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Coordinates: 34°51′10″N 82°23′29″W / 34.852789°N 82.391458°W / 34.852789; -82.391458
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{{Short description|Arena in Greenville, South Carolina, United States}}
{{Infobox Stadium | stadium_name=BI-LO Center
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2019}}
| image=
{{Infobox venue
| location=650 N. Academy Street<br>[[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville, SC]] 29601
| stadium_name = Bon Secours Wellness Arena
| borke_ground=1998
| nickname = The Well
| opened=September 1998
| former_names = BI-LO Center (1998–2013)
| owner=ScheerSports, Inc.
| logo_image = Bon Secours Wellness Arena logo.svg
| construction_cost=$63 million
| image = BonSecoursArenaGRN.jpg
| architect=Odell Associates<br>AMI Associates
| caption = Bon Secours Wellness Arena in 2016
| tenants= [[Greenville ECHL team|Greenville]] ([[ECHL]]) (2010-future)<br>[[Greenville Force]] ([[Southern Indoor Football League|SIFL]]) (2009-present)<br>[[Greenville Grrrowl]] ([[ECHL]]) (1998-2006)<br>[[Carolina Rhinos]] ([[AF2|
| pushpin_map = South Carolina#USA
Arena Football2]]) (2000-2002)<br>[[Greenville Groove]] ([[NBA Development League|NBDL]]) (2001-2003)
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within South Carolina##Location within the United States
| seating_capacity=Hockey: 13,707<br>Basketball: 14,897<br>Concert (Center Stage): 15,951<br>Concert (End Stage): 11,000-14,000
| pushpin_relief = 1
| pushpin_label = Bon Secours Wellness Arena
| address = 650 North Academy Street
| location = [[Greenville, South Carolina]], U.S.
| coordinates = {{coord|34.852789|-82.391458|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
| broke_ground = March 7, 1996<ref>{{cite news |title=Bi-Lo Center Breaking Ground Today in Downtown Greenville|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=z7YeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=bs8EAAAAIBAJ&pg=3873,1421851&dq=en|newspaper=[[Spartanburg Herald-Journal]]|date=March 7, 1996|access-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref>
| opened = September 3, 1998<ref>{{cite news |title=On the Town|first=Prentiss|last=Findlay|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=PZpIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PwoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=6091,717914&dq=en|newspaper=[[The Post and Courier]]|location=Charleston, SC|date=September 3, 1998|access-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref> (25 years ago)
| closed =
| demolished =
| owner = Greenville Arena District
| operator = Greenville Arena District
| construction_cost = $63 million<br />(121 Million in 2024)
| architect = Odell Associates<br />AMI Associates
| project_manager = International Facilities Group, LLC.<ref name="IFG">{{cite web |title=Bi-Lo Center|url=http://www.ifgroup.cc/content/?section=506&section2=508&section3=514&page=514|publisher=International Facilities Group|access-date=October 23, 2011}}</ref>
| structural engineer = [[Geiger Engineers|Geiger Engineers PC]]
| services engineer =
| general_contractor = [[Fluor Corporation|Fluor Daniel]]<ref name="IFG"/>
| tenants = [[Greenville Grrrowl]] ([[ECHL]]) (1998–2006)<br />[[Carolina Rhinos]] ([[AF2]]) (2000–2002)<br />[[Greenville Groove]] ([[National Basketball Development League|NBDL]]) (2001–2003)<br />[[South Carolina Force]] ([[American Indoor Football Association|AIFA]]) (2009)<br />[[Greenville Force]] ([[Southern Indoor Football League|SIFL]]) (2010)<br />[[Greenville Swamp Rabbits]] (ECHL) (2010&ndash;present)<br />[[Clemson Tigers men's basketball]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) (2015–2016)
| seating_capacity = Hockey: 13,951 <br />Basketball: 15,000 <br />Concert (Center Stage): 16,000 <br />Concert (End Stage): 14,500
| website = {{url|bonsecoursarena.com}}
}}
}}
The '''BI-LO Center''' is an [[arena]] located in downtown [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]], [[South Carolina]] that is used for [[concert]]s. It was once used for basketball and ice hockey games, but currently the only tenant is the [[Greenville Force]] of the [[Southern Indoor Football League]].


'''Bon Secours Wellness Arena''' (formerly the '''BI-LO Center'''; {{A.k.a.}} The Well) is a [[multi-purpose arena]] in [[Greenville, South Carolina]], United States. The arena serves as the home of the [[Greenville Swamp Rabbits]] of the [[ECHL]].
== History ==
The '''BI-LO Center''' was built in 1998 at a cost of [[United States dollar|US$]]63 million to replace Greenville's outdated and under-repaired [[Greenville Memorial Auditorium]], which was imploded on a site located across the street from the new arena in September 1997.<ref>via [[Associated Press]]. [http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CS&s_site=thestate&p_multi=CS&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB586B4639B5E49&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM "GREENVILLE MEMORIAL AUDITORIUM IS HISTORY"], ''[[The State (newspaper)]]'', September 21, 1997. Accessed April 5, 2008.</ref> The arena was named for [[BI-LO (United States)|BI-LO]], a regional grocery store chain headquartered in the Greenville area that paid for the arena's [[naming rights]]. When it was built, the BI-LO Center was the largest arena in the state of South Carolina, a distinction it held until 2002, when the [[Colonial Center]] was built in [[Columbia, South Carolina]].


==History==
As a concert venue, the BI-LO Center can seat between 11,000 and 15,951 spectators, depending on the positioning of the stage. The arena features 30 luxury suites and 840 club seats.
The arena opened as the BI-LO Center in 1998, and cost [[United States dollar|US $]]63 million. It replaced Greenville's outdated and under-repaired [[Greenville Memorial Auditorium]]&mdash;located across the street from the new arena&mdash;imploded on September 20, 1997.<ref>{{cite news |title=Greenville Memorial Auditorium Is History|agency=Associated Press|url=http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CS&s_site=thestate&p_multi=CS&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB586B4639B5E49&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM|newspaper=[[The State (newspaper)|The State]]|location=Greenville, SC|date=September 21, 1997|access-date=April 5, 2008}}</ref> The arena naming rights were purchased by Dutch grocer [[Ahold]], then-owner of [[BI-LO (United States)|BI-LO]], which had been founded in nearby [[Mauldin, South Carolina|Mauldin]] and was still based there at the time. When it was built, it passed [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]'s [[Carolina Coliseum]] as the largest arena in the state of South Carolina, a distinction it held until 2002, when [[Colonial Life Arena]] was built in [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia.]]


On September 18, 2013, the BI-LO Center was officially renamed the Bon Secours Wellness Arena after the [[Bon Secours Health System (USA)|Bon Secours Health System]] purchased the naming rights.
The arena floor measures {{convert|113|ft|m}} wide by {{convert|229|ft|m}} long. There are 7,472 seats in the upper bowl and 4,809 permanent seats and 1,290 retractable seats in the lower bowl.


Bon Secours Wellness Arena was one of two regional hosts during the [[2023 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament|2023 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Tournament]], alongside [[Climate Pledge Arena]] in Seattle.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-03-28 |title=Women's NCAA Tournament Greenville Regionals TV schedule: Elite Eight scores, results, teams, seeds |url=https://www.cbssports.com/womens-college-basketball/news/womens-ncaa-tournament-greenville-regionals-tv-schedule-elite-eight-scores-results-teams-seeds/ |access-date=2023-11-14 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref> This was the first season the NCAA had two regional brackets in each city, instead of the traditional set-up of four cities, one for each regional bracket.
The BI-LO Center hosted the [[Southern Conference]] men's basketball tournaments in 2000 and 2001 as well first and second round games during the [[2002 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament|2002 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament]]. However, the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]] has since implemented a policy to not hold tournament games in either South Carolina or Mississippi, following a recommendation from the [[NAACP]] that was intended to call attention to the [[Confederate flag]] on display next to a monument on the grounds of the [[South Carolina State House]]. As a result, the BI-LO Center has not hosted an NCAA Tournament game since 2002. College basketball made its return to Greenville in 2005, when the [[Southeastern Conference|SEC]] Women's Basketball Tournament was played at the BI-LO Center, in an emergency situation which turned futile. The [[Philips Arena]] in Atlanta was the scheduled site for the tournament, but backed out in the summer of 2004 because of logistics following plans for the [[56th NHL All-Star Game|54th NHL All-Star Game]] which was to be held just six weeks before the 2005 SEC Women's Basketball Tournament. Once the plans were announced, the SEC had moved that tournament to Greenville, with considerable protest from the NAACP. Even with the [[2004–05 NHL lockout]], the SEC kept the tournament in Greenville, which is {{convert|140|mi|km}} east of Atlanta.


===Seating capacity===
The arena has also served as the home for the [[Greenville Groove]] (2001–2003), one of the original members of the [[NBA Development League]], as well as the [[Carolina Rhinos]] football team (2000–2002), one of the inaugural members of [[af2]], the [[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|Arena Football League]]'s minor league, as well as the [[Greenville Grrrowl]] of the [[ECHL]] (1998–2006), hosting the 2002 [[Kelly Cup]] Finals. Starting in 2009, the BI-LO Center has a regular tenant again with the [[Greenville Force]] of the [[Southern Indoor Football League]].
As a concert venue, the Bon Secours Wellness Arena can seat approximately 15,000 spectators, depending on the positioning of the stage. In addition, the arena features 30 luxury suites and 840 club seats.{{Citation needed|date=August 2021}}

The [[Professional Bull Riders|PBR]]'s [[Built Ford Tough Series]] made a tour stop at the BI-LO Center in 2005; this event was noted for being the first career BFTS win for 2008 PBR World Champion [[Guilherme Marchi]].

Currently, the BI-LO Center also regularly hosts a wide variety of events such as [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]], [[professional wrestling]], [[monster truck]] rallies, [[motocross]] racing, professional ice skating, such as the [[Champions on Ice]], and [[ice dancing]] shows and competitions, [[dog show]]s, and concerts spanning many different musical genres.

Normally, the South Carolina High School League Upper State basketball finals would be held in the arena, but it was moved to [[Littlejohn Coliseum]] because of the 2008 [[Bassmaster Classic]] weigh-in ceremonies, and therefore was held at the Bi-Lo Center.

The arena hosted [[TNA Wrestling]]'s [[Pay-Per-View]] [[TNA Against All Odds#2008|Against All Odds]] on February 10, 2008. On April 21, 2008 it hosted the [[King of the Ring]] edition of [[World Wrestling Entertainment|WWE]] [[WWE Raw|Monday Night Raw]].

Recently great artists or music groups such as [[Eagles]], [[Yanni]] have performed there. On April 21, 2009, world known musician [[Yanni]] performed [[Yanni Voices]] there.

Also, [[Demi Lovato]] will be performing there on August 4, 2009, as part of her summer tour.

On July 14, 2009, [[Bruce Springsteen]] announced that he, along with the legendary [[E Street Band]], will be performing there on September 16, 2009. It is slated to be the biggest event at the arena to date.

On February 14, 2010 [[Johnstown Chiefs]] of the [[ECHL]] annouced that the team would be moving to Greenville, SC from Johnstown, PA for the 2010-2011 season and had signed a 5 year deal with the BI-LO Center to play there. This ends a 5 year hockey drought in Greenville after the Grrowl of the ECHL folded. Greenville has a rich minor league hockey history with the Grrowl winning the Kelley Cup in 2002. http://www.johnstownchiefs.com/news/index.html?article_id=628

It has also been rumored that the Chiefs may be working an agreement with the [[Clemson University]] Ice Tigers to do some co-promotions. This would allow the Clemson team to move play into the BI-LO Center as well, and with the great Clemson fan base expose more folks to hockey. http://www.clemson.goalline.ca/


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{s-start}}
==External links==
{{succession box
*{{Official|http://www.bilocenter.com}}
| title = Host of [[Against All Odds (2008)|Against All Odds]]

| years = 2008
{{coord|34.852789|-82.391458|type:landmark|display=title}}
| before = [[Impact Wrestling Zone|TNA Impact! Zone]]

| after = [[Impact Wrestling Zone|TNA Impact! Zone]]
{{SIFL Arenas}}
}}

{{end}}
[[Category:Arena football venues]]
{{ECHL Arenas}}
[[Category:Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States]]
{{Greenville, South Carolina}}
[[Category:PBR venues]]
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:Greenville, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Sports venues in South Carolina]]


[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1998]]
[[fr:Bi-Lo Center]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Greenville, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Greenville Groove]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in South Carolina]]
[[Category:Ice hockey venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Greenville, South Carolina]]
[[Category:Indoor arenas in South Carolina]]

Latest revision as of 03:31, 27 November 2024

Bon Secours Wellness Arena
The Well
Bon Secours Wellness Arena in 2016
Bon Secours Wellness Arena is located in South Carolina
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Location within South Carolina
Bon Secours Wellness Arena is located in the United States
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Location within the United States
Former namesBI-LO Center (1998–2013)
Address650 North Academy Street
LocationGreenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates34°51′10″N 82°23′29″W / 34.852789°N 82.391458°W / 34.852789; -82.391458
OwnerGreenville Arena District
OperatorGreenville Arena District
CapacityHockey: 13,951
Basketball: 15,000
Concert (Center Stage): 16,000
Concert (End Stage): 14,500
Construction
Broke groundMarch 7, 1996[1]
OpenedSeptember 3, 1998[3] (25 years ago)
Construction cost$63 million
(121 Million in 2024)
ArchitectOdell Associates
AMI Associates
Project managerInternational Facilities Group, LLC.[2]
Structural engineerGeiger Engineers PC
General contractorFluor Daniel[2]
Tenants
Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL) (1998–2006)
Carolina Rhinos (AF2) (2000–2002)
Greenville Groove (NBDL) (2001–2003)
South Carolina Force (AIFA) (2009)
Greenville Force (SIFL) (2010)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) (2010–present)
Clemson Tigers men's basketball (NCAA) (2015–2016)
Website
bonsecoursarena.com

Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the BI-LO Center; a.k.a. The Well) is a multi-purpose arena in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The arena serves as the home of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

History

[edit]

The arena opened as the BI-LO Center in 1998, and cost US $63 million. It replaced Greenville's outdated and under-repaired Greenville Memorial Auditorium—located across the street from the new arena—imploded on September 20, 1997.[4] The arena naming rights were purchased by Dutch grocer Ahold, then-owner of BI-LO, which had been founded in nearby Mauldin and was still based there at the time. When it was built, it passed Columbia's Carolina Coliseum as the largest arena in the state of South Carolina, a distinction it held until 2002, when Colonial Life Arena was built in Columbia.

On September 18, 2013, the BI-LO Center was officially renamed the Bon Secours Wellness Arena after the Bon Secours Health System purchased the naming rights.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena was one of two regional hosts during the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Tournament, alongside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.[5] This was the first season the NCAA had two regional brackets in each city, instead of the traditional set-up of four cities, one for each regional bracket.

Seating capacity

[edit]

As a concert venue, the Bon Secours Wellness Arena can seat approximately 15,000 spectators, depending on the positioning of the stage. In addition, the arena features 30 luxury suites and 840 club seats.[citation needed]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bi-Lo Center Breaking Ground Today in Downtown Greenville". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 7, 1996. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  2. ^ a b "Bi-Lo Center". International Facilities Group. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
  3. ^ Findlay, Prentiss (September 3, 1998). "On the Town". The Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  4. ^ "Greenville Memorial Auditorium Is History". The State. Greenville, SC. Associated Press. September 21, 1997. Retrieved April 5, 2008.
  5. ^ "Women's NCAA Tournament Greenville Regionals TV schedule: Elite Eight scores, results, teams, seeds". CBSSports.com. March 28, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
Preceded by Host of Against All Odds
2008 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Bon_Secours_Wellness_Arena&oldid=1259803231"