Texas Live!

Cover Story

Texas Live!

The state’s most ambitious entertainment complex is now here – and Arlington is celebrating its arrival

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Photos: Hasson Diggs Visitors to Texas Live! have been and will be treated to a state-of-the-art complex that features an array of outstanding dining and entertainment options.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • September 2018 • arlingtontoday.com

ast month’s NASA-esque countdown that preceded the official opening of the much-anticipated Texas Live! – the booming chant of 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 – wasn’t just dramatic.

It was appropriate. You certainly could argue that Texas Live! represents a launch, the likes of which this city has never seen.

Consider, for instance, the setting where that countdown commenced. Literally thousands turned out on that Thursday night, sharing an eagerness to celebrate and experience Texas Live! They wanted to be there on Day One to be one with the dream that was years in the making for Arlington’s already vibrant Entertainment District.

As they looked around, usually in awe, grand-opening attendees couldn’t stifle the smiles. They couldn’t hide their enthusiasm. Had the person who first coined the expression “Wow!” managed to also gain the rights to its use, he/she would have made a killing that night – and into that weekend.

Everywhere the celebrants looked they saw something special: the eateries, the large gathering areas, the patios from which they had perfect views of the greatest football stadium in the world and what is being constructed to be its baseball peer.

“Wow!,” indeed.

Even in its infancy, without being fully complemented by what is still to come, Texas Live! immediately lived up to its billing. While still a concept, and then later as an evolving collection of building materials, the complex was being touted as a dynamic $250 million world-class dining, entertainment and hospitality district.

On Aug. 9, it became even more than that – just ask anyone who has visited since. On Aug. 9, it became the booster rocket for what will become Texas’ premier entertainment facility – and, likely, for what will be the most prosperous era in Arlington history.

On the former front, the site proper features 200,000 square feet of best-in-class local, regional and national dining and entertainment venues, as well as a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion, Arlington Backyard.

Additionally, a luxury hotel, Live! by Loews - Arlington, TX, is currently under construction and will open in 2019. The first of its kind in the country, the flagship Live! by Loews hotel will blend sports and entertainment with first-class hospitality and superior amenities, providing a spectacular location for meeting, event and conventions, as well as a special destination for sports fans, visitors and families.

Texas Live! was developed in partnership between the The Cordish Companies, the Texas Rangers and the City of Arlington. It is part of a $4 billion vision for the Arlington Entertainment District that includes the Rangers new ballpark, Globe Life Field, and

“THERE IS NO DOUBT that this is a game-changing project for Arlington and the North Texas region. This will be the place to hang out, enjoy good food, and listen to great music.”

– Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams preservation of Globe Life Park, which, lest we forget, is still one of the greatest facilities of its kind and full of promise, however that promise plays out.

As for that notion about what it means to Arlington, consider these potential benefits: • The development is projected to significantly exceed $100 million per year in economic output to the City of Arlington and Tarrant County and over $2 billion in direct and indirect salaries during its first 40 years.

• Texas Live! ultimately will bring 3,025 new jobs to Arlington and Tarrant County: 2,000 new construction jobs and 1,025 new permanent jobs.

• The project will draw more than 3 million visitors a year to the City of Arlington, which already welcomes 14 million annually.

• The district will attract hundreds of new events of all kinds, many completely free to attend, including cultural activities, art shows, Family Fun Days, local, regional and national concerts, charitable functions and community events.

Now is probably a good time for another “Wow!,” and there’s nobody better suited for that task than Mayor Jeff Williams.

“There’s no doubt that this is a game-changing project for Arlington and the North Texas region. And not only during baseball season, but for the entire year,” the Arlington Mayor said during the

grand opening celebration. “We’re changing the game with Texas Live! This will be the place to hang out, enjoy good food, and listen to great music.”

Texas Live! and Live! by Loews – Arlington, TX are being constructed by a joint-venture partnership of Manhattan Construction Company and Arlington-based Con-Real. Manhattan Construction Company is one of the largest, privately held construction firms in the nation and is widely known for building high-profile, technically difficult mega projects such as AT&T Stadium.

Arlington-based Con-Real is recognized as one of the most established full-service African-American construction and real estate firms. It has experience in more than 3,000 projects, including entertainment, commercial, hospitality, educational, industrial and technology facilities.

Even before the hotel is completed, Texas Live! features a “Who’s Who” list of important entertainment and dining options, including: • Live! Arena: the heartbeat of Texas Live! This multi-level, central gathering place is composed of more than 35,000 square feet of fine dining and entertainment options.

• Arlington Backyard: a 5,000-capacity outdoor event pavilion that will become the “backyard” of Texas Live! Arlington Backyard will host more than 250 annual events including cultural activities, art shows, regional and national concerts, charitable functions and community events and will serve as the launching point Here’s a photograph depicting the buzz created by the for major festivals throughout the opening of Texas Live! last entire district. month as visitors were scrambling to snare prime • PBR Texas: The flagship PBR bar vantage points for the event. at Texas Live! will be the largest PBR venue in the country. Born from the toughest sport on dirt, Professional Bull Riders, the PBR country bar at Texas Live! will be a powerhouse concept that brings an authentic country experience to Arlington, marrying an electric combination of “cowboy cool” and Texas-sized entertainment.

• Miller Tavern & Beer Garden: The flagship Miller Tavern & Beer Garden has various pub-style rooms that will become ideal gathering spots for friends and family to connect in a casual, come-as-youare environment. The indoor pub-style Tavern features a stage for acoustic musical acts, and it has an outdoor Beer Garden. >>> arlingtontoday.com • September • ARLINGTON TODAY

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Illustration courtesy of The City of Arlington

Here are photos highlighting the what guests enjoyed during the grand opening of Texas Live! – and what they have to look forward to when the entire project is complete.

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ARLINGTON TODAY • September 2018 • arlingtontoday.com

• Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint: Located in the heart of Texas Live! with views into Live! Arena, Guy Fieri’s Taco Joint will feature a variety of scratch made tacos, house made salsas and guacamole. This is Guy Fieri’s first location for his Taco Joint.

• Lockhart Smokehouse: The family behind the iconic brand have deep roots in Texas and will bring the Lockhart barbecue tradition to Texas Live!. Guests will be able to experience Lockhart traditions such as Kreuz Market sausage, as well as other Texas standards.

• Troy’s: A concept by Troy Aikman, the space will flow from a refined rustic interior inspired by some of the best beer halls in Texas and the country to an expansive, lush outdoor patio space centered around a beautiful Live Oak tree. An indoor/outdoor stage in the middle will welcome live music seven days a week featuring a variety of local and regional acts.

• Sports & Social Arlington: The ultimate fan clubhouse for Rangers fans during home games, away games and all-year round. A celebration of Rangers heritage past, present and future, Sports & Social Arlington is a two-level, 30,000 square foot, family-friendly dining and entertainment venue that allows fans unprecedented access to the Texas Rangers. It is equipped with skeeball, table tennis, shuffle puck, air hockey, and virtual golf simulators.

• Pudge’s Pizza: A concept by Hall of Fame catcher Iván “Pudge” Rodríguez - his first restaurant is located on the second level of Texas Live! overlooking Live! Arena. Pudge’s Pizza welcomes guests in a family-friendly environment, serving up signature pies created

by Rodriguez with the freshest ingredients in mind.

Next year, of course, the hotel will be part of the mix. Live! by Loews – Arlington, TX will be the first hotel in the country to carry the Live! by Loews brand and the first luxury resort hotel in Arlington. Live! by Loews – Arlington, TX is being developed in partnership between The Cordish Companies, the Texas Rangers and Loews Hotels & Co. Ideally positioned between the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park and the Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, Live! by Loews – Arlington, TX will debut on one of the highest and most exciting platforms of sports and entertainment in the country.

The upscale hotel will blend sports and entertainment with firstclass hospitality and superior amenities, providing an incredible destination for sports fans, visitors and families, as well as a spectacular location for meetings, special events and conventions.

The sum of all these parts is a phenomenon – and partnership – that will set the standard across the country.

“From the first day when we started this project, we decided the principles that define Texas Live!,” Blake Cordish, vice president of The Cordish Companies, said at the opening ceremony. “We would leave a legacy for the great Texas Rangers fans and the Dallas Cowboys fans; a place to celebrate on game day, a place to celebrate when the teams are away. We would leave a legacy for the community; a place for the community to come together 365 days a year, for an art show to a rock concert to everything in between.

“We would leave a legacy from a national perspective as the premiere sports-anchored development in the United States, and we would help cement and propel Arlington into a world-class tourism and visitors destination.”

In other words – or, better, word – “Wow!”