EnergySolutions Arena From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
EnergySolutions Arena "ESA" Former names Delta Center (1991-2006) Salt Lake Ice Center (2002 Winter Olympics) Location 301 W South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah 84101 Broke ground May 22, 1990 Opened October 4, 1991 Owner Larry H. Miller Operator Larry H. Miller Construction cost $93 million USD Capacity Basketball: 19,911 Hockey / Ice Floor: 14,000 Concert in the round: 20,000 End stage concert: 15,000 Dirt show: 15,000 Tenants Utah Jazz (NBA) (1991-present) Utah Blaze (AFL) (2006-present) Utah Starzz (WNBA) (1997-2002) Utah Grizzlies (IHL) (1995-1997) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1991-1994) The EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States owned by Larry H. Miller. The arena seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats. Opened in 1991, the arena was known as the Delta Center until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights, effective November 20, 2006. The arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz. In 2006, the arena became the home of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. It was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics (during the Olympics, the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center). Contents [hide] 1 History 1.1 Renaming 1.2 John Stockton and Karl Malone Statues 2 Notable Events 3 References 4 External links [edit] History The arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats.[1] 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.[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.[3] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] June 2005 photo of the venue, 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 arena's roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing $3,757,000 to repair.[7] 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. In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the arena has also been the home of the WNBA's Utah Starzz from 1997-2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991-1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995-1997 both of the International Hockey League. It also is and has been the host of the Utah Basketball League Salt Lake Devils since October 2005, the league's creation. The movie Legally Blonde 2 was partially filmed in the arena. Dan Roberts serves as the official EnergySolutions Arena public address voice for the Jazz. He has been the Jazz' home game announcer since before the arena was built.[8] [edit] Renaming Until November 20, 2006, the arena was known as the Delta Center. 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.[9] 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.[10] The EnergySolutions temporary logos were replaced with official EnergySolutions logos on the court, sometime between the 12-16-06 game vs the Sacramento Kings and the 12-26-06 game vs the Los Angeles Clippers. A scene from Saturday's Voyeur, a local theater production, satirizes the renaming with the Utah Jazz mascot bear in a hazmat suit.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.[11] Other suggestions included the Glow Dome, Radium Stadium, the Isotope, ChernoBowl, JazzMat (short for Jazzardous Materials), the Big Bang, the Tox Box, the Power House, the Hot Spot, Plutonium Palace, the Fallout Shelter, the Melta Center, and Energy Pollutions Arena.[12] Many Salt Lake City residents still refer to it as the Delta Center.[citation needed] [edit] John Stockton and Karl Malone Statues Outside of the arena are statues of two players regarded as among the greatest in the history of the Jazz. The John Stockton Statue was unveiled on March 30th, 2005. The Karl Malone Statue was unveiled on March 23rd, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights but both games were lost. [edit] Notable Events Home of the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships The figure skating and short track speed skating competitions were held there during the 2002 Winter Olympics Hosted a sold out Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour concert in 2005. The group performed a two song performance via satellite for the 2005 American Music Awards, with an introduction by Nicole Richie. U2 played a sold out concert here during their Vertigo Tour Josh Groban's live concert DVD, Awake Live was filmed at the arena in 2007. Blue Man Group Performed their famed "How To Be A Megastar Tour" at the arena on October 30th, 2006, and February 2nd, 2008. Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus performed two sold out concerts here during her Best of Both Worlds Tour. One of the concerts was filmed and released in 2008 in Disney Digital 3D in select theaters for a limited run worldwide and on DVD. Hosted auditions for the eighth season of American Idol on July 29, 2008.[13] Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire will perform their 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008 at the arena on October 10, 2008. Celine Dion will perform her Taking Chances Tour at the arena on November 21, 2008. Will host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
[edit] References ^ Hemphill, Lex (1991-09-29). "Will Delta Center Pack in the Fans? Ticket Sales Say Yes", Salt Lake Tribune, p. A6. ^ Sandomir, Richard (1991-10-21). "Truss erection system scores at Utah arena", Engineering News-Record vol. 226, p. 16. ^ Kragthorpe, Kurt (1991-10-17). "Eagles Disappoint", Salt Lake Tribune, p. C1. ^ Rosetta, Dick (1991-10-17). "Golden Eagles Jazz up Delta Center", Salt Lake Tribune, p. C1. ^ Luhm, Steve (1991-10-24). "Knicks win to spoil Jazz debut", Salt Lake Tribune, p. D1. ^ Butters, Lori (1991-10-24). "Elfman makes Delta Center roll in rock-concert debut", Salt Lake Tribune, p. D1. ^ "A REAL TWISTER: 1 Year Later: A Whirlwind of Memories; Salt Lake City recalls devastating tornado that changed lives forever", Salt Lake Tribune (2000-08-10). ^ Fricks, Patti T (1991-05-11). "Palace Earsplitting But Not Deafening", Salt Lake Tribune, p. A1. ^ "Delta Center's out, EnergySolutions Arena is in", Salt Lake Tribune (2006-11-20). ; see also Cortez, Marjorie (2006-11-21). "EnergySolutions Arena? It's a mouthful", Deseret Morning News. ^ Koreen, Mike (2006-11-21). "Utah understands Hoffa", Toronto Sun. ^ Gorrell, Mike (2006-11-21). "Arena's new name a winner, Miller says", Salt Lake Tribune. ^ Sandomir, Richard (2006-11-29). "In Utah, the Half-Life of Arena Naming Rights", New York Times. Also available from Commercial Alert. ^ Who Will Be The Next Singing Superstar? - American Idol News [edit] External links Official site Preceded by Salt Palace Home of the Utah Jazz 1991 – present Succeeded by current Preceded by Orlando Arena Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1993 Succeeded by Target Center Coordinates: 40°46′5.90″N 111°54′4.33″W / 40.7683056, -111.9012028
Current arenas in the National Basketball Association Eastern Conference Air Canada Centre · American Airlines Arena · Amway Arena · Bradley Center · Conseco Fieldhouse · Izod Center · Madison Square Garden · The Palace of Auburn Hills · Philips Arena · Quicken Loans Arena · TD Banknorth Garden · Time Warner Cable Arena · United Center · Verizon Center · Wachovia Center Western Conference American Airlines Center · ARCO Arena · AT&T Center · EnergySolutions Arena · FedExForum · Ford Center · New Orleans Arena · Oracle Arena · Pepsi Center · Rose Garden · Staples Center · Target Center · Toyota Center · US Airways Center [show]v • d • eCurrent arenas in the Arena Football League American Conference Allstate Arena | EnergySolutions Arena | HP Pavilion | Sprint Center | Pepsi Center | Staples Center | US Airways Center | Van Andel Arena National Conference American Airlines Center | Amway Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Nationwide Arena | New Orleans Arena | Arena at Gwinnett Center | Quicken Loans Arena | St. Pete Times Forum | Wachovia Center1 | Wachovia Spectrum2 1The Philadelphia Soul play Sunday home games at the Wachovia Center. 2The Philadelphia Soul play Saturday home games at the Wachovia Spectrum. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EnergySolutions_Arena" Categories: Arena football venues | Basketball venues in the United States | National Basketball Association venues | Buildings and structures in Salt Lake City, Utah | College basketball venues | 1991 establishments | 2002 Winter Olympics venues | Indoor arenas in the United States | Sports in Salt Lake City, Utah | Sports venues in Utah | Utah Jazz | Utah Starzz
Jamaal Al-Din
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