Ford Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ford Center | |
|---|---|
| "Loud City" | |
  |
|
| Location | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Broke ground | 1999 |
| Opened | June 8, 2002 |
| Closed | Open |
| Owner | City of Oklahoma City |
| Operator | Spectacor Management Group |
| Construction cost | $89 million |
| Architect | The Benham Companies |
| Tenants | |
| New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets (2005-2007) Oklahoma City Blazers Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz |
|
| Seats | |
| 19,599 (Basketball) 18,036 (Hockey) 17,868 (Football) 20,817 (Concerts) |
|
The Ford Center is a multipurpose indoor sports/concert arena located in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The arena opened on June 8, 2002; three years after construction began.
The 586,000 square-foot facility seats 19,675 on four seating levels and features 3,380 club seats, seven party suites and 49 private suites. Ford Center is owned by the city. The facility is the premier project of Oklahoma City's capital improvement program (MAPS) to finance new and upgraded sports, entertainment, cultural and convention facilities with a one percent (1%) sales tax.
Architecturally, Ford Center shares likeness with its sister stadium Ford Field, an indoor stadium in downtown Detroit that was home to Super Bowl XL in February 2006. The venue's name comes from a naming rights deal with the Ford Motor Company. It is located adjacent to I-40 Crosstown's interchange with Robinson Avenue in downtown Oklahoma City, just across the street from the Cox Convention Center.
Its primary tenant is the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets of the National Basketball Association. It is also home to the Oklahoma City Blazers of the Central Hockey League and the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz of af2, but they occasionally play in the Cox Convention Center when Ford Center is not available. Ford Center is also used for other events, notably professional wrestling shows such as Unforgiven 2005, and touring concerts. Also, the 2007 Big XII Basketball Tournament will be played here for the first time.
The Hornets have leased the facility for the 2005-06 season, and have exercised the option to extend for the 2006-07 season. Ford Center received a $200,000 renovation as part of the Hornets' lease.
[edit] External links
- Ford Center official website
- New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets official website
- SMG Website
- Oklahoma City Ford Center brought to you by Bricktown OKC
| Preceded by New Orleans Arena 2002–present |
Home of the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets 2005–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Current arenas in the af2 |
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| American Conference | National Conference | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Allen County War Memorial Coliseum | Chevrolet Centre | Everett Events Center | Freedom Hall | The MARK of the Quad Cities | Pepsi Arena | Qwest Arena | Rabobank Arena | Resch Center | Selland Arena | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | Stockton Arena | Toyota Center | U.S. Bank Arena | Wachovia Arena | Verizon Wireless Arena | Alltel Arena | Amarillo Civic Center | American Bank Center | Berry Center | Birmingham Jefferson Convention Center | CenturyTel Center | Dodge Arena | Ford Center | Germain Arena | Gray Civic Center | Laredo Entertainment Center | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | Tulsa Convention Center | Von Braun Center | ||
| Current arenas in the Central Hockey League | ||||||
| Northeast Division | Northwest Division | Southeast Division | Southwest Division | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CenturyTel Center | DeSoto Civic Center | Chevrolet Centre | Tulsa Convention Center | Britt Brown Arena | Budweiser Events Center | Ford Center | Broomfield Events Center | American Bank Center | Dodge Arena |Laredo Entertainment Center | Chaparral Ice | Amarillo Civic Center | Ector County Coliseum | Lubbock Municipal Coliseum | Prescott Valley Convention & Events Center | Santa Ana Star Center | |||
Categories: Arena football venues | Basketball venues in the United States | Buildings and structures in Oklahoma City | National Basketball Association venues | 2002 establishments | Ford | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | Sports in Oklahoma City | Sports venues in Oklahoma | Professional wrestling venues
