Toyota Center (Houston)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Toyota Center | |
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| Location | 1510 Polk Street Houston, Texas 77002 |
| Opened | October 6, 2003 |
| Owner | Harris County - Houston Sports Authority |
| Operator | Clutch City Sports and Entertainment |
| Construction cost | 202 million $USD |
| Architect | Morris Architects, HOK Architects, John Chase Architects |
| Tenants | Houston Rockets (NBA) (2003-present) Houston Comets (WNBA) (2003-2007) Houston Aeros (AHL) (2003-present) |
| Capacity | Basketball: 18,300 Ice Hockey: 17,800 Concerts: up to 19,000 |
The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located at 1510 Polk Street in Downtown Houston, Texas.
Named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota, the Toyota Center houses two sports teams: The Houston Rockets of the NBA and The Houston Aeros of the AHL.
[edit] History
In 2002, the Houston sports teams pressured the city for a new stadium to be built to replace the Compaq Center, formerly known as the Summit. As a result, the Toyota Center was built and has since become their new home.
The Toyota Center can seat 18,300 for basketball, 17,800 for hockey, and up to 19,000 for concerts. It has 2,900 club seats and 103 luxury suites. There are over 10,000 parking spaces within a few blocks of the facility, including the 2,500-space Toyota Tundra garage connected to the arena via private skybridge.
The Toyota Center was the winner of the Allen Award for Civic Enhancement by Central Houston in 2003, the "Rookie of the Year" award by the Harlem Globetrotters in 2004 and was a finalist for Pollstar Magazine’s "Best New Concert Venue" award. Attendance at events during the facility's first year exceeded 1.5 million people.
[edit] Events
The first event after the arena's opening ceremony was a Fleetwood Mac concert on October 6, 2003. The first Rockets game at the Toyota Center was against the Denver Nuggets on October 30, 2003.
The Houston Toyota Center has been the host of some of the biggest events in the Houston area.
- The 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards will take place on November 13, 2008.
 Exterior of Toyota Center at night |
 Main entrance of the Toyota Center before a Rockets game |
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Compaq Center |
Home of the Houston Rockets 2003 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Compaq Center |
Home of the Houston Aeros 2003 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Compaq Center |
Home of the Houston Comets 2003 – 2007 |
Succeeded by Reliant Arena |
| Preceded by Pepsi Center |
Host of the NBA All-Star Game 2006 |
Succeeded by Thomas & Mack Center |
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