Henderson Event Center

The Henderson Pavilion, located on S. Green Valley Parkway south of the 215 Beltway, is being reimagined as the Henderson Event Center – an enclosed year-round venue that will be home to the American Hockey League’s Henderson Silver Knights, the Henderson Symphony Orchestra and dozens of community, civic, cultural and sporting events upon its completion in early 2022.  

The project, a public-private partnership between the City of Henderson and the Vegas Golden Knights, is supported by more than 70 percent of Henderson residents as determined by a statistically valid survey conducted by Discovery Nevada, an independent market research firm and a partnership of Applied Analysis and Discovery Research Group.   

In June, the Henderson City Council voted to award a design/build contract for the project to a local team headed by The Whiting Turner Contracting Company as Lead Design/Builder.  Other team partners include Las Vegas-based Klai Juba Wald Architecture + Interiors as Lead Architect and Perkins and Will (P+W, Inc. Nevada) as Specialty Architect.  Collectively, the team has considerable experience building sports venues, large and small, locally and around the world.  Construction is expected to begin late summer or early fall this year.  

The $84 million contract requires the awardee to design and build the project to requirements established by the City and SK Arena, LLC, an affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights and owner of the Henderson Silver Knights, for a maximum price guarantee of $70 million with $14 million preserved for technology and contingencies.  Project costs are being shared equally by the City of Henderson and SK Arena.  SK Arena will operate and maintain the facility and oversee its programming, bringing a variety of first-class sporting, musical and cultural events to the community, including approximately 34 AHL hockey games.  

“This is a very positive development for Henderson that continues to build on our growing relationship with the Vegas Golden Knights and professional sports,” said Mayor Debra March, City of Henderson.  “The reimagination of the venue brings to fruition the vision originally created for the Henderson Pavilion with a new, first-rate venue in one of the most vibrant areas of Henderson. Thanks to the partnership and support of the Vegas Golden Knights, Henderson will proudly claim its first professional sports team to play in the City – the Henderson Silver Knights – while simultaneously creating a new home for arts, culture and other community events. 

“Construction of the Henderson Event Center will generate more than 1,000 jobs during construction and approximately 200 full- and part-time jobs annually during its ongoing operation,” said March. “Those numbers are not lost on us as our city and our community recovers from the economic impact of COVID-19.”    

According to Rob Herr, Assistant City Manager, Chief Infrastructure Officer, City of Henderson, the winning team boasts unparalleled experience designing and building major sports and entertainment venues in our valley and nationwide and reflects a deep understanding of the local landscape.  

“The team’s design met all our requirements for creating a transformational, multi-purpose community venue with professional hockey at its centerpiece,” said Herr. “Most importantly, their design includes thoughtful plans for landscaping and greenbelt areas, ample parking and publicly accessible open space to maintain connectivity with the surrounding area.” 

For more information, visit HendersonEventCenter.com and HendersonSilverKnights.com.   

Story and Photos provided by City of Henderson.