| US Bank Arena | |
|---|---|
U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, Ohio |
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| Former names | Riverfront Coliseum (1975-1997) The Crown (1997-1999) Firstar Center (1999-2002) |
| Location | 100 Broadway Street Cincinnati, Ohio 45202-3514 |
| Broke ground | November 12, 1973[1] |
| Opened | September 9, 1975 |
| Owner | Nederlander Organization |
| Operator | Nederlander Organization |
| Construction cost | $20 million[2] ($81.6 million in 2012 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Pattee Architects, Inc.[4] |
| Structural engineer | Clark Engineering Corporation[4] |
| General Contractor | Universal Contracting Corp.[4] |
| Capacity | Basketball: 17,000 Ice hockey / Arena Football: 14,453 |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Bearcats basketball (NCAA) (1976–1987) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) (1997–2004, 2006–present) Cincinnati Jungle Kats (AF2) (2007) Cincinnati Swarm (AF2) (2003) Cincinnati Stingers (WHA) (1975–1979) Cincinnati Kids (MISL) (1978–1979) Cincinnati Rockers (AFL) (1992–1993) Cincinnati Marshals (NIFL) (2004–2006) Cincinnati Stuff (IBL) (1999–2001) Cincinnati Tigers (CHL) (1981–1982) Cincinnati Silverbacks (NPSL) (1997–1998) |
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U.S. Bank Arena is an indoor arena, located in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, along the banks of the Ohio River, next to the Great American Ball Park. Completed in September 1975, the arena seats 17,556 people (in the round). It is the largest indoor arena in the Greater Cincinnati region with 346,100 square feet in area.
It was the home of the Cincinnati Stingers, of the WHA, from 1975–1979. Since then, the arena has hosted another minor-league hockey team and various concerts, political rallies, tennis tournaments, figure skating, a Billy Graham Crusade and other events. The facility's longest-serving tenant was the men's basketball program of the University of Cincinnati, which used the arena from its completion until 1987, when U.C. played its games at Cincinnati Gardens (1987–89), until an on-campus facility (Shoemaker Center), now known as Fifth Third Arena, was completed.
The arena underwent a $14,000,000 renovation project in 1997 and is still in use. The current main tenant is the Cincinnati Cyclones, of the ECHL. The Cincinnati Jungle Kats, of the arenafootball2 league, played their one and only season at the arena in 2007, posting a record of 1–15.
On occasion, there are local pushes for the attraction of another major sports franchise to occupy the arena, possibly an NBA or NHL franchise either relocated or expanded, though little has ever come to fruition.[5] The NBA was last played in Cincinnati in 1972 and never at this facility, aside from exhibition games.
Until the construction of the University of Cincinnati's Fifth Third Arena and Northern Kentucky University's The Bank of Kentucky Center, commencement ceremonies for these schools were held at the facility.
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On December 3, 1979, eleven persons (Peter D. Bowes, 18; Teva R. Ladd, 27; David J. Heck, 19; Connie S. Burns, 18; James T. Warmoth, 21; Bryan J. Wagner, 17; Karen L. Morrison, 15; Jacqueline L. Eckerle, 15; Walter H. Adams, Jr., 22; Stephen M. Preston, 19; Phillip K. Snyder, 20) were killed by compressive asphyxia and 26 other persons were injured in a rush for seating at the opening of a sold-out rock concert by the English rock band The Who.[6][7][8][9][10][11] On that evening, there were a total of 18,348 ticketed fans attending (3,578 reserved seats (sections 111 – 118), 14,770 general admission seats). The concert was using "festival seating",[12] (also known as "general seating"), where the seats are available on a first come-first served basis. When the waiting fans outside the Coliseum heard the band performing a late sound check, they thought that the concert was beginning and tried to rush into the still-closed doors. Some at the front of the crowd were either trampled or squeezed to death standing up as those pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there are reports that management did not open more doors due to union restrictions and the concern of people gate-crashing the ticket turnstiles.[13][14]
As a result, the remaining concerts of 1979, Blue Öyster Cult on December 14 and Aerosmith on December 21, were cancelled[15] and concert venues across North America switched to reserved seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts. After establishment of a crowd control task force by Cincinnati mayor Ken Blackwell, the first concert held at the facility since the tragedy was ZZ Top on March 21, 1980 on their Expect No Quarter Tour.[16]
On August 4, 2004, Cincinnati City Council unanimously overturned the ban because it placed the city at a disadvantage for booking concerts.[17] Many music acts prefer festival seating because it could allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd. The city had previously made a one-time exception to the ban, allowing festival seating for a Bruce Springsteen concert on November 12, 2002. Cincinnati was, for a time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.
The first entertainment event (Opening Night) to be staged at the facility was a rock concert by The Allman Brothers Band and special guest Muddy Waters on the Win, Lose Or Draw Tour on September 9, 1975 attended by 16,721 persons.[18][19]
In 1987 the facility hosted the World Figure Skating Championships.
The arena was the site of the Regional of the 1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and 1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as a first and second round site for the 1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the 1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena was also host to the 1997 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship Final Four, as well as the 1996 men's Division I hockey Frozen Four, which was won by Michigan.
The venue hosted part of the 1981 and all of the 1992 Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament as well as the 1978, 1983, 2002, and 2004 Conference USA men's basketball tournaments; the Atlantic Ten Conference also held its tourney there in 2005 and did so again in 2006.
The arena hosted WCW Souled Out in 2000, WWE Cyber Sunday in 2006, and TNA Lockdown in 2011. It has also hosted a number of WWE Monday Night Raw & WWE Friday Night Smackdown tapings including a Raw on Sept 13, 2010 where Chad Ochocinco hosted.
UFC 77 was also held at the arena in 2007 and was headlined by local fighter Rich Franklin and the Strikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov event was held at the arena on September 10, 2011.
The PBR's Built Ford Tough Series tour hosted an event at the arena in 2005 and 2008.
The arena will host the opening and closing ceremonies to the 2012 World Choir Games that are being held in Cincinnati.
| Preceded by Malá Sportovní Hala Prague |
Davis Cup Final Venue 1981 |
Succeeded by Palais des Sports Grenoble |
| Preceded by Providence Civic Center Providence, Rhode Island |
Host of the Frozen Four 1996 |
Succeeded by Bradley Center Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Preceded by Family Arena |
Host of Lockdown (2011) 2011 |
Succeeded by TBD |
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