Property and Equipment

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Property and Equipment

Property and Equipment

2. Property and Equipment

Property and equipment at December 31 is recorded at cost, with the exception of right-of-use finance leases and the Gaylord Rockies joint venture as discussed below, and summarized as follows (amounts in thousands):

	2019		2018
Land and land improvements	$	349,024	$	347,654
Buildings		3,432,136		3,379,041
Furniture, fixtures and equipment		968,858		913,528
Right-of-use finance lease assets		1,613		—
Construction-in-progress		82,906		48,295
		4,834,537		4,688,518
Accumulated depreciation and amortization		(1,704,285)		(1,539,423)
Property and equipment, net	$	3,130,252	$	3,149,095

Property and equipment includes all property and equipment of the Gaylord Rockies joint venture as of December 31, 2018, reflected at fair value according to the Company’s purchase price allocation described in Note 4, “Investment in Gaylord Rockies Joint Venture.” Depreciation expense, including amortization of assets under finance lease obligations, during 2019, 2018 and 2017 was $172.2 million, $119.5 million, and $110.4 million, respectively.

In June 2017, the Company entered into an agreement with the Industrial Development Board of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County (the “Board”) to implement a tax abatement plan related to Gaylord Opryland. The tax abatement plan provides for the capping of real property taxes for a period of eight years by legally transferring title to the Gaylord Opryland real property to the Board. The Board financed the acquisition of the Gaylord Opryland real property by issuing a $650 million industrial revenue bond to the Company. The Board then leased this property back to the Company. The Company is obligated to make lease payments equal to the debt service on the industrial revenue bond. No cash was exchanged, and no cash will be exchanged in connection with the Company’s lease payments under the lease. The tax abatement period extends through the term of the lease, which coincides with the nine-year maturity of the bond. At any time, the Company has the option to repurchase the real property at a de minimis amount. Due to the form of these transactions, the Company has not recorded the bond or the lease obligation associated with the sale lease-back transaction, and the cost of the Gaylord Opryland real property remains recorded on the balance sheet and is being depreciated over its estimated useful life.