Clayton County is now home to the new 8,000-seat Arena at Southlake.
DorMiya Vance / WABE
Clayton County will now be able to host graduations, concerts, sporting events and more with the opening of the 8,000-seat Arena at Southlake.
Residents and students joined county and school district officials for a ribbon-cutting ceremony officially opening the arena on Wednesday, April 22.
The new arena is nestled slightly behind Morrow’s Southlake Mall. The venue initially started as a request for a convocation-style building for Clayton County Public Schools student graduations under former Superintendent Morcease Beasley.
Former Clayton County Public Schools Superintendents Anthony Smith (left) and Morcease Beasley (right) look on as current interim Superintendent Douglas Hendrix (center) speaks during the ribbon-cutting for the new Arena at Southlake. (DorMiya Vance/WABE)
“This vision, while it may have begun with me and this board and others who are around the table, the vision has always been bigger than any one individual,” Beasley said during the ribbon-cutting.
The 268,000-square-foot building was acquired by the Clayton Public School District in 2021. And current Interim Superintendent Douglas Hendrix said the now-open arena was a promise to students.
“This is a commitment … to the children of this community because if this place does not serve them, then it serves no real purpose at all. What stands here today did not happen by accident,” Hendrix said. “It came from vision. It came from persistence. It came from a belief that Clayton County deserves more, and that our children should not have to leave home to experience excellence.”
The $117-million-dollar venue has bars and concessions, plus student hubs, studios, and in-house programs like the Junior Achievement Delta Discovery Center. It also features a rooftop and modern conference spaces.
In February, officials hosted a state wrestling championship at the arena as a “pre-opening” event, making it the first time Clayton County has hosted a sporting event at that level. The venue will officially host Clayton State’s graduation and its first concert in May.
Jonesboro resident Kendra Emeruem said the new arena is proof of the county’s collaborative efforts while creating a space for entertainment closer to home.
“We have a site that’s gonna attract more traffic here, and people don’t have to go straight to Atlanta anymore now. To see Clayton County come together … because collaboration seemed to have been our problem. But that problem is now solved. So seeing the center here, it’s just a reminder of what Clayton County can do when we all get on one accord,” Emeruem said.
