Nationwide Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nationwide Arena | |
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| Location | 200 W. Nationwide Boulevard Columbus, OH 43215 |
| Opened | 2000 |
| Owner | Nationwide Financial Services |
| Operator | Columbus Blue Jackets with day to day operations managed by Spectacor Management Group (SMG) |
| Construction cost | $175 million |
| Architect | 360 Architecture (formerly Heinlein Schrock Stearns) & NBBJ |
| Tenants | |
| Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) (2000-present) Columbus Destroyers (AFL) (2004-present) Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL) (2006-present) Columbus Landsharks (NLL) (2001-2003) |
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| Capacity | |
| Hockey: 18,136 Arena football: 17,171 Basketball: 19,500 |
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Nationwide Arena is a sports and entertainment arena in Columbus, Ohio. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise in the National Hockey League, who were joined for the 2004 season by the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. It was also home to the Columbus Landsharks of the National Lacrosse League from 2001-2003. And, in 2006 it began hosting the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets, a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team that is a part of the United States Hockey League (USHL).
The venue is named for the arena's owner, Nationwide, whose home office is located nearby. Nationwide's real estate development affiliate, Nationwide Realty Investors, financed and developed the project—making it one of very few privately financed arenas in the nation.
The arena is of an attractive brick design and serves as the center of an entertainment district located about one half mile north of the Ohio State Capitol. Seating capacity is approximately 18,136 for hockey, 17,171 for arena football, 19,500 for basketball, and up to 20,000 for concerts. The death of 13 year-old Brittanie Cecil from injuries sustained from a hockey puck flying into the stands at a Blue Jackets game in 2002 led to the installation of nylon netting to catch pucks that fly over the acrylic glass at all professional ice hockey arenas in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
The area surrounding Nationwide Arena, appropriately called the Arena District, houses a variety of bars, clubs and a movie theater. Constructed as a seamless entity, Columbus uses the arena as a drawing point for the city with the various other establishments feeding off of the foot traffic. The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion concert venue, and Arena Grand Theatre adjacent to the Nationwide Arena property, completes the entertainment complex.
Nationwide Arena also houses a smaller ice rink called the Dispatch IceHaus (formerly named the CoreComm IceHaus). This facility serves as the practice rink for the Blue Jackets and is also used for youth hockey games and open skating times for the public. This facility makes Nationwide Arena the only NHL arena with an on-site practice facility.
Some people claim that Nationwide Arena is haunted. These claims stem from the fact that Nationwide was built at the site of Ohio State Penitentiary. Some claim the prison's electric chair was placed where center ice is today. Although believed to be built over the prison, the arena is actually built over the prison's former parking lot. Nationwide's parking lot is built where the jail formerly stood. Many prisoners died not only through executions, but also in a fire that killed hundred of prisons locked in their cells. Some fans and employee who frequent Nationwide claim experiencing paranormal activities. Whether skeptics or not, some Blue Jackets fans jokingly blame supernatural beings for unsuccessful seasons since the team's inception. [1]
It hosted the final World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) King of the Ring tournament in 2002 and the last WWE Bad Blood in 2004.
On Saturday, March 3, 2007, it will host UFC 68, an upcoming mixed martial arts event to be held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship. It will mark the first UFC event held in Ohio.
The arena will host the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Also, first and second round games of the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament were played there.
The Ultimate Sports Road Trip rated it the best arena in the NHL saying "This newer arena in downtown Columbus is the anchor for the emerging Arena District, already burgeoning with shops, restaurants and hotels. The venue is spectacular, from its nostalgic brick and stone veneer to its sweeping concourses with blue mood lighting and modern amenities. The arena bowl has state of the art scoreboards and surround LED graphics boards which look 21st century high tech. With a separate practice rink built right in the facility, theme restaurants and great food selection, not to mention a raucous hockey atmosphere, this NHL venue is a must see!" http://www.thesportsroadtrip.com/nhlfavorites.html
[edit] External links
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the Columbus Blue Jackets 2000–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Current arenas in the Arena Football League |
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| American Conference | National Conference | |
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| Allstate Arena | EnergySolutions Arena | HP Pavilion | Nashville Arena | Orleans Arena | Pepsi Center | Staples Center | US Airways Center | Van Andel Arena | American Airlines Center | Amway Arena | Frank Erwin Center | Kemper Arena | Nassau Coliseum | Nationwide Arena | New Orleans Arena | Philips 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. |
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