Charleston Civic Center
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The Charleston Civic Center is a multi-purpose convention center, including a 12,300-seat arena, in Charleston, West Virginia. The primary component, the so-called "coliseum" was built in 1980. The original "arena", seating 6,700, was built in 1966 and was converted into convention space in 1982. The complex also includes a "Little Theatre" and other display space.
In basketball, it hosts the annual Toyota Capital Classic men's and women's games between in-state rivals West Virginia University and Marshall University, the semifinals and finals of the annual West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference postseason tournament, and the state high school championships. The facility also hosts many concerts and conventions. Both Marshall and WVU also play a "home" game in the building during the basketball season. WVU used the building for most of its home games during the 1999 season due to asbestos removal issues at the WVU Coliseum. The University of Charleston has used the building on rare occasion, and the city had a team in the Continental Basketball Association, the Charleston Gunners, in the 1980s. The venue hosted many professional wrestling events for years, including events from the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling, including an episode of WCW Monday Nitro and the 1999 WCW/NWO Souled Out pay-per-view card. In 2005, World Wrestling Entertainment came to Charleston for the first time ever with a Smackdown!-brand house show; in 2006, the Civic Center hosted a RAW-brand house show.
The city has marketed the naming rights, but has found no takers.