KeyArena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| KeyArena | |
|---|---|
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| Location | 305 Harrison Street Seattle, Washington 98109 |
| Opened | 1962 (renovated 1994) |
| Owner | City of Seattle |
| Operator | City of Seattle |
| Construction cost | $74.5 million (1994 renovation) |
| Former names | |
| Seattle Center Coliseum (1962-1994) | |
| Tenants | |
| Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) 1967-1978, 1985-1994, 1995-present) Seattle Storm (WNBA) (2000-present) Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) (1977-present) Seattle Seadogs (CISL) (1994-1997) |
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| Seats | |
| Basketball: 17,072 Hockey: 15,177 Concert: 16,641 Boxing: 17,459 |
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KeyArena at Seattle Center is located north of downtown Seattle, USA on the grounds of Seattle Center (the site of 1962's Century 21 Exposition, a World's Fair). The arena's primary tenants are the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association. It hosted the 1974 NBA All-Star Game.
Opened in 1962 as the Seattle Center Coliseum, the rebuild began on June 16, 1994 before the building reopened on October 26, 1995. During the rebuild, the building's original roofline was used as a guide and some of the original concrete for the main supports still exists but most everything about the arena was brand new. The court which was originally at street level is now 35 feet below to allow more seating. After the rebuild, the Coliseum was renamed KeyArena, as Key Bank purchased the naming rights. The first regular season game that the Seattle SuperSonics played in KeyArena at Seattle Center took place on November 4, 1995, against the Los Angeles Lakers.
In addition to being the home of the Sonics, it is also home to the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association and the Seattle Thunderbirds, a junior hockey team in the Western Hockey League. The Thunderbirds hosted the Memorial Cup here in 1992. It is also used for non-athletic entertainment purposes, such as ice shows, circuses, and concerts.
The rebuild cost the city of Seattle $74.5 million, and the Seattle SuperSonics approximately $21 million. KeyArena is the first publicly financed arena fully supported by earned income from the building. Its seating capacity for basketball games is 17,072, ice hockey games and ice shows 15,177, end-stage concerts, 16,641 and center-stage concerts and boxing 17,459. Risers hold 7,440 on the upper level and up to 7,741 on the lower level, with luxury suites adding another 1,160 seats.
In late 2004 proposals for expanding KeyArena to nearly twice its current size to accommodate new restaurants, shops, and a practice court (the cost is to be approximately $220 million) were debated. Because of a lack of interest by the city of seattle in following through on the project the new owners of the Sonics and Storm made the decision to look outside the city limits for siting a replacement arena. Currently, the future viability of the arena after the Sonics lease expires in 2010 is under debate.
| Preceded by: first arena |
Home of the Seattle SuperSonics 1967–1978 |
Succeeded by: Kingdome 1978–1985 |
| Preceded by: Kingdome 1978–1985 |
Home of the Seattle SuperSonics 1985–1994 |
Succeeded by: Tacoma Dome 1994–1995 |
| Preceded by: Tacoma Dome 1994–1995 |
Home of the Seattle SuperSonics 1995–present |
Succeeded by: current |
| Current arenas in the Women's National Basketball Association |
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| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Charlotte Bobcats Arena | Conseco Fieldhouse | Madison Square Garden | Mohegan Sun Arena | Palace of Auburn Hills | UIC Pavilion | Verizon Center | ARCO Arena | AT&T Center | KeyArena | Staples Center | Target Center | Toyota Center | US Airways Center | |
| Current arenas in the Western Hockey League |
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| Eastern Conference | Western Conference | |
|---|---|---|
| Art Hauser Centre | Brandt Centre | Centennial Civic Centre | Cranbrook Recreational Complex | Credit Union Centre | ENMAX Centre | ENMAX Centrium | Keystone Centre | Medicine Hat Arena | Moose Jaw Civic Centre | Pengrowth Saddledome | Rexall Place | CN Centre | Everett Events Center | Interior Savings Centre | KeyArena | Memorial Coliseum | Pacific Coliseum | Prospera Centre | Prospera Place | Rose Garden Arena | Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena | Toyota Center | |
Categories: Sports venues in Seattle | Indoor arenas in the United States | Basketball venues in the United States | 1962 establishments | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | National Basketball Association venues | Seattle Storm | Seattle SuperSonics | Seattle Center | Western Hockey League arenas | NBA All-Star Game Venues
