T-Mobile Center: Difference between revisions
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==Details== |
==Details== |
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[[Image:Sprint Center entrance Kansas City Missouri.jpg|220px|left|thumb|Sprint Center entrance from Grand Boulevard.]] |
[[Image:Sprint Center entrance Kansas City Missouri.jpg|220px|left|thumb|Sprint Center entrance from Grand Boulevard.]] |
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[[Groundbreaking|Ground was broken]] for the arena on June 24, 2005, and construction completed on October |
[[Groundbreaking|Ground was broken]] for the arena on June 24, 2005, and construction completed on October 11, 2007. The final design, by the Downtown Arena Design Team (a collaboration of the architectural firms HOK Sport, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects and Ellerbe Becket), was selected in August 2005. The construction manager responsible for the entire project was M.A. Mortenson Company, based out of Minneapolis, MN. The complete exterior glass facade system, all metal panels for the adjacent buildings and all accessory metal cladding was custom designed, detailed and supplied by Overgaard Ltd., Hong Kong. In total there is approximately 13.000m² (139,932 square feet) of double insulated glass and 5.000m² (53,820 square feet) painted aluminum curtain wall panels. In addition there are roughly 200 tons of system profiles and accessories. All of the 2,404 individual glass units on the main building where produced sequentially and completely assembled prior to shipping. The arena also features a work of [[public art]], The Moons, by artist [[Chris Doyle]], commissioned by the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission. |
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The [[Big 12 Conference]] men's basketball tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in 2008, marking the tournament's return to Kansas City after three years in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] and [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|Oklahoma City]]. Women's basketball will take place at the nearby [[Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City)|Municipal Auditorium]]. |
The [[Big 12 Conference]] men's basketball tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in 2008, marking the tournament's return to Kansas City after three years in [[Dallas, Texas|Dallas]] and [[Oklahoma City, Oklahoma|Oklahoma City]]. Women's basketball will take place at the nearby [[Municipal Auditorium (Kansas City)|Municipal Auditorium]]. |
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Revision as of 15:53, 19 March 2009
"Giving Kansas City Reason to Cheer" | |
File:Sprint Center logo Kansas City MO.jpg | |
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| Location | 1407 Grand Boulevard Kansas City, MO 64106 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Operator | AEG |
| Capacity | 18,500 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 24, 2005 |
| Opened | October 10, 2007 |
| Construction cost | $276 million |
| Architect | Downtown Arena Design Team: 360 Architecture Ellerbe Becket HOK Sport Rafael Architects |
| Tenants | |
| Kansas City Brigade (AFL) (2008-) | |
Sprint Center is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. [1] The building is located at 14th Street and Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District. The arena's title sponsor is the telecommunications company Sprint, whose world headquarters is in nearby Overland Park, Kansas.
Sprint Center opened to the public on October 10, 2007, and a concert on October 13, 2007 by Elton John was the first event held at the arena. [2] [3] The arena is estimated to seat 18,500 people and to have 72 suites. Sprint Center has effectively replaced Kemper Arena, which was built in 1974 just a few miles away in the southern portion of the West Bottoms. Additionally, the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame is connected to and located directly north of Sprint Center.
Sprint Center hosted the 2008 Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament, and in addition will host the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Men's Tournament and the regional rounds of the 2010 NCAA Women's Tournament.
Kansas City has also entered into discussions with the NHL and the NBA regarding possible expansion or relocation of a professional hockey and/or basketball franchise for the arena.[citation needed]
Details
Ground was broken for the arena on June 24, 2005, and construction completed on October 11, 2007. The final design, by the Downtown Arena Design Team (a collaboration of the architectural firms HOK Sport, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects and Ellerbe Becket), was selected in August 2005. The construction manager responsible for the entire project was M.A. Mortenson Company, based out of Minneapolis, MN. The complete exterior glass facade system, all metal panels for the adjacent buildings and all accessory metal cladding was custom designed, detailed and supplied by Overgaard Ltd., Hong Kong. In total there is approximately 13.000m² (139,932 square feet) of double insulated glass and 5.000m² (53,820 square feet) painted aluminum curtain wall panels. In addition there are roughly 200 tons of system profiles and accessories. All of the 2,404 individual glass units on the main building where produced sequentially and completely assembled prior to shipping. The arena also features a work of public art, The Moons, by artist Chris Doyle, commissioned by the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission.
The Big 12 Conference men's basketball tournament will take place at the Sprint Center in 2008, marking the tournament's return to Kansas City after three years in Dallas and Oklahoma City. Women's basketball will take place at the nearby Municipal Auditorium.
The arena also houses the headquarters of the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. Which, is located at 1301 Grand Boulevard connected to the Sprint Center.
The outside of the arena is entirely glass. Inside it has state of the art technology with a 360 degree LED video screen. This facility allows Kansas City to draw most concerts touring the United States. There has been speculation of an NBA or NHL team relocating to the Sprint Center, but as of yet no definitive plans have been announced. The city was given an NHL franchise in 1974, the Kansas City Scouts, but due to poor attendance and support, the Scouts moved in 1976 to Colorado, and eventually to New Jersey. [4] [5] In 1972, the Cincinnati Royals basketball team moved to Kansas City to become the Kings. The NBA franchise left for Sacramento, California after the 1985 season.
Sprint Center opened on time and on budget on October 10th at 10:10 am. A tour lasted from 10:10 am - 10:10 pm for those who wanted to see it to grab a ticket at the box office. The tour consisted of the College Basketball Experience, two open concession stands: "Taco Taco" and "Oak Street Pizza"; a free drink from UMB Bank and other free items: a UMB Bank cup, a UMB Bank frisbee, and a UMB Bank ice scraper. UMB Bank is the only ATM in the new arena because it is a Sprint Center Founding Partner along with Farmland, The University of Kansas Hospital, QuikTrip, and Olevia. There are other Sprint Center Founding Partners: H&R Block, Toyota, American Century Investments, YRC Worldwide, and Time Warner Cable of Kansas City. The highest food price is around $9.00 and many visitors have found out that they can see every event from anywhere they sit.
Arena users
Concerts
Sprint Center has hosted many concerts since opening. The most well known of which are:
- Elton John - October 13, 2007 (Sold out in 90 minutes)
- Rascal Flatts - October 25, 2007
- Garth Brooks - November 5-12 and 14, 2007 (All nine shows sold out in under two hours) (November 14 show broadcast live in theaters)
- Hannah Montana with opening act Jonas Brothers - December 3, 2007 (Sold out in nine minutes)
- Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood - March 5, 2008
- Bon Jovi - April 17 and 22, 2008
- Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - August 2008
- Season 7 contestants of American Idol - August 29, 2008 and August 30, 2008
- Tina Turner - October 1 and 8, 2008 (First show sold out in two minutes)
- Luis Miguel - October 18, 2008
- Janet Jackson w/ opening act LL Cool J - October 24, 2008
- Metallica - October 25, 2008
- The Eagles - November 09, 2008
- Coldplay - November 13, 2008
- Celine Dion - January 3, 2009 (Sold out) (Rescheduled from November 15, 2008) Highest-grossing concert at Sprint Center.[6]
- Lil Wayne with opening acts T-Pain, Keyshia Cole, Gym Class Heroes, Keri Hilson, Gorilla Zoe - January 9, 2009
- AC/DC- January 21, 2009
- Britney Spears with opening act Pussycat Dolls - April 2, 2009
- Fleetwood Mac - May 8, 2009
Arena Football League
The Kansas City Brigade announced that they will move from their current home at Kemper Arena to Sprint Center beginning with the 2008 season. The Sprint Center will be able to hold 17,297 people for Arena Football and will also have 72 sold out suites. [7]
Possible major-league sports
William "Boots" Del Biaggio, III. made an offer to purchase the Nashville Predators of the NHL with the intention of bringing the team to the Sprint Center.[8] However, Del Biaggio has since joined a group of Nashville investors in an effort to keep the Predators in Nashville.[9] In June 2008 Kansas City's hopes to land the Predators took another blow as Del Biaggio ran into legal trouble over a multitude of unpaid loans, culminating in him filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, effectively ending any chance of Del Biaggio moving the Predators to Missouri. On 10 January 2007, three NBA teams were reported to have taken an interest in relocating: the Los Angeles Clippers, the Seattle SuperSonics, and an as-yet-unnamed franchise. [10] However, the Supersonics have since moved to Oklahoma City.
New York Islanders owner Charles Wang announced the Islanders will play a preseason game in September of 2009 at the Sprint Center. Local media reported that anonymous team sources stated the game was a test of the Kansas City market.[11]
Other Sporting Events
- The CBE Classic will be held every year at Sprint Center. The event was held on 19 November 2007 and 20 November 2007. It was also held 24 November 2008 and 25 November 2008.
- AVP Pro Beach Volleyball's Hot Winter Nights Tour was held at the Sprint Center on 12 January 2008.
- WWE SmackDown! and ECW was held at Sprint Center on 23 October 2007.
Other Events
- NCYC - Hosts the 2009 National Catholic Youth Convention. One weekend in November it attracts over 20,000+ youth from around the country.
Transportation
The arena's vicinity is served by five interstate highways:
and three U.S. Routes:
Kansas City International Airport, originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is located 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri.
The area also is served by the KCATA's bus rapid transit (BRT) line, the Metro Area Express, or MAX , which began service in July 2005. MAX links the River Market, Downtown, Union Station, Crown Center, Waldo, and the Country Club Plaza. By design, MAX operates and is marketed more like a rail system than a local bus line. A unique identity was created for MAX, including 13 modern diesel buses and easily identifiable “stations". MAX features state-of-the-art technology to deliver customers a high level of reliability, speed and comfort. Dedicated lanes during rush hour help give MAX a rapid, smooth ride, and special traffic signalization holds a green light longer, only if needed, to keep MAX on schedule. Limited stops resulted in reduced travel time between Downtown and the Plaza to about 10 minutes. MAX runs seven days a week from 5am to 1am. During rush hour periods, the buses make stops roughly every 10 minutes. The one-way fare is $1.25.
External links
- Sprint Center official website
- Anschutz Entertainment Group
- Sprint Center construction webcam
- Power And Light District construction Webcam
- The Moons, Public Art Project by Chris Doyle
References
- Kansas City in the Mix for Sonics - May 22, 2007 - Source: Kansas City Star
- Lemieux Meets With Kansas City Officials - January 3, 2007 - Source: TSN.ca
- Kansas City offers Penguins free rent, ownership stake - January 4, 2007 - Source: ESPN.com
- Penguins to aggressively explore relocation - March 5, 2007 - Source: ESPN.com
- Kansas City offers Penguins free rent - Source CBC
- ^ Ahttp://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.adp?formtype=address&addtohistory=&address=E%2014th%20St%20%26%20Grand%20Blvd&city=Kansas%20City&state=MO&zipcode=64106&country=US&geodiff=1
- ^ Elton John made Saturday night alright for a concert Kansas City Star, 13 October 2007.
- ^ Elton John to open Sprint Center Kansas City Star, 26 July 2007.
- ^ Covitz, Randy. Penguins owner says team will ‘explore relocation options’ Kansas City Star, 21 December 2006.
- ^ Conte, Andrew. Kansas City woos Penguins Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 15 December 2006.
- ^ Celine's World Tour Kicks Off 2009 with Record-Setting Concert in Kansas City! CelneDion.com, 9 January 2009.
- ^ Brigade plans move to Sprint Center Kansas City Star, 22 May 2007.
- ^ Duhatschek, Eric. Balsillie shouldn't overplay his hand Globe and Mail, 13 June
- ^ ESPN.com news services. Bettman says board could vote on Predators bid by November ESPN.com, 20 September 2007
- ^ Other Teams Express Interest in Sprint Center KMBC Channel 9 Kansas City, 10 January 2007.
- ^ Shoalts, David. Islanders' arena plans caught in red tape Globe and Mail, 20 January