Texas Rangers players may have to wait until 2020 to see the spoils of their new stadium, but Rangers fans on Thursday ushered in a new era in Arlington. Texas Live!, a 200,000 square-foot mixed-use project opened to the public for the first time on Thursday.
The $250 million entertainment center was built and designed by Cordish Cos. and paid for by both the city of Arlington and the Rangers.
Texas Live! spells the opening of entertainment venues, restaurants and bars, retail stores and a soon-to-be-completed 300-room convention hotel. The Loews-brand hotel will cost an additional $150 million.
A total of nine brick-and-mortar restaurant or bar options are available in the plaza, ranging from Texas staples like Lockhart BBQ to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman’s first foray into the hospitality space and even celebrity chef Guy Fieri has opened a venue.
The Rangers, who have an ownership stake in the venue, are hoping Texas Live! will turn their business into a successful year-round venture instead of relying on their traditional 81 home games per season. Attendance this season has dipped to just more than 26,000 fans per game due to the team’s record of 50-65.
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