In partnership with the St. Louis Blues and ARCO Construction, Generator Studio designed the new ice complex in Maryland Heights, Missouri.
The Centene Community Ice Center is the first new indoor ice complex for St. Louis in decades, and arrived at a critical time. Youth hockey is rapidly expanding in the region, driven by the St. Louis Blues’ Hockey STL 2020 Campaign. As a catalyst for the development of the Maryland Park Lake District, the facility was built to drive growth of the local hockey community.
The multi-sheet facility is home to multiple tenants including the Blues, Lindenwood University’s men and women hockey teams, the AAA Blues and the St. Louis Lady Cyclones. In addition to three indoor sheets, the fourth outdoor rink is multipurpose, intended for winter pond hockey and year-round community events. In warmer weather the rink transforms into a covered 4,400-spectator amphitheater operated by Live Nation.
The center houses the new Mercy Medical Sports Performance Center, the Bauer Skills Training Center, a restaurant, a grab-and-go market, concession stands for every rink and separate locker rooms for the public, Lindenwood and the Blues.
To increase inclusivity, ARCO and Generator ensured the center was accessible for a broad range of abilities with all three indoor ice rinks fully adaptable. St. Louis Blues Sled Hockey, Blues Blind Hockey and the St. Louis Blues Special Hockey all call the ice center home.
With a strong emphasis on being an asset for the community, the majority of available ice time at the center is dedicated to residents, youth, high school and college teams. Including a strength and conditioning center and off-ice skills development spaces, the facility caters to athletes of every ability on and off the ice. Non-profit organization St. Louis Legacy Ice Foundation worked closely with key stakeholders and the design-build team to deliver a state-of-the-art ice facility that serves as a home to both the community and the St. Louis Blues, changing the landscape of hockey in the heartland.