UTICA, N.Y. — A new agreement with an area bank means the Utica Memorial Auditorium has an amended name.
The venue is now known as Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium.
The Upper Mohawk Valley Auditorium Authority (AUD Authority) and Utica–based Adirondack Bank announced a 10-year, “multi-million-dollar” agreement to amend the name, according to a news release issued Wednesday. The organizations didn’t disclose the specific dollar figure of the deal or any other terms beyond the length of the naming agreement.
“Adirondack Bank’s commitment to banking local and giving back to our community falls in line with what the Auditorium has stood for since 1959,” Robert Clark, executive VP of Adirondack Bank, said in a statement.
The Utica Memorial Auditorium is home to the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League, Utica College men’s and women’s hockey programs, and the Utica Jr. Comets hockey organization. It also hosts concerts and other events.
“As someone who has both lived in the area my entire life and also served on the AUD Authority for nine years, rebranding the venue with the partnership from Adirondack Bank is a step forward in all aspects of our operations,” Carl Annese, chairman of the AUD Authority, said in the release. “Keeping Utica Memorial Auditorium in the full version of the name is also important to ensure that the memories of our veterans are kept alive and always at the forefront.”
The newly-named Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium has been closed to the public since May, while undergoing a “large-scale” renovation project.
The 21,000-square-foot addition, which crews will complete in the next 30 days, adds women’s restrooms, office space, ADA-compliant renovations, a sprinkler system, and suites & box seating to the venue. ADA is short for the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
The Adirondack Bank Center at the Utica Memorial Auditorium will reopen to the public on Oct. 27 for the Utica College men’s hockey home opener. The home opener for the Utica Comets is set for Nov. 1.
Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com