The expansion of Fifth Third Arena, the Blackhawks‘ practice facility on the Near West Side, remains on track to be completed in January 2026 — and the team released new renderings of the project Tuesday.
The 135,000-square-foot expansion, doubling the previous size of the facility on Jackson Boulevard, south of the United Center, has been under construction since May 2024.
The number of rinks in the facility is increasing from two to four, including one rink with roughly 1,600 permanent seats and capacity for up to 2,000 spectators. The existing two rinks only have capacity for a couple hundred spectators, which has been a crucial weakness of the facility.
The Chicago Steel, a junior hockey team that currently plays in Geneva, announced Tuesday they will move to Fifth Third Arena in summer 2026.
The Hawks will also bid to host national and international hockey tournaments at the facility, which they were previously unable to accommodate. The Hawks and visiting NHL teams will continue to practice there, as well.
Jaime Faulkner, the Hawks’ president of business operations, said she expects the facility to host 1 million to 1.5 million visitors annually once complete. It currently hosts about 500,000 visitors.
“If you’re a young person learning the sport of hockey, to be able to go rink to rink and see a Mission AAA team play, the Chicago Steel or Connor Bedard shooting pucks, it’s a very unique experience,” Hawks chairman Danny Wirtz said.
The new expansion will also include the Hawks’ team Hall of Fame exhibit; a full-service bar and restaurant on the second floor, between the two new rinks; a cafe on the first floor; additional lounge and seating spaces; an outdoor patio looking down Jackson Boulevard and more parking.
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The Hawks hope students at Malcolm X College, across the street, will take advantage of the restaurant and patio, which is intended to be a community space frequented by hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike.
“We’re transitioning from just a hockey-only facility to something that’s actually a sports and entertainment venue with 365-days-a-year programming,” Wirtz said. “It really opens up opportunities that weren’t possible in the existing space.”
The Hawks purchased the vacant lot upon which the expansion is being built from Rush University Medical Center for $23.5 million in March 2023 and announced the expansion plans in August of that year. Faulkner said Tuesday that construction costs have substantially exceeded an original $65 million estimate.
Wirtz mentioned the patio will offer fantastic views of the so-called 1901 Project, a $7 billion redevelopment of the area surrounding the United Center that’s scheduled to start construction this summer. Phase one of that project will include a 6,000-seat music hall, public plaza, boutique hotel and parking deck with a rooftop park.