Steel has gone vertical on Epic Universe’s first major expansion. The first columns of a new multi-purpose event building now stand on the expansion pad between the park’s shopping and dining complex and Super Nintendo World. Recent aerial photos give us a clear look at the current progress. Previously filed permits also fill in plenty of details about what this building will become. Let’s take a look!
Epic Universe’s First Expansion Goes Vertical
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- A look at the first steel columns rising on the event building pad
- What the permits reveal about the 54,000-square-foot structure
- How the design borrows directly from Celestial Park’s storefronts
Steel Columns Rise on the Expansion Pad
Aerial photos from friend of the site Bioreconstruct give us a clear view of Epic Universe’s first expansion. The construction site sits on an expansion pad between the park’s shopping and dining complex and Super Nintendo World, wrapped by the surrounding backstage road. A grid of dark steel columns now stands on a poured concrete pad, showing the building’s footprint.
The wider view shows the full scope of the site between the two complexes. A mobile crane and long rows of stacked steel beams fill the lot, and a second concrete pad has already been poured beside the first. Excavators, a wheel loader, and crews work across the surrounding dirt.
Inside the Steel: A Closer Look at the Pad
A tighter aerial frame shows the column grid rising off the slab, with the mobile crane staging beams nearby. Stacked steel and bundled supports sit ready along the perimeter, and excavators work the dirt around the rising frame.
The columns anchor into footings spaced across the slab in a clear rectangular pattern. That layout matches a large interior space, which lines up with what the permits describe for this building.
What the Permits Tell Us About Project 915
Universal has not announced this project, so what we know comes from permits filed with Orange County. Orlando Park Stop, which follows Universal Orlando development closely, has detailed those filings. The site identifies the expansion as Project 915.
According to Orlando Park Stop, new permit details confirm this will be a “new event space facility building of 53,886 gross square feet total that consists of 2 levels. The first level will house the main event space.” The lower level adds support space for the venue, while the upper level holds new office space to service the park.
This building is the park’s first major expansion since opening in May 2025.
A $20 Million Event Space
The cost figure comes from the permit record. Orlando Park Stop reports that detailed permit information puts the price at $20.6 million.
Permitted plans describe a main event space that stands two stories tall inside, the full height of the structure. A commercial kitchen sits on the first floor directly behind the event space, built to cater to special events at the venue. Above the kitchen, the second floor holds offices and meeting rooms for park services beyond the event space itself.
Designed to Look Like It Belongs
The plans suggest this building will face guests rather than hide backstage. Orlando Park Stop notes that the permit images show the same canopy and awning style as the shops at the front of Celestial Park. The new event space facade will match its neighbors like Other Worlds Mercantile and Moonship Chocolates.
Exterior renderings in the plans show awnings and architectural touches that match those of nearby shops. A separate permit calls for solar panels across the roof, and the rendered roof appears covered in them. Per the plans, this structure may simply carry the name “Sound Stage”.
What We Still Don’t Know
A completion timetable for the event building has not been shared. Universal has not announced the project at all, so the opening window remains a mystery. We also don’t have confirmation on exactly how the venue will be utilized, though the permits float setups for banquet seating, a stage, and a dance floor.
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