KeyArena

Stadium name	KeyArena
Former name	Seattle Center Coliseum (1962–1994)
Location	305 Harrison Street,Seattle, Washington 98109
Coordinates
Opened	1962
Renovated	1994-95
Owner	City of Seattle
Operator	City of Seattle
Construction cost	$74.5 million(1995 renovation)
Architect	NBBJ
Tenants	Seattle Totems - WHL/CHL - (1962–1975)Seattle Redhawks - NCAA - (1963–1980, 2008– )Seattle SuperSonics - NBA(1967–1978, 1985–1994, 1995–2008)Seattle Storm - WNBA - (2000– )Seattle Thunderbirds - WHL - (1977–2009)Seattle SeaDogs - CISL - (1995–1997)Washington Huskies - NCAA - (1999–2000)Rat City Rollergirls - WFTDA (2009– )
Seating capacity	Basketball: 17,072Ice hockey: 15,177Concert: 16,641Boxing: 17,459

KeyArena at Seattle Center, commonly known as KeyArena, is a multipurpose arena in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition.. The Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team are currently the arena's longest serving tenant, having played in the arena from 1963–1980 and 2009 to present. Rat City Rollergirls of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association have been a tenant since 2009.

KeyArena was also home to the NBA's Seattle SuperSonics and the WHL's Seattle Thunderbirds. On July 2, 2008, the Oklahoma City based ownership group of the SuperSonics reached a settlement deal with the City of Seattle, releasing the team from the last two years of their lease with the city and allowing the team to relocate to Oklahoma City for the 2008-09 NBA season. After 41 seasons in Seattle (& Tacoma), the team became the Oklahoma City Thunder and the owners agreed to leave the SuperSonics name, logo, and colors in Seattle for a possible future NBA franchise. The Thunderbirds, who had called the KeyArena home for 32 years, followed the SuperSonics out the door at the end of 2008 for a new arena in nearby Kent.

KeyArena is the first publicly financed arena in the area fully supported by earned income from the building.

History

Seattle Center Coliseum

The arena began life in 1962 as the Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition. After the close of the Exposition the Pavilion was remodeled as the Washington State Coliseum, one of the centerpieces of the new Seattle Center (the former Exposition grounds). When the newly renovated Coliseum opened the Seattle University men's basketball team became the arena's first major tenant. The Coliseum became home to the Seattle SuperSonics beginning with their inaugural season in 1967 and remained so throughout most of the team's lifetime. The Washington State Coliseum would later be renamed the Seattle Center Coliseum; operated by the City of Seattle and named after the Seattle Center grounds.

The Seattle Center Coliseum was the site of the only NBA game that was ever forfeited on account of rain. On January 5, 1986 the Sonics were hosting the Phoenix Suns during a rainstorm. Rain from the Coliseum roof leaked onto the court. Timeouts were called so ball boys armed with towels could do their best to stay ahead of the puddles, but even so, two players slipped and fell on the wet surface. Finally, during the second half, referee Mike Mathis called the game.

The arena also hosted the 1974 NBA All-Star Game on January 15, 1974.

Notable concerts include: The Beatles, on August 21, 1964, Elvis Presley, on November 12, 1970, David Bowie on February 3, 1976, Queen in 1978, during their Jazz Tour, in 1980, during The Game Tour & in 1982, during their Hot Space Tour, Nirvana on September 11th, 1992 during their Nevermind tour, and the bands final US concerts on January 6th and 7th of 1994 on their In Utero tour. Oasis in 1998 during their Be Here Now Tour and Queen + Paul Rodgers on April 10, 2006.

Hometown band Pearl Jam have performed at the arena numerous times including: September 16, 1996 (No Code Tour), November 5 & 6, 2000 (Binaural Tour, supported by the Red Hot Chili Peppers), December 8 & 9, 2002 (warm up shows for the Riot Act Tour), and September 21 & 22, 2009 (Backspacer Tour).

A notable performance by Metallica was in 1989, when they were supporting the Damaged Justice Tour. Their performance at the Coliseum was one of their first large arena concerts and it was filmed for their album.

The cast members of the film High School Musical performed at the arena during their Tour, on December 11, 2006, with Jordan Pruitt as their opening act.

Rebirth as KeyArena

The Coliseum was rebuilt between 1994 and 1995, bringing the arena up to NBA standards of the day. The local Seattle office of NBBJ, the second largest architectural firm in the country, was chosen as the architects. In an unusual move, the Coliseum would be closed for a year during the renovation. Construction began on June 16, 1994. The renovation cost the city of Seattle $74.5 million and the SuperSonics approximately $21 million. The naming rights cost KeyCorp $15.1 million.

The remodeled arena maintained the architectural integrity of the original roofline by using the existing steel trusses in combination with four new main diagonal trusses. The wood, steel and concrete from the demolition was either reused in construction of the new arena or sold to recyclers. The original acoustical panels, the panels attached to the roof that keep the space from echoing, were refurbished and reused. The court was lowered 35 feet (10.5 m) below street level to allow for 3,000 more seats. The doors opened on the newly renovated arena on October 26, 1995.

The first regular season game for the SuperSonics was played on November 4, 1995, against the Los Angeles Lakers. It hosted the 1996 NBA Finals, when the SuperSonics lost to the Chicago Bulls. The last SuperSonics game played there was on April 13, 2008, a 99-95 win over the Dallas Mavericks.

Once KeyArena lost its major tenant, there was speculation that KeyCorp may try to amend the naming rights deal. In March 2009, the city and KeyCorp signed a new deal for a two-year term ending December 31, 2010, at an annual fee of $300,000.

In 2009 the arena hosted the WWE No Way Out Pay-Per-View

In April 2011, the Professional Bull Riders will bring the Built Ford Tough Series to KeyArena for the first time.

Controversy

In late 2004, proposals for expanding KeyArena to nearly twice its current size to accommodate new restaurants, shops, and a practice court (the cost was estimated at $220 million) were debated. These proposals never came to fruition and were cited by current and former SuperSonics' owners as a reason KeyArena is no longer viable.

Gallery

References

Notes

}}

Category:Sports venues in Seattle, Washington Category:1962 establishments Category:Basketball venues in Washington (U.S. state) Category:Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Category:Indoor soccer venues in the United States Category:Roller derby venues Category:Defunct National Basketball Association venues Category:Seattle Storm Category:Seattle SuperSonics venues Category:Seattle Center Category:Western Hockey League arenas