Petersen Events Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Petersen Events Center | |
|---|---|
| Location | 2147 Terrace Street Pittsburgh, PA 15260 |
| Broke ground | June 15,2000 |
| Opened | April 27, 2002 |
| Owner | The University of Pittsburgh |
| Operator | SMG Facility Management |
| Surface | Hardwood Basketball Court |
| Construction cost | $119 million |
| Architect | Apostolou Associates Rosser International of Atlanta |
| Tenants | |
| Pittsburgh Panthers (NCAA) (2002-Present) Pittsburgh Xplosion (ABA/CBA) (2006-Present) |
|
| Capacity | |
| 12,508 | |
The John M. and Gertrude E. Petersen Events Center is a 12,508-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It hosts the men's and women's Pitt Panthers basketball teams.
The arena opened in 2002 on part of the former site of Pitt Stadium, which housed the university's football team from 1925 to 1999. The Pitt basketball program makes its home here, moving over from Fitzgerald Field House. The new building also meant that Pitt no longer had to play certain games at the Civic Arena, due to its capacity being big enough to house crowds for rivalry matchups.
Its first event was a Counting Crows concert. For concerts the Center seats 9,000 for end-stage shows, 14,763 for center-stage shows.
The arena features 16,000 square feet of lobby space, 18 luxury suites, including five courtside luxury suites (the only college arena with courtside suites) and a 193-seat SuperSuite.
Two nicknames have been spawned by this new venue. It is dubbed "The Pete," and the raucous student section inside is known as the "Oakland Zoo." Oakland is the neighborhood where Pitt and "The Pete" are located.
The section known as the "Oakland Zoo" is composed of the sections across from the team benches and next to the court. The students in the Zoo wear gold T-shirts with the words "Oakland Zoo" in some way, shape or form across the front. This layout and unity is a large factor in why the Pete is such a tough place to play for opposing teams. In fact, Pitt has lost only one home non-conference game since the Panthers moved into the Pete.
In 2006, Sports Illustrated surveyed the Big East Conference's basketball players, and the Pete was named the "Toughest Place to Play," with specific players mentioning the Oakland Zoo and the fans' creativity. In 2007, "The Pete" will host first and second round games of the NCAA Women's Division I Tournament.
John Petersen is a native of nearby Erie, Pennsylvania and is the retired President and CEO of Erie Insurance Group.
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| Current Basketball Arenas in the Big East |
|---|
| Alumni Hall (Providence women) •Allstate Arena (DePaul men) • Bradley Center (Marquette men) • Carnesecca Arena (St. John's) • Carrier Dome (Syracuse) • Continental Airlines Arena (Seton Hall men) • Dunkin' Donuts Center (Providence men) • Fifth Third Arena (Cincinnati) • Freedom Hall (Louisville) • Gampel Pavilion (Connecticut) • Hartford Civic Center (Connecticut) • Joyce Center (Notre Dame) • Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers) • Madison Square Garden (St. John's men) • McDonough Gymnasium (Georgetown women) • McGuire Center (Marquette women) • The Pavilion (Villanova) • Petersen Events Center (Pittsburgh) • Sullivan Athletic Center (DePaul women) • USF Sun Dome (South Florida) • Verizon Center (Georgetown men) • Wachovia Center (Villanova) • Walsh Gymnasium (Seton Hall women) • WVU Coliseum (West Virginia) |
