The first hammer is in the wall for the $800M renovation and expansion of the Capital One Arena.

Mayor Muriel Bowser, Monumental Sports & Entertainment CEO Ted Leonsis and other city and team officials held a ceremonial start of construction on the project Thursday, which is expected to be completed for the 2027-2028 hockey and basketball seasons.

The bulk of the work will be completed during the summers, as the teams will continue to play in the arena through the renovation.

The details and initial renderings were revealed in October, as was the team behind the effort: CAA ICON, Gensler and Clark Construction. New renderings were released Thursday, including the first renderings of the arena’s exterior.

“We are really pleased with how the structure looks, let me just say that,” Bowser said at Thursday’s event. “It’s not just a paint job but it’s really making the building a new state-of-the-art facility.”

The major revamp was announced when earlier this year, Leonsis made the decision to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the District through at least 2050, after previously setting them up to move to Northern Virginia months earlier.

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