Actually, the Blazers' arena has been renovated plenty

Amid all the noise about whether public money should be the only money spent on a proposed renovation of the Moda Center arena, a falsehood keeps being repeated, and it's time somebody called it out. The oligarch Blazer owners reaching their hands toward the taxpayers' wallets keep saying (and the lazy media keep repeating it) that the building has never been renovated. That's not true. It hasn't been renovated enough for the fat cats' liking, but at least a couple of rounds of improvements have been made.

When Paul Allen's company that originally owned the building, Oregon Arena Corporation, filed for bankruptcy in 2004, the arena was transferred to the bankers holding the mortgage. Those creditors (headed by the TIAA pension fund) formed a company called Portland Arena Management (PAM), and it controlled the arena from early 2005 until Paul Allen bought it back in 2007. 

Allen was looking to renegotiate the mortgage, and he failed. The creditors successfully called his bluff. The Blazers also went looking for city money at the time. "The economic model is broken," they told then-Mayor Tom Potter. Potter smiled and wisely showed them the door.

Anyway, during the PAM era, the Rose Garden, then just over a decade old, underwent what everyone back then was calling a major renovation. The work reportedly totaled about $15 million and was managed by Global Spectrum, which operated the building on behalf of PAM. Taking inflation into account, $15 million spent in 2006 represents $25 million today. 

Here's one description of the work that was done:

The renovations focus primarily on revamping the 200-level club lounge, which had sported a Mexican-themed decor. Now designed with more of a nightclub feel, the premium-level lounge features bamboo wood floors, stainless steel drink rails with granite counter tops, cushioned benches along the walls, suspended wood ceilings, new dining stations and dozens of flat-panel TVs.

The upgrades include two 60-foot-long bars with walnut veneer, granite counter top and five multi-tap beer pouring stations.

The club level was not the only area to be renovated. The 70 luxury suites were outfitted with new wallpaper, carpeting and flat-panel TVs as well, said Jeff Rhinevault, director of facility services for Global Spectrum.

The courtside lounge, previously about 900 square feet, was expanded to about 3,000 square feet and offers a view out into the corridor where the visiting team will walk past on its way to the court.

Other arena renovations included a new signage ring around the arena and less visible fire alarm, security and lighting upgrades. 

When Allen took the arena back in 2007, another $13 million set of upgrades was announced.  As I recall, these included a state-of-the-art "jumbotron" and other new displays, and improvements to a restaurant, suites, the concourse, and the basketball floor. In 2026 terms, it's another $21 million.

I'm up to $46 million in renovations, and counting. I'm sure there has been more, but nobody's looking for it. It doesn't fit the narrative.

Okay, the improvements I'm talking about here were made 20 years ago, and they were not nearly in the ballpark of what's being proposed now. But they were more than maintenance – way more. To say the building has never been renovated is just false. 

So stop saying it.

The other thing that occurs to me is how convenient it would be for the Blazers if there could be an incident somehow showing that there's a safety issue in the building. The cynic in me is just waiting for that to happen.