DC Entertainment & Sports Arena

Owner: Events DC | Services: Cost Estimating

To revitalize the old St. Elizabeth’s East hospital campus in Ward 8, the new DC Entertainment and Sports Arena (ESA) marked the first step in transforming the Congress Heights neighborhood.

In 2015, Mayor Bowser, Monumental Sports and Entertainment, and Events DC announced the development of the ESA, a 114,000-square-foot facility that includes courts, locker rooms, team offices, conference rooms, and training spaces. The 4,200-seat venue is the home for the Washington Mystics, NBA G-League Capital City Go-Go, and the practice facility for the NBA Washington Wizards. Additionally, it functions as an entertainment and concert venue for various acts, cultural performances, and community events.

Initially, the published budget for the project was $38 million. When the Axias team was brought on board to provide an independent cost estimate, our analysis determined that the facility, as designed, could not be constructed within this budget. We assisted the client in communicating this to stakeholders, resulting in increased funding. Axias’ final estimate for the project was $48 million, with contractor bids coming in at $49 million.