Vivint Smart Home Arena

Vivint Smart Home Arena

Front exterior entrance in August 2016
Former names	Delta Center (1991–2006) Salt Lake Ice Center (2002 Winter Olympics) EnergySolutions Arena (2006–2015)
Address	301 West South Temple
Location	Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
Coordinates	40°46′6″N 111°54′4″W / 40.76833°N 111.90111°W / 40.76833; -111.90111Coordinates: 40°46′6″N 111°54′4″W / 40.76833°N 111.90111°W / 40.76833; -111.90111
Public transit	Arena (UTA station)  701  TRAX Blue Line  704  TRAX Green Line Planetarium (UTA station)  701  TRAX Blue Line
Owner	Larry Miller Sports & Entertainment
Operator	Larry Miller Sports & Entertainment
Capacity	Basketball: 19,911 Ice hockey / Ice Floor: 14,000 Concert in the round: 20,380 [1] End stage concert: 15,000 Dirt show: 15,000 Professional Wrestling: 12,000-19,387
Construction
Broke ground	May 22, 1990
Opened	October 4, 1991
Construction cost	US$93 million ($164 million in 2016 dollars[2])
Architect	FFKR Architecture[3]
Structural engineer	Ralph L. Wadsworth Engineering
Services engineer	Olsen & Peterson Consulting Engineers, Inc.[4]
General contractor	Ohbayashi/Sahara
Tenants
Utah Jazz (NBA) (1991–present) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1991–1994) Utah Grizzlies (IHL) (1995–1997) Utah Starzz (WNBA) (1997–2002) Utah Blaze (AFL) (2006–2008, 2011–2013)

Vivint Smart Home Arena is an indoor arena located in Salt Lake City, Utah. The building is owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller. The arena is the home of the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and has been the home venue for other professional athletic teams such as the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League and the Utah Starzz of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). It seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats.

Opened in 1991, the arena was known as the Delta Center, under a naming rights deal with Delta Air Lines which has a hub at Salt Lake City International Airport. Salt Lake City-based EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights in November 2006, after Delta decided not to renew their 15-year contract due to filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy the year prior. From 2006 to 2015 it was known as EnergySolutions Arena.^[5][6] On October 26, 2015, the arena was renamed as part of a 10-year naming rights contract with the Provo, Utah-based home security system provider Vivint.^[7]

On September 21, 2016, the Utah Jazz announced plans to renovate and upgrade Vivint Smart Home Arena. The majority of the construction related to the building's renovation, which is estimated to cost US$125 million, will begin at the conclusion of the 2016–17 Utah Jazz basketball season, with anticipated completion of the renovation by fall 2017.^[8]

The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics, where it was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center.

History

Interior in 2006

The arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished arena of the Salt Palace, which had 12,616 seats.^[9] Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991 in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of $93 million ($164 million in 2016 dollars.)^[10][2]

The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4–2.^[11] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace arena when it opened on October 10, 1969.^[12] The Eagles, which were purchased by Miller in 1990, lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center.

The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, 101–95.^[13] In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991, Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center.^[14]

June 2005 photo when it was known as the Delta Center.

The 1993–95 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments were held at the facility, as was the 1993 NBA All-Star Game. The Delta Center also hosted games of the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals between the Jazz and Chicago Bulls.

In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the arena has also been the home of the WNBA's Utah Starzz from 1997 to 2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991 to 1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995 to 1997, both of the International Hockey League. Notably, on June 8, 1996, the Delta Center hosted what was then the largest crowd in the history of American minor league hockey: 17,381 fans attended Game 4 of the 1996 Turner Cup Finals.^[15] The Grizzlies won 3–2 in overtime, completing a four-game sweep of the Orlando Solar Bears and earning the IHL championship in their first season in Utah.

Dan Roberts serves as the official Vivint Smart Home Arena public address voice for the Jazz. He has been the Jazz's home game announcer since before the arena was built.^[16]

Upgrades & Renovations

In 2002, the arena upgraded its super system with ribbon display technology and auxiliary scoreboards from Brookings, South Dakota-based Daktronics.

During the summer of 2010, the Arena was remodeled, which included the installation of Bear's Backyard, a playground for kids, a new dining area for adults and over 500 television screens. On June 17, 2013 the Utah Jazz announced that the arena would receive a new scoreboard and ribbon display technology, including display screens in each corner of the arena. The new scoreboard and display systems were installed during the 2013 NBA off-season.

Renaming

During the Salt Lake City Olympics, due to IOC policies about having corporate sponsorship for venues, the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center during events.

EnergySolutions Arena logo, 2006–2015

After Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15-year naming rights contract, which expired on September 30, 2006, the stadium's owner, Larry H. Miller, opted to sell naming rights to EnergySolutions, a low-level nuclear waste disposal company headquartered in Salt Lake City.^[17][18] The new name was unveiled November 20, prior to the Jazz home game against the Toronto Raptors. Two stickers were placed on the court, covering up the arena's old name with the new one.^[19] The temporary logos were replaced with official logos on the court sometime in December. EnergySolutions naming rights were set to expire in 2016.^[20]

Initial fan reactions to the new name were predominantly negative. Early nicknames for the arena included "the Dump", a jab at EnergySolutions' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations.^[21] Other suggestions included the Glow Dome, Radium Stadium, Isotope, Chernobowl, Jazzmat, Big Bang, Tox Box, Power House, Hot Spot, Plutonium Palace, Fallout Shelter, Melta Center, and Energy Pollutions Arena.^[22]

On October 26, 2015, the naming rights were acquired by the locally based home security and automation provider Vivint in a 10-year contract.^[7][23]

John Stockton and Karl Malone statues

The exterior of the arena (then known as EnergySolutions Arena) in 2009.

Outside the arena are statues of two players widely regarded as the greatest in the history of the Jazz, as well as among the greatest players in NBA history. The John Stockton statue was unveiled on March 30, 2005. The Karl Malone statue was unveiled on March 23, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights but lost both games.

Larry H. Miller Court

On April 15, 2010, over a year after the death of Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, the Jazz basketball court was named in his honor.^[24] With the announcement of the arena's new name on October 26, 2015, the new official name of the court is Larry H. Miller Court at Vivint Smart Home Arena.

Notable Events

Other Sports

The facility played host to the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships. The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics.^[25]

In the final of the Men's 1000 metres Short track speed skating event at the 2002 Winter Olympics, veteran Australian Steven Bradbury became the most unlikely winner in Winter Olympic history when he won the race after Apolo Anton Ohno (USA), Mathieu Turcotte (Canada), Ahn Hyun-Soo (South Korea), and Li Jiajun (China) all fell on the final turn and left Bradbury, who was running last and about 15 metres (49 ft) behind the pack, to come through and claim Australia's first ever Winter Olympics Gold Medal.

Vivint Smart Home Arena was the site of the West regional semifinals ("Sweet Sixteen") and championship ("Elite Eight") in the 2010 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament. The venue also hosted first and second-round games in the 2013 and 2017 editions of the tournament, and it will do so again in 2019.

In Film

The movie Legally Blonde 2 was partially filmed in the arena.

Tornado

The arena's roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing $3,757,000 (equivalent to $5,401,344 in 2016) to repair.^[26]

Awards and recognitions

Vivint Smart Home Arena is well known for being one of the hardest places to play for visiting teams in the NBA. According to an NBA Players Poll taken by Sports Illustrated on February 11, 2008, the Vivint Arena is considered "the most intimidating arena in the NBA" with 20% of the vote made up of 240 current NBA players.^[27] Many commentators referred to the arena as the "Decibel Center", a play on the name "Delta Center". During Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, a decibel meter installed at floor level had readings of over 110 decibels, close to the noise generated by a jet takeoff. Also, during the 1997 NBA Finals, NBC's Hannah Storm called the then-named Delta Center "one of the loudest places in sports".^[28]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Vivint Smart Home Arena.

• Official website