The Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif., is a spectacular creation and fan experience. Could that happen in Boston for the Celtics?

Boston Globe

17-02-2025

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Would a new Celtics owner build a new arena?
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WATCH: The C's could leave TD Garden. Business columnist, associate editor, and 'Say More' podcast host Shirley Leung talked to current owner Wyc Grousbeck.
Although Celtics ownership flourishes because the team's worth continues to increase they don't own TD Garden. It's owned by Delaware North, which is one of the reasons the
Intuit Dome is not only the basketball home of the Clippers, it also houses a practice facility, team offices, a 5,000 square-foot team store, a full-size outdoor basketball court that can be used by the public, a gigantic halo board, USB charging outlets in every seat, concession stands that are accessible by the arena app, with more than 1,100 toilets and urinals (three times the league arena average) because Ballmer did not want fans to miss any game action.
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The bathrooms lack mirrors because Ballmer did not want fans missing much game action. The arena also features 'The Wall,' a college-type 51-row backdrop of Clippers fans (no visiting team attire allowed) behind the basket nearest the visiting bench.
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 04: Fans cheer from the Wall, a 51-row backdrop of Clippers fans behind the basket nearest the visiting bench.
Harry How/Getty
Bill Hanway is the executive vice president and global Social Infrastructure and Sports Leader at AECOM, the designers for the Intuit Dome. He is familiar with Boston, holding his Master's degree in Architecture from the Harvard University Graduate School of Design. He said Ballmer wanted the Clippers as the arena's primary tenant.
'The most critical part [of building Intuit Dome] was the total commitment from Steve in terms of developing every part of the design and being very clear about his primary visions for the building,' Hanway told the Globe. 'In the [potential] new Boston Garden, if the Bruins and Celtics are going to play there, and it wants to be a concert venue on top of all that, it was different than Steve's vision because he wanted a basketball-first arena. We can't get a hockey footprint in there. On the positive side, it allowed us to have that super-intense bowl and build things like 'The Wall.'
'So the foundations of a building are very different if you start with a hockey footprint versus a basketball footprint, so that's one of the big decisions the client needs to make.'
Another aspect of Intuit Dome in comparison to other arenas is the halo scoreboard.
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The halo scoreboard above the court at Intuit Dome.
Harry How/Getty
'TD Garden did a big renovation in 2014 with Daktronics putting in that new scoreboard, and that is probably in the neighborhood of 8,000 square feet of LED,' Hanway said. 'The [Intuit Dome] is 40,000 feet of LEDs. And it's all 4K and because of the size of that scoreboard, it has to be designed into that structure from the very beginning.'
Finding land for a potential Boston arena will be a challenge. Hanway said his company had to remove an entire street in Inglewood to create enough space for the project. And while arenas such as
'The buildings that were built in the mid-90s have less emotional appeal, I would say, than other locations,' Hanway said. 'When players and fans travel to new places to see what is available, that starts to trigger a different type of response. So renovations of '90s buildings are perfectly reasonable but it gets to the point where adding more money to that renovation may not make the flip to meeting fan experiences. In general, the idea of the fan experience where you can buy an 85-inch television and have a comfortable couch and have your kitchen right next to you and have everything, we now have to provide something that is substantially better than that.'
Danyson Tavares is a Boston native, Celtics season ticket-holder and the executive director for the Boston Society of Architecture and he has been mulling ideas for a new arena. Tavares traveled to see Sacramento's Golden 1 Center, also designed by Hanway and AECOM, and got a first-hand experience at what some of the league's newest venues have to offer.
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Tavares said the plot of land owned by the Post Office in Boston's Seaport would be the optimal location for a new arena.
The exterior of Intuit Dome, the Clippers' home arena in Inglewood, Calif.
Ronald Martinez/Getty
'It's a massive space and very close to the Seaport development,' he said. 'The biggest question about that is understanding the plan of what is the feasibility of building around here. I know there's a lot of concern, especially at the BSA when we talk about how long are we building for? What Ballmer did so well in LA is thinking about the effect of building on the climate. Mayor Wu has talked about this openly, but the buildings in the city, they account for almost 78 percent of our carbon emissions.
'Anybody building in this time has to consider those. All of these equity things I think would be important in whoever's going to develop that … think about all those nuances.'
With Boston being the hub for many scholars and innovators, the city's bright minds could collaborate on a state-of-the-art venue that could serve as a peer of the Intuit Dome. There likely would be several obstacles to finding the proper land, to having the city and state approve the project, but cities such as Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, and Washington have built new arenas, have stadium projects in the works, or are investing in renovations.
'There's a real opportunity here, especially with all the architects, to think about if a thing is situated by the water, how does this building actually contribute positively to the ecosystem of the city,' Tavares said. 'The Celtics have a real opportunity to really think about this process being driven by the community, all of the experts in the city and really make something that represents the city. I have to admit, MIT, Harvard, we've got the strongest people in the country, right? This is a real opportunity for this thing to have some things folks aren't even thinking about. Being a consumer and a Celtic fan for my whole life, all of it is really, really exciting.'
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Tavares said he felt a 'wow' feeling walking into Golden 1 Center because of the design and architecture, something many arenas built in the 1990s lack, despite renovations.
A view of the exterior of TD Garden.
David L. Ryan
'The TD Garden has struggled with the 'wayfinding,' how do you get into a space and they did a little better job of building up that big stairs and escalator so there's a ceremonial entrance into the building, which I think is super important because you want to be, 'wow,' ' Tavares said. 'You want to have that core memory. When you think about the TD Garden, there really isn't a spectacle quality to it. It's a very standard experience. Everybody talks about that new LA arena because of that wall.
'When you think about that new Boston arena, what are we bringing to the table that is very different, that has never been seen? I don't know. This thing has to be in Boston, in the city, and it's got to celebrate the hoop culture of the city. Creating a place where people can go even when the game is not happening. We spend a lot of time and energy to build these stadiums and they're only activated when things are happening inside.'
Tavares and Hanway agreed that the next goal of any architect or designer of a major sports venue is to top the Intuit Dome because it is the most innovative venue, possibly in the world. That would serve as the ultimate challenge for any new owner.
'Thinking about the Boston Celtics, that might be the most interesting request for proposal for whoever decides to think about this building I think in sports history, other than the Cowboys [AT&T] Stadium,' Tavares said. 'This would be the thing everybody would be chasing, because of the history. It would be huge. I think it could happen.'
Is anyone afraid of the Celtics?
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WATCH: Columnist Gary Washburn says despite some recent wins, nobody is sweating the defending champs right now.
Gary Washburn is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at