Cosm bringing immersive sports dome downtown
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A rendering of Cosm Detroit. Rendering: Courtesy of Cosm
Cosm Detroit — a live sports and entertainment venue that gives visitors a "front-row seat" to faraway games — is among the city's most-anticipated developments set to open this year.
Why it matters: With its "shared reality" technology, Cosm promises to bring a cutting edge viewing experience downtown to enhance the city's vibrant sports scene.
State of play: Construction on the dome began last year near Campus Martius, part of Bedrock's Development at Cadillac Square.
Timeline: Cosm Detroit is scheduled to open in September, Crain's reported, joining similar Cosm venues already open in Dallas and Los Angeles and another set to open this year in Atlanta.
How it works: Cosm venues are built around a massive, planetarium-style LED dome, about 27 meters wide, that surrounds viewers with a 180-degree field of view designed to mimic sitting inside a stadium.
- As shown in a recent installment of Wall Street Journal's "The Tech Behind" video series, Cosm installs several small cameras inside live sports venues to produce that effect.
- Ticket prices are dynamic and can cost hundreds of dollars.
What they're saying: Bedrock CEO Jared Fleisher has visited the Cosm in Los Angeles and says it feels like you're standing in the end zone of an NFL game, he tells Axios Detroit.
- "You literally feel like you're there with 50,000 fans. It's incredible."
The intrigue: Cosm shows much more than sports.
- "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," "The Matrix" and a science-themed double feature, "Orbital and Liquidverse," are among the current offerings in Los Angeles.
Yes, but: "The heart and soul of it's going to be sports," Fleisher says, mentioning Cosm's partnerships with major pro sports leagues and broadcasting partners.
Zoom in: Detroit's Cosm venue will be 70,000 square feet, with a 34,000-square-foot market hall planned nearby as part of the Development at Cadillac Square, per Crain's.
- A second phase includes 250-280 residential units and retail, but previous plans for office space have been scrapped.
Follow the money: Bedrock founder Dan Gilbert was among investors in a $250 million round of funding that Cosm announced in 2024.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to clarify the market hall is part of the Development at Cadillac Square separate from the future Cosm venue.