project, not only for Downtown Fayetteville but for all of Cumberland County as a local and regional asset that is accessible to all and that enhances and elevates our community as a premier destination for entertainment, events and gatherings.”

The Board of Commissioners also approved a contract for architectural services with EwingCole during Monday’s special meeting. EwingCole was recommended as the project architect following a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) and interviews with five shortlisted firms by a selection committee comprised of key County staff. The selection committee recommended EwingCole to the Crown Event Center Committee, which voted unanimously to recommend the firm’s selection to the full Board of Commissioners for approval. Commissioners unanimously approved the recommendation during their Nov. 21, 2022, meeting and directed staff to negotiate a contract with EwingCole for consideration at the Nov. 28 special meeting.

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Crown Event Center Committee is comprised of Commissioners Jeannette Council (who serves as chair), Jimmy Keefe and Board Chairman Glenn Adams. For more information on the Crown Event Center project, go to https://www.cumberlandcountync.gov/departments/commissioners-group/commissioners/crown-event-center-committee.

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724	Address: 117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301


Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager

Contact Us


Phone:	910-678-7724
Email:
Contact:	Brian Haney, Assistant County Manager
Address:	117 Dick Street Fayetteville, NC, NC 28301