US Cellular Center sign installed

Hiawassee Street was closed Friday morning as crews worked to install the much-anticipated US Cellular sign on the building formerly known as the Asheville Civic Center. The renaming of Asheville’s largest public venue was a contentious and hotly-debated topic. 

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.

10 thoughts on “US Cellular Center sign installed

  1. Jeff

    That’s it?? Just “US Cellular”? No “Center” indicating that it’s not a cell phone store? That’s confusing. And ridiculous.

    • Dionysis

      They mean “much anticipated” by U.S. Cellular, not the majority of citizens.

  2. sharpleycladd

    If they give me $1.35 million, I’ll stop calling it the Civic Center. Our City leaders are the most bonehead marketers on earth.

  3. Curious

    The Cedar Rapids agreement is for ten years. Isn’t the Asheville agreement for five years? Could that account for the difference in Mr. Summers’s Cedarfrickin’ Rapids deal?

    • bsummers

      The $1.35 mil for Asheville is for 8 years:

      http://tinyurl.com/bt7qmax

      $168,750 per year vs. $380,000 per for Cedar Rapids. Less than half.

      Don’t get me wrong – I wish they hadn’t sold the Civic out from under us for any amount. But the cheap price tag just adds insult to injury.

  4. TaxPayer

    Congrats to city officials for working out this deal with US Cellular to offset the financial drain that was the Civic Center. Maybe there are some other naming opportunities.

Leave a Reply

To leave a reply you may Login with your Mountain Xpress account, connect socially or enter your name and e-mail. Your e-mail address will not be published. All fields are required.