The project to transform Capital One Arena has entered a much more visible phase, as work on the exterior of the building is prompting temporary changes to allow for the overhaul to progress.
This month, overhead protection has been installed near the entrance to the Gallery Place-Chinatown Metro station on 7th and F streets, and crews are preparing to put up exterior scaffolding.
There are detour signs lining the streets and construction equipment all around the outside of the building.
The next phase will eventually allow for more concessions, bathrooms and space for fans to gather. It’ll also pave the way for fans to have smoother experiences getting in and out of events, Monumental Sports & Entertainment leaders said Thursday.
The shift is the latest in the $800 million renovation project that’s scheduled to finish by 2027. D.C. taxpayers are funding a portion of the work, as part of an agreement Mayor Muriel Bowser made in 2024 with the management company to help keep the Washington Wizards and Capitals playing in the city.
“We started almost a year ago,” said Jim Van Stone, president of business operations for Monumental Sports & Entertainment. “A lot of the work that we did was really behind everyone’s eyes. It was really the event level, and that was part of an expansion over into the Gallery Place Mall. We’ve created brand new event-level spaces. But really for the fans, which we’re building this for completely, a lot of it was invisible.”
But as of late 2025, when exterior construction ramped up, that was no longer the case.
Crews are working to remove the outside shell of the building and replace it. Existing LED boards will be removed.
In the coming months, eventgoers will notice scaffolding and overhead protection, according to Jordan Silberman, Monumental Sports & Entertainment’s president of venues.
Now, there will be temporary shifts in entrances and exits, including shutting down the sidewalk on F Street on event nights. Instead of using the sidewalk, the street will be closed and serve as the walkway.
The temporary changes will pave the way for the fall 2026 opening of a new main entrance, which will be closer to the Metro station.
The sidewalk on F Street, and 6th and 7th streets, will eventually be made wider, making it easier to avoid crowds on the way in and out.
The concourses will be wider, and there will be more escalators and elevators, Silberman said.
“People’s experience starts when they leave their homes, and we don’t want it to be stifled by a long line or tight concourse,” Silberman said.
In addition to Pepco doing utility work and stormwater work, Silberman said the redesign will help create more concourse space, expanding by 6-8 feet.
The project will allow for a 10,000-square-foot team store, nearly double the number of concessions and a 40% increase in the number of restrooms.
The exterior work, though, has to begin first. It’s progressing concurrently along two paths.
“We’re going to move east along F Street. We’re going to move north along 7th Street concurrently, and then we’re going to chase each other around the building,” said Jeff King, Clark Construction’s vice president.
The construction is planned to happen during off hours, so “when you’re coming to a game, it doesn’t feel like you’re coming to a construction site,” Silberman said.
“To make sure that this project happens in three years, we’re going to have to do systematic things in season,” Silberman said.
The arena will be closed the next two summers to allow for the work, but when it’s done, Van Stone said, “we’re going to do, on average, 250 events a year.”
Asked whether the project is still on track to finished by the desired deadline of fall 2027, Silberman told WTOP, “That’s the plan. We’re still tracking on plan.”
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