Tuscaloosa City Council OKs Design Phases for Saban Center, Event Venue

The City of Tuscaloosa voted to move forward with design phase services for the Saban Center and a separate, large-scale event center during Tuesday night's city council meeting.

According to a resolution from the city council, the City of Tuscaloosa is partnering with Nick and Terry Saban and several organizations in the city to create the Saban Center, which is projected to open in 2025.

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The center will provide a state-of-the-art interactive learning and discovery center that will bring STEM programs together with theater, literature, outdoor recreation and interactive learning for children.

The event center has long been a goal for Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox, and a preliminary survey and study found a mid-sized center of around 30,000 square feet would be ideal for Tuscaloosa. The as-yet-unnamed venue is likely to be a part of the city's overall concept for completely transforming its downtown riverfront along with the Saban Center, River District Park, the Riverwalk and the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater.

The overall concept is meant to bring a premiere entertainment hub to Downtown Tuscaloosa once completed.