The XL Center in Hartford, Conn. is closed for a $138M renovation to modernize the arena, which had fallen behind. The project includes new locker rooms for UConn, premium suites and aims to attract more events. Despite financial concerns, the revamped arena is expected to enhance Hartford's cultural and economic landscape.
Capital Region Development Authority photo
A photo of the current stadium bowl during a UConn basketball game, before renovations.
As of May 20, 2025, the XL Center on Trumbull Street in Hartford, Conn., is closed for construction to overhaul the arena — a project more than a decade in the making.
That means Hartford's XL Center will not host any games, concerts or other events this summer.
"This is our troubled child of all the properties we manage," Michael Freimuth, executive director of the Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), said to NBC Connecticut television affiliate WVIT in nearby New Britain.
First opened in January 1975, the building was initially called the Civic Center. In its heyday, the venue was home to the National Hockey League's Hartford Whalers and played host to big musical acts, including Bruce Springsteen, the Rolling Stones, Tina Turner and Elton John.
After the Whalers left Connecticut in 1997, Freimuth said the building failed to keep up with the demands of shows that required more technology and elaborate sets.
Discussions about renovating the arena began in earnest around 2010. That year, the arena got a new sound system and set of Jumbotrons. The state legislature also set aside $35 million in bonding for repairs to begin in 2014.
Freimuth described those actions as a "band-aid."
"We thought it would buy us a window, roughly 10 years. Honestly, we're pretty close to that," he said. "During that time, we explored replacing the property. You wouldn't build this building in today's world. To [do so] today would [cost] north of a billion dollars."
In 2017, Connecticut's then-Gov. Dannel Malloy pitched a $250 million overhaul of the Hartford arena. The plan was eventually scaled back in response to push back from state lawmakers.
Legislators did approve another $40 million in bonding to replace the aging ice system for hockey games and the old arena floor, in addition to building a sportsbook on the Ann Ucello Street side of the building.
The latest investment includes $118 million from the state and $20 million in private funding from Oak View Group, which operates the XL Center for CRDA.
Freimuth said the private investment will offset the building's losses, which are typically $1 million to $2 million a year.
Some critics, however, believe the state should have abandoned the XL Center a decade ago.
"We should not be dumping millions, hundreds of millions of dollars, into a facility that we don't own, we don't manage and loses money every year," said state Rep. Doug Dubitsky.
Connecticut officials put out a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the purchase of the building in 2018 but said it did not receive any acceptable offers.
Updated XL Center Will Again Meet NHL Standards
NBC Connecticut was able to get a look at the construction under way, which will include creating new locker rooms for the University of Connecticut Huskies when they play at the XL Center.
The facility also will have new commercial kitchens, and five premium "bunker" suites with access to the arena floor.
Freimuth expects the upgrades to extend the building's life another 15 to 20 years.
"We essentially will rebuild the lower bowl ... as well as [the] back of the house," he said.
"If you don't have the right suites, you don't have the right seats, you don't have the right foods, you don't have the right facilities to attract the right artist, [meaning] you don't get the business," Freimuth said.
Renovations are expected to be completed in fall 2025, NBC Connecticut reported.
When the updated XL Center reopens, Freimuth hopes to attract approximately 30 concerts a year — five times more than it currently hosts.
Len Besthoff, NBC Connecticut's chief investigative reporter, asked an expert at the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis (CCEA) if the new Hartford venue must turn a profit in order to be considered a success.
"What you'd really like is for people to say, ‘Oh, there's a great concert at the XL. Let's go down to Connecticut," said CCEA Director Fred Carstensen. "And while we're there, there's some great restaurants, there's some great cultural institutions.'"
He said there are some other considerations too.
"[Do] the things that it contributes, not just financially and not just in terms of tax revenue from these other activities, … impact the quality of life?," he said. "There are things that we want to subsidize because they engage us in community. They give us a better sense of participation, a better sense of ownership."
Freimuth said he is frequently asked about the possibility of bringing the Whalers back to Hartford and told NBC Connecticut that the new Hartford arena will be upgraded to meet NHL standards.
But while Freimuth and the CRDA will not rule it out, they also are not holding their breaths.
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