Tucson Convention Center
| Tucson Convention Center | |
|---|---|
| Address | 260 South Church Avenue |
| Location | Tucson, Arizona |
| Coordinates | 32°13′6″N 110°58′27″W / 32.21833°N 110.97417°WCoordinates: 32°13′6″N 110°58′27″W / 32.21833°N 110.97417°W |
| Owner | City of Tucson |
| Operator | SMG |
| Opened | 1971 |
| Renovated | 2014 |
Theatre seating |
Tucson Music Hall: 2,289 Leo Rich Theater: 511 Tucson Arena: 9,275 |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 205,000 square feet |
| Website |
www |
The Tucson Convention Center (previously named the Tucson Community Center) is a large multi-purpose convention center located in downtown Tucson, Arizona. Built in 1971, the location includes a 9,275-seat indoor arena, two performing arts venues, and 205,000 square feet (19,000 m2) of meeting space. The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.
Performance venues
- Tucson Music Hall, with 2,289 seats, is used for concert performances, including opera.
- Leo Rich Theatre, with 511 seats, is used for small scale and more intimate performances.
- Tucson Arena, with 4,988 permanent seats, 2,724 bleacher seats, and floor capacity for 888.
Major arena events
Arizona Wildcats ice hockey
The University of Arizona Wildcats club hockey team currently plays at Tucson Arena and is the primary tenant at this time. Although associated with the college, the team receives no funding directly from the school. The hockey team is a Division 1 member of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. Leo Golembiewski had been the head coach for the last 27 years, leading the team to 21 straight national tournaments with eight semi-final appearances and one national championship. The current coach is Chad Berman,[1] in his first year with the team.
Other events
The Tucson Convention Center has been host to many other events including the Tucson Gem & Mineral Show, the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, concerts, monster truck shows as well as many live WWE television broadcasts featuring Raw, SmackDown & ECW on Sci Fi.
Past minor league teams
- Tucson Mavericks, Central Hockey League (1975–76)
- Tucson Icemen, Southwest Hockey League (1976–77)
- Tucson Rustlers, Professional Hockey League (1978–79)
- Tucson Gunners, Western Basketball Association (1978–79)
- Tucson Gila Monsters, West Coast Hockey League (1997–99)
Renovation
Throughout 2014, the Tucson Convention Center was renovated at a cost of $22 million,[2] via funding by the Rio Nuevo downtown redevelopment and revitalization district and the City of Tucson, including new bathrooms, lighting, seats, a revamped sound system, a new kitchen and a video scoreboard.[3] Mike Love's Beach Boys headlined a January 4, 2015 concert at the venue, debuting the remodeled arena.[4]
Management of the convention center is now handled by SMG.[5]
See also
- List of convention centers in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Pima County, Arizona
References
- ↑ "Arizona Hockey staff page". Retrieved 2015-01-05.
- ↑ http://tucson.com/entertainment/blogs/caliente-tuned-in/tucson-arena-renovations-aimed-at-enhancing-audience-experience/article_60f7c84d-375a-570f-81b5-a956f052151c.html
- ↑ http://www.kvoa.com/news/tcc-arena-remodel-finished/
- ↑ http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/rio-nuevo-seeks-good-vibrations-as-arena-renovations-near-end/article_596d592e-d158-5373-8f80-6152e8bc764c.html
- ↑ http://www.venuestoday.com/news/detail/smg-to-manage-tucson-convention-center-1014