Arena fit for champs taking shape in S.F.
Golden State’s new home impresses even as it rises
One year ago this past week, the Warriors broke ground on their arena in San Francisco.
The ceremony was colorful, featuring giant construction excavators dancing to Johann Strauss’ “Blue Danube Waltz” while acrobats dressed in hardhats bounced around on trampolines.
Fast forward 12 months and those excavators are doing real work, along with cranes and trucks and hundreds of workers every day. Chase Center is rising out of the ground in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, and it looks like it’s on track to be ready for opening night 2019.
The Chronicle toured the construction site with Warriors general manager Bob Myers last week, and it’s remarkable how much things have changed in the past 12 months.
For one, we didn’t see any dancing machinery. Or trampolines.
“We usually do it around noon,” quipped Myers, sporting a hardhat, safety vest and goggles. “That’s when we bring out the dancing cranes.”
Kidding aside, Myers likes the way
team’s new home looks.
“I think everyone knows it’s happening. But you really have to come out to see it,” he said. “The enormity of it. It was fun to see where the practice facility will be, in comparison to the arena. And the offices are coming together. I knew it was happening over here. But this cements it in my mind.”
Chase Center is a beehive of activity, with an endless stream of trucks dropping off massive beams and girders, all awaiting a lift from gigantic cranes looming above. When a major pile of metal gets lifted into the sky, air horns blast and everyone stops to look up in wonder and concern. Safety first is the motto. As a load of rebar soared above our heads during the tour, our guide said, “It should be all right.” Should?
As the steel passed without incident, it was easy to be awestruck by the enormity of the endeavor. Four massive concrete structures, or “cores,” anchor the perimeter of the arena, with underground parking structures already in place and steel girders taking shape around the bowl. The Warriors will have two practice courts underneath the front entrance, and the team’s office headquarters will also be housed in the arena.
It’s all wedged into an already crowded area, surrounded by office buildings at the intersection of Third and 16th Streets. Like AT&T Park some 20 years ago, Chase Center is rising in the city’s newest neighborhood.
That reminded Myers of his time in Los Angeles, where he played college ball at UCLA. That city’s L.A. Live project, anchored by the Lakers’ Staples Center, transformed its surroundings.
“I watched L.A. Live develop over years. It takes time. It takes time for people to adjust their habits,” said Myers. “There’s a newness to it that takes time for people to embrace. It’s almost like watching an arena fill up, when you show up early. I think it will be similar here in San Francisco, watching the community grow around the arena.”
In many ways, the surrounding community has already been transformed, anchored by UCSF and its symbiotic biotech community. The new arena, along with some waterfront parkland, should diminish the officepark feel of Mission Bay. We’ll see if the area becomes a true destination for leisure time, outside of big games and events.
Meanwhile, the labor continues, full speed ahead. Warhis riors officials say 40 percent of the construction is complete, with over 1,300 pilings (measuring 21 miles in length in aggregate) already installed. Six of those 21 miles are anchored in bedrock, reinforced by 30,000 cubic yards of structural concrete and grout.
Over 1,300 tons of steel have been installed by a workforce that numbers over 450 per day. When it’s all said and done, more than 8,000 construction workers will have labored on Chase Center.
Then 12 very special workers will take over, wearing warm-ups and high tops. The Warriors’ players will have the closest parking spots to the facility, tucked under the main stairs into the concourse. The team spent a lot of time on creature comforts for its most important employees, ranging from parking and proximity to the inclusion of a “decompression room,” where they can calm down after tense games and before facing the media.
“Our players are really good, so they go first. They’re the ones who make the baskets,” said Myers. “But, seriously, it was important for us to make it as easy as possible for them to come to work.
“I know that sounds simple, but logistically, how are they going to get to their car? How are they going to get to the training room? The strength training room and then into the interior court. A lot of thought went into the ease of use for the players.”
It will be interesting to see how the players like Chase Center. Only Stephen Curry and Draymond Green, among today’s roster, are under contract for the 2019-20 season. And they both live in the East Bay. Will commuting be an issue? Traffic can make it pretty tough getting to Mission Bay, and on game days players are expected to come out for shootaround around noon, then return for the game well before 7 p.m. Will Curry drive back and forth from his Alamo home?
Myers grew up in Alamo and knows that could be an issue.
“That’s a good question. My dad worked for Chevron for 30 years and did it from Alamo on BART,” said Myers. “I don’t see these guys taking the BART in here . ... We’ll see.”
We’ll see a whole lot more of Chase Center as it comes together over the next year and a half. And we’ll see how expensive the tickets are going to be. And how heavy the traffic will be. And whether the Central Subway will make a difference.
But, first, we’ll see a beautiful new arena take shape in San Francisco. And that’s something I never thought I’d see.