New Orleans Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| New Orleans Arena | |
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| Location | 815 Girod Street New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Opened | October 19, 1999 |
| Owner | The City of New Orleans |
| Construction cost | $84 million USD |
| Tenants | |
| New Orleans Hornets (NBA) (2002-present) New Orleans VooDoo (AFL) (2004-2005, 2007-present) New Orleans Brass (ECHL) (1999-2002) |
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| Capacity | |
| Basketball: 18,000 Arena Football: 16,500 |
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The New Orleans Arena is an indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to the Louisiana Superdome.
It has been home to the New Orleans Hornets of the NBA since 2002, and is also home to some Tulane University basketball games as well as some high school basketball games and other special events. The now-defunct New Orleans Brass of the ECHL played in the New Orleans Arena their last three seasons before their demise in 2002. Since February 2004, the New Orleans VooDoo, of the Arena Football League (AFL), has played their home games in the arena.
The arena was completed in 1999 at a cost of $84 million and officially opened on October 19, 1999. The Brass was the main tenant for its first three years until the team was forced to fold after Hornets management demanded priority upon moving. The arena seats 18,000 for basketball and 16,500 for arena football, and has 56 luxury suites.
The Arena is also used as a venue for music concerts where it can seat from 7,500 for a half-stage setup to 17,221 for end-stage shows and 17,805 for center-stage shows. For trade shows and conventions the Arena features 17,000 square feet of space. The ceiling is 65 feet (20 m) to beam and roof, 70 feet (21.5 m) to the top of the arena.
It will host ArenaBowl XXI in 2007, the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the 2012 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament, and has hosted the first and second rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament in 2007, and will do so again in 2010. The Arena has also hosted the 2004 Women's Final Four and will host the 2008 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament South Regionals.
[edit] Hurricane Katrina
Following Hurricane Katrina on August 31, 2005, medical operations that had previously been housed in the Superdome were moved to the Arena. Medical personnel had been working in an area of the Superdome with poor lighting, leaking ceilings and soggy carpet. The Arena's design was tested in 1996 by CPP, a wind engineering consulting firm, so it fared far better than the Superdome during the storm and was in better condition to house sensitive medical operations. Thus, unlike the Superdome, the Arena reopened to activities only one month after the storm.
[edit] Post Katrina revivial
The Hornets played their first game since the 2005-06 season in the Arena on March 8, 2006 to a sellout crowd of 17,744 as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Hornets, 113-107.
On Wednesday 5 July, 2006, the New Orleans Arena accommodated its largest crowd ever for any event during a concert, with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performing.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Ford Center 2005–2007 |
Home of the New Orleans Hornets 2007–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by New Orleans Arena 2004–2005 |
Home of the New Orleans VooDoo 2007–present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Charlotte Coliseum 1988–2002 |
Home of the New Orleans Hornets 2002–2005 |
Succeeded by Ford Center 2005–2007 |
| 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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Categories: Arena football venues | Basketball venues in the United States | National Basketball Association venues | Buildings and structures in New Orleans | 1999 establishments | College basketball venues | Convention centers in the United States | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets | Sports in New Orleans | Sports venues in Louisiana | Sports venues in New Orleans | SEC Men's Basketball Tournament Venues
