Dunkin' Donuts Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Dunkin' Donuts Center | |
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| The Dunk | |
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| Location | Sabin Street Providence, RI 02903 |
| Opened | November 3, 1972 |
| Owner | Rhode Island Convention Center Authority |
| Operator | SMG |
| Former names | Providence Civic Center (1972-2001) |
| Tenants | Providence Reds (AHL) (1972-1976) Rhode Island Reds (AHL) (1976-1977) New England Steamrollers (AFL) (1988) URI Rams (NCAA) (?-2002) Providence Bruins (AHL) (1992-present) Providence College Friars (NCAA) (1972-present) |
| Capacity | 11,500 (hockey) 12,500 (basketball) 14,500 (center stage/boxing) |
The Dunkin' Donuts Center, also known as The Dunk, is an indoor arena located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Built in 1972, the arena was built as a place for the emerging Providence College men's basketball program and the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for the then-Providence Reds, who played in the nearly fifty-year old Rhode Island Auditorium. The arena was known as the Providence Civic Center until a naming rights deal was reached with Dunkin' Donuts in June 2001. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team.
It has been the site of many collegiate tournaments, including the inaugural 1980 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament; several ECAC basketball tournaments; NCAA basketball tournament first- and second-round games in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1989, and 1996; the 1978 and 1985 basketball regionals; the inaugural 1985 Hockey East Tournament (won by the home team) as well as the second tournament a year later in 1986 before the tourney made Boston a permanent home; and the 1978, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1995, and 2000 NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championships. The University of Rhode Island has also played home basketball games at Dunkin' Donuts Center, although this practice has stopped with the opening of the Ryan Center in 2002. On rare occasions, the PC women's basketball team has played "home" games in the arena, most notably for games against URI or UConn, where demand for tickets would be enough to warrant an arena larger than the 2,620-seat Alumni Hall.
The New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football League called the arena home for their single season of existence in 1988. The Providence Reds hockey team played there for five years starting in 1972. The venue has long been a regular stop on WWE tours. It was the site of WWF King of the Ring tournaments five times and hosted the 1994 Royal Rumble. In 1999 the Dunkin' Donuts Center was home to the WWE Backlash Pay-Per-View event. In 2005 this venue hosted WWE Armageddon in December, 2005. A number of other professional sporting events (such as the Harlem Globetrotters), as well as rock, pop, and opera concerts occur there as well. The venue continued to score big names in 2007 with concerts featuring Elton John, Christina Aguilera and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus.
In December of 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the City of Providence for $28.5 million. A major reconstruction is currently underway. The Authority will spend $62 million on the renovation of the "Dunk" to transform the facility into a state-of-the-art arena. Two major elements of the construction include an expanded lobby and an enclosed pedestrian bridge between the Convention Center and the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
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