Tsongas Center

Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
Full name Paul E. Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell
Former names Tsongas Arena (1998-Oct. 2010)
Address 300 Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Location Lowell, Massachusetts
Owner University of Massachusetts Lowell
Operator Global Spectrum
Capacity 6,003 (hockey and basketball)
7,000 (concerts)
Construction
Broke ground 1996
Opened January 27, 1998
Construction cost $24 million (original)
$5 million (2010-11 renovations)
Tenants
UMass Lowell River Hawks (NCAA) (1998–present)
Lowell Lock Monsters/Devils (AHL) (1998–2010)

The Tsongas Center at UMass Lowell (formerly the Tsongas Arena[1]) is a multi-purpose facility owned by the University of Massachusetts Lowell and located in Lowell, Massachusetts. The arena was opened on January 27, 1998, and dedicated to the memory of the late Paul Tsongas, prominent Lowell native and U.S. senator. The arena was built with $4 million in funding from both the city and the university, plus another $20 million contributed from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.[2]

About the arena

Interior of the arena

The facility is home to the NCAA Division I University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks ice hockey team, which competes in the Hockey East Association. The facility was also home to the Lowell Lock Monsters and the Lowell Devils ice hockey team, which competed in the American Hockey League from 1998 to 2010. The Devils ended their stay in Lowell due to financial difficulties and the arena's new ownership and moved to Albany, NY to compete as the Albany Devils.

The Tsongas Center - which seats approximately 6,000 for hockey and 7,000 for concerts and other events - is the site of major concerts and other public events, including job fairs, skating competitions and graduation ceremonies for area high schools, colleges and universities. It also hosts major university events, such as the annual Commencement ceremonies, Open House for prospective students and the Chancellor's Speaker Series. The series debuted in 2012 with bestselling author Stephen King. Also in 2012, the Tsongas Center was the site of a debate between then-incumbent U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and challenger Elizabeth Warren, which drew more than 5,000 people and was covered by more than 100 media outlets, including NBC News and MSNBC.

In 2004, alternative music pioneers Pixies recorded their live concert DVD and high-definition television special "The Pixies: Come Home Live 2004 World Tour" at the Tsongas Arena. In the same year, the group Yes released a DVD of their 35th anniversary tour performance at the venue titled "Songs from Tsongas."

In 2009, the boxing scenes of the 2010 film The Fighter were shot here with Mark Wahlberg portraying Micky Ward, Lowell's own boxer who won a world championship, and Christian Bale portraying his brother Dicky Eklund.

UMass Lowell and the city of Lowell entered into negotiations in 2009 with the intent to transfer ownership of the arena and the land adjacent to it to the university. In late October 2009, it was reported that the deal had been reached with UMass Lowell committing to major renovations to the facility.[3] In a ceremony during a game against Boston University on October 30, 2009, the deal transferring ownership to the university was signed. UMass Lowell formally took control of the arena on February 5, 2010 after completing a $1 transaction.[4]

UMass Lowell has spent more than $5 million to renovate the arena since its acquisition. LED "ribbon" boards were installed in the winter of 2010. A new high-definition video scoreboard and sound system were installed during the summer 2010. A new club seating area was built in conjunction with a new upscale bar. In the summer of 2011, new ice-making equipment was installed, followed by new luxury boxes and press box in 2012.

In March 2017, the arena played host to the second NWHL Isobel Cup finals between the Buffalo Beauts and Boston Pride.

References

  1. ↑ Moran, Lyle (July 18, 2011). "UML's Tsongas Center in world's top 20 venues". The Sun. MediaNews Group. Retrieved June 10, 2015.
  2. ↑ Lafleur, Michael (2008-05-20). "UMass Lowell disputes price it pays for events at Tsongas Arena". Lowell Sun. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  3. ↑ Myers, Jennifer (October 23, 2009). "Lowell closes in on deal to turn Tsongas Arena over to UMass Lowell". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
  4. ↑ Abel, David (February 5, 2010). "UMass Lowell takes control of Tsongas Arena". Boston Globe. Retrieved February 6, 2010.
Preceded by
Tully Forum		 Home of the
UMass Lowell River Hawks
1998 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Family Arena		 Host of Lockdown
2008 		Succeeded by
Liacouras Center

Coordinates: 42°39′01″N 71°18′48″W / 42.650228°N 71.313248°W / 42.650228; -71.313248

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