U.S. Cellular Arena

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

U.S. Cellular Arena
The Cell; The MECCA

Location	400 W Kilbourn Ave Milwaukee, WI 53203
Broke ground	1945
Opened	1950
Owner	Wisconsin Center District
Operator	Wisconsin Center District
Surface	Maple basketball floor, concrete, ice, or Astroturf
Construction cost	$10 million USD
Architect	Eschweiler & Eschweiler
Former names
Milwaukee Arena (1968-1974) MECCA Arena (1974-1995) Milwaukee Arena (aka Wisconsin Center Arena) (1998-2000)
Tenants
Milwaukee Hawks (NBA) (1951-1955) Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) (1968-1988) Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) (1984-1987) Marquette Warriors (NCAA) (1974-1989) Milwaukee Wave (MISL) (1984-1987; 2003-Present) Milwaukee Panthers (NCAA) (1992-1998; 2003-Present) Milwaukee Bonecrushers (Indoor football) (2007-future)
Capacity
12,700 (maximum), 10,783 (basketball)(2005)

U.S. Cellular Arena (formerly the Milwaukee Arena, MECCA Arena and Wisconsin Center Arena) is an indoor arena located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The Arena, which seats as many as 12,700 people and offers 41,000 feet of floor space, is part of a larger downtown campus that includes the Milwaukee Theatre and Midwest Airlines Center. The Arena was part of the MECCA Complex (The Milwaukee Exposition Convention Center and Arena) 1974-1995.

1 History
2 Famous music performances
3 See also
4 External links

[edit] History

It opened in 1950 and was one of the first to accommodate the needs of broadcast television. It was folded into the MECCA complex when it opened in 1974. It is also known for its former unique basketball court painted by Robert Indiana in 1978, with large rainbow 'M's taking up both half-courts representing Milwaukee.

It was home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA from 1968-1988, and hosted the 1977 NBA All-Star Game before an audience of 10,938. The venue was also home to Marquette University's men's basketball team along with the International Hockey League Milwaukee Admirals. These teams all moved to the Bradley Center upon the newer arena's opening in 1988.

In 1994 the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), a state organization, was created in order to fund the Midwest Airlines Center, and, in 1995 the MECCA complex was folded into this, including the Arena (the Bradley Center is owned by a separate authority). Following a major overhaul in 1998, the arena is now home to the Milwaukee Panthers' men's college basketball team and the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League, and is the Milwaukee venue for Disney on Ice. It has also hosted professional wrestling events, including WCW SuperBrawl II in 1992, WWF King of the Ring 1996, WCW Clash of the Champions in 1997, WWF Over the Edge in 1998 and WCW Mayhem in 2000. It was at the forementioned King Of The Ring card where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin fist uttered his now-famous "Austin 3:16" catchphrase.

The WCD added the Wisconsin Athletic Walk of Fame alongside the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2001. At the end of this public promenade is a Wisconsin Historical Marker noting the location where Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter with its QWERTY key layout.

As the MECCA, the building hosted the 1984 NCAA Mideast first and second round games. The U.S. Cellular Arena has hosted all or part of every Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament since 2003.

In 2007 it will host several exhibition games by the Milwaukee Bonecrushers, who hope to join an organized league in 2008.

[edit] Famous music performances

The Beatles, 1964
Led Zeppelin (twice), 1970 & 1973
Elvis Presley (twice), 1971 & 1977
Frank Sinatra, 1982
The Who, 1982
The Grateful Dead (numerous), 1980 - 1989

[edit] See also

U.S. Cellular Field - home of the Chicago White Sox
U.S. Cellular Coliseum - an indoor sports arena in Bloomington, Illinois

[edit] External links

Preceded by Wharton Field House 1946–1951	Home of the Milwaukee Hawks 1951–1965	Succeeded by Kiel Auditorium 1955–1968

Preceded by first arena	Home of the Milwaukee Bucks 1968–1988	Succeeded by Bradley Center 1988–present

Coordinates: 43°2′31.97″N, 87°55′0″W

Current basketball arenas in the Horizon League
Beeghly Center (Youngstown State) • Callihan Hall (Detroit) • Joseph J. Gentile Center (Loyola) • Hinkle Fieldhouse (Butler) • J. Martin Klotsche Center (Milwaukee women) • Nutter Center (Wright State) • Resch Center (Wisconsin-Green Bay) • UIC Pavilion (UIC) • U.S. Cellular Arena (Milwaukee men) • Wolstein Center (Cleveland State)