The new arena will serve as a central hub for student life and community engagement in northeastern Texas.
East Texas A&M University broke the ground on Thursday, March 27th at the highly anticipated event center. This is a game changer for track and field, entertainment and community connections in Northeast Texas. The university celebrated the groundbreaking event with a special ceremony on the site, welcoming community members and well-known guests.
“In the development of this event center, a premier event center in northeast Texas, we know that this could be a catalyst for growth not only for the university community, but for the area, the city of Commerce, Hunt County and beyond.”
Multipurpose venue in northeastern Texas
Located on the south side of campus along State Highway 24 in Commerce, Texas, the modern multi-purpose event center serves primarily as the home for East Texas A&M men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball teams. Beyond track and field, the $70 million venue hosts major university and community events, including graduations, concerts, conventions and special gatherings. Designed to anchor future campus event districts, the event center will serve as a central hub for student life and community engagement in northeastern Texas.
A closer look at the event center
The event center is designed by construction company Gensler and built by Hoar Construction. A 65,000 square feet arena will be appearing.
Approx. 2,500 Stadium Seats 2 Multipurpose Press Rooms 2 Suites 4 Team Locker Rooms 8 Coaches Office Roju Box (Semi-Private Seats) Approx. 40 Guest Training Room Video Scoreboard Technology and Infrastructure for concerts and other events
Ana Kurzan, senior designer at Gensler, described the event center as “a wonderful beacon celebrating campus victory, graduation and community pride.” She added that the modern design of the building is inspired by “the elegance of the lion in motion, its strength and Stoicism.”
The area surrounding the event centre will include a plaza, outdoor entertainment space with stages, a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and more than 800 new parking spaces.
The master development plan, which will be fully developed later, adds additional retail and entertainment spaces, including supplemental gyms, restaurant spaces, and hotels.
Promote growth and engagement
The new event center is a transformative investment in the future of Eastern Texas A&M, designed to:
It strengthens East Texas A&M’s presence as a major destination for athletics, entertainment and student engagement, increases campus visibility and brand awareness, serves as a vibrant gathering for students that attract more students and visitors, encourages recruiting and retaining students in the community, strengthens the campus-wide experience, and creates new partnerships and opportunities for local businesses and organizations.
Molly Jacobsen, Assistant City Manager at Commerce, said the event centre will bring transformational opportunities to the area. “We look forward to this event centre providing a lot of necessary jobs in the area, improving the community and quality of life, boosting the local economy, promoting growth of other local businesses, and promoting innovation in the development of new businesses,” she said.
Enhance lion track and field
As East Texas A&M continues its journey in NCAA Division I athletics, the Events Center will help bridge gaps in campus infrastructure, attracting advanced student-athletes and providing top-notch resources to enhance academic and athletic experiences. By offering DI-level facilities, East Texas A&M aims to enhance its profile and strengthen its reputation as a competitive advantage in college sports, while attracting greater attention from fans, the media and future athletes.
Basketball player Jordyn Newsom, president of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, said the new Event Centre reflects the university’s pride in participating in the DI competition at the Southland Conference.
“This will be a place where we represent East Texas A&M of strength, determination and heart,” she said. “This event center opens new doors for new opportunities for Lion Athletics. I can’t wait to see it.”
A groundbreaking ceremony
Several special guests participated in the groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.
Chris Grant, Southland Conference, Commissioner Thomas Samuel, Southland Conference, Deputy Commissioner Don Montgomery, Texas A&M University Systems Elizabeth Cockerham (Senator John Cornyn), Matt Hernandez (Representative Brent Money), Natalie Steinscholt (Representative Keith Self) Stephen Harrison, Bob Stoble, Hunt County, Attorney General Commerce Manager Dr. Keith McFarland, President Empire
Other VIP guests included representatives from the Commerce EDC, the Commerce Chamber of Commerce, the Greenville Chamber of Commerce, the Commerce ISD and the Campbell ISD. Several VIP vendors joined by sports facilities companies, Hoar Construction, GSR-Andrade and Gensler.
At the groundbreaking ceremony, Southland Conference commissioner Chris Grant said he became a “follower” of East Texas A&M after visiting and seeing coordination between campus, the community and administration.
“I’m a follower, I believe in East Texas (A&M), and I can achieve everything I can achieve just by growing into Division I,” he said. He added that the groundbreaking of the new facility is “a statement that East Texas belongs to Division I and East Texas is the leader of the Southland Conference.”
In his remarks, Jim Curry thanked the Texas A&M University System for his support, support, guidance and “great belief in this university’s growth trajectory.”
Looking ahead
A master plan for future growth will bring the event center together with education, track and field and entertainment to become a premier destination in northeast Texas.
“The facility will be a place where people can come together, collaborate, perform, engage and celebrate everything that contributes to making the city feel more like a community,” Jacobsen said. “Today, we celebrate this vision as it becomes a reality.”
“It’s even more wonderful day to be a lion,” Rudin said. “This event centre will become a very important part of our history.”
Check out the event center’s groundbreaking photo gallery.
Article Source and Photo Credit: Kristen Segar, Tamuc.edu/news
Kristen is the Communications Manager at the Marketing and Communications Office at East Texas A&M. She covers academic issues, alumni relations, student issues and stories of the president’s office.
Featured Photo: Virtual image of the exterior of the event center. A compliment from Gensler.
