Saban Center Rooftop Terrace Will Overlook Riverfront
$1.3 million that had been slated for the Mercedes-Benz Amphitheater has been transferred to the Saban Center by the Tuscaloosa City Council. It will fund a rooftop event space for the STEM education, arts, recreation, and hands‑on discovery facility across the street from "The Amp.".
The money was scheduled to pay for repairs and upgrades at the amphitheater but the anticipated cost of that is lower than expected, allowing the transfer of funds. The money will be repaid by the Saban Center Foundation.
The primary use of the rooftop facility will be for Saban Center fundraising activities. However, it will also be made available for rent by other groups, organizations and individuals.
The event space is expected to draw a lot of use due to its rooftop view of the Tuscaloosa Riverfront and location on the northside of downtown Tuscaloosa. The fund transfer was approved by the city council's Public Projects and Finance Committee and then forwarded to the full council for their approval last Tuesday.
The $1.3 millon terrace will be part of the 118,000 square-foot, $74 million marble building that will be the center for STEM education. It will contain interactive education exhibits and a sigificant part of the facility will be IGNITE, formerly the Children's Hands on Museum.
The council decided it was wise to go ahead and fund the event space, which was already in the excisiting plan, rather than wait and have to deal with cost increases.
The Saban center is on schedule to open in Mid-2027.
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