A Vision Come True

The Visions Veterans Memorial Arena has been a staple of downtown Binghamton for nearly fifty years. The iconic arena first opened its doors in 1973 and has since been the host to numerous concerts, graduations, sporting events, and more.

While the arena first opened in 1973, the story of how the arena came to be actually dates back much further than that. As early as 1946, a plan was proposed to build a Veterans Memorial Arena in the city of Binghamton. However, due to various issues ranging from political disagreements to labor concerns and fundraising problems, the plans to build an arena in the city of Binghamton would be put on ice for the next twenty years.

In the 1960s, urban renewal programs were sweeping through cities across the nation. These programs aimed to address the problem of urban decay in American cities. Urban renewal plans typically took two forms: the clearing of the slums and selective site redevelopment. To address these issues the Binghamton Urban Renewal Agency was created and began to draft plans for revitalizing the city. Included as part of these plans for revitalizing the downtown area of Binghamton was the construction of a multipurpose arena. In 1967, Broome County approved the construction of the arena in the city.

The arena would be designed to serve the community by providing a modern venue capable of hosting anything from sporting events, conventions, car shows, and much more. To pick the best possible design for such an ambitious project, a competition was held with fifty-nine architectural firms each submitting designs. The winner of the competition was the California-based firm Elbisani/Logan/Severin, whose design for the arena was able to accommodate anywhere from four thousand to seven thousand seats depending on the event. The design would also feature what were called “supergraphics'', elaborate decorative pieces of art, which would help give the arena an exotic and more modern appearance, something that arena manager Charles Theocas called “a strong selling point” for the arena.

The arena was part of the Broome County Urban Renewal Project and cost approximately seven million dollars to complete. The original plan had the cost set to be at $6.7 million but an additional $300,000 were needed to complete the interior features of the arena. To cover the additional costs of the project, the city held a fund drive and the $300,000 was quickly raised by donations ranging from a few dollars to one donation of $100,000. This shows the vast public support for the project, which makes sense as the city was finally getting an arena after twenty years of waiting. However, because the construction of the arena went over budget, additional plans for a brand new performing arts theater adjacent to the arena were scrapped, with attention instead put towards renovating an old theater instead. Despite its high cost, the arena was expected to more than make up for it due to the business it will bring to the city. Construction on the arena began in 1971 and was completed in 1973, with the arena officially opening on August 29, 1973.

Following its completion, the Broome County Veterans memorial has been a staple of the city of Binghamton. Throughout its years it would be the center of entertainment in Broome County. The arena would be the home of several hockey teams, as well as holding various concerts featuring some of the world’s greatest artists and musicians of the last fifty years. The arena would also go through two name changes during its lifespan, becoming the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena in 2014 and most recently, the Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in 2021. Regardless of the name though, the Arena stands as an icon of Binghamton and will continue to be the region's center of entertainment for many years to come.