Tuscaloosa to Award $74 Million Saban Center Construction Contract to Birmingham Builders

The Tuscaloosa City Council will award a $74 million contract to build the state-of-the-art Saban Center to the Birmingham-based builders responsible for the Magic City's soon-to-debut Coca-Cola Amphitheatre.

Back in 2022, Tuscaloosa hired Volkert, Inc. to manage the daunting task of bringing down the old headquarters of the Tuscaloosa News and building in its place the Saban Center - described as "a first-of-its-kind STEM and the Arts campus where education, experience and innovation meet."

Tuscaloosa Mayor Walt Maddox said it will be one of the toughest challenges the city has ever taken on, and hopefully it will bring an equally impressive payoff

"I always thought the [Tuscaloosa] Amphitheater was an ambitious project," Maddox said in a Tuesday meeting of the city's Projects Committee. "This makes the Amphitheater look like a walk in a park, and I'm very proud of the work of our team."

In the meeting, the committee heard Maddox recommend that Stone Building Company be awarded the contract for the actual construction of the new Saban Center.

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$8 Million Savings

The city sent out a request for bids for the work and received three offers from construction firms. Volkert said Stone submitted "the most competitive, responsive and responsible" bid.

The bid includes the base cost of building the Saban Center, whose refreshed design was revealed in December, as well as "eight additive alternatives," which can be included if the council so decides.

Volkert said the entire cost of the bid proposal, including all eight additives, was $74.2 million - a huge number to be sure, but one that came in below the project's already-established $81 million construction budget. Mayor Walt Maddox said that almost $7 million in savings can be applied toward professional services, exhibits, furniture, fixtures and more at the Saban Center when it's built.

More About Stone

Stone is a Birmingham-based contractor with a long list of successfully completed projects both there and here in Tuscaloosa.

Their latest marquee project is the $46 million Coca-Cola Amphitheatre in Birmingham's Druid Hills, a 9,400-seat concert venue which will host its first show later this month.

They also built the impressive 17 Springs sports complex in Millbrook, Alabama as well as the Jerry Tingle Activity Center here in Tuscaloosa.

Committee Unanimously Awards Bid

After a brief discussion about the best way to finance various parts of the overall Saban Center, the Projects Committee unanimously voted to recommend that the full council approve the contract when it comes to a vote next Tuesday night.

If and when that happens, planning should begin soon after for a really monumental day - the groundbreaking at the Saban Center. If all goes according to plan, the state-of-the-art learning hub will open in summer 2027.

For more coverage of the massive project as it unfolds in downtown Tuscaloosa, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.