Quicken Loans Arena , also known as " The Q ", is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The building is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Cleveland Monster of the American Hockey League, and the Cleveland Gladiators of the Arena Football League. It also serves as a secondary arena for Cleveland State Viking men's and women's basketball.
Arena opened in October 1994 as part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex with an adjacent Progressive Field, which opened in April of that year. It's named for retail mortgage lender Quicken Loans, whose chairman and founder is Dan Gilbert, majority owner of Cavalier, Monster, and Gladiator. From its opening until August 2005, it was known as the Gund Arena , named for the former owner of the Cavaliers Gordon Gund, after he paid the naming rights. Q replaces the Richfield Coliseum as the premier entertainment facility for the Cavaliers region and home, and replaces the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, which opened in 1990, as a major concert and athletic venue in downtown Cleveland.
Quicken Loans Arena can accommodate 20,562 people in basketball configurations and up to 20,056 for ice hockey, making it the second largest arena in the NBA with seating capacity. It is a frequent venue for concerts and other athletic events such as the men's and women's basketball tournaments of the Central American Conference (MAC), hosting men's tournaments since 2000 and women's tournaments since 2001. It has also hosted the Final Division Women's NCAA Division I Division in 2007, regional opening and semi-final matches in the NCAA Division I NCAA Boys' Tournament and the US Figure Skating Championship in 2000 and 2009. In July 2016, Q hosted the 2016 National Convention of the Republic.
Video Quicken Loans Arena
Histori
Q is preceded in downtown Cleveland by Cleveland Arena, a facility built in 1937 with a seating capacity of about 12,000 basketball. It was best known as the Moondog Ball Medicine site in 1952, widely regarded as the first rock and roll concert. Cleveland Arena was the first home of the Cavaliers in 1970.
Cleveland Arena is also home to the previous professional basketball team, the Cleveland Rebels of Basketball Association of America, the original Cleveland Barons ice hockey team, and hosted some Cincinnati Royals games from the NBA in the 1960s. In 1970, however, the Cleveland Arena was outdated and in disrepair. The Cavs played there their first four seasons. Replaced in 1974 by Richfield Coliseum 20,273 seats, located in Richfield, between Cleveland and Akron.
During the 1980s, the Central Market site, a fruit and vegetable market dating from 1856, was selected for the construction of a multi-purpose domed stadium for Cleveland Browns and the Cleveland Indians, but the size of the ballot to fund it was defeated. by voters. The market site was acquired in 1985 and was cleared in 1987 in a continuing push for a new downtown sports facility by city and business leaders. In 1990, voters agreed to tax the sin on alcohol and tobacco products in Cuyahoga County to fund the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex, which included adjacent Q and Progressive Fields. Construction began in 1992 with the opening of the ballpark in April 1994 and the arena in October 1994. Arena opened with a concert by Billy Joel on October 17, 1994. Cavaliers played their first regular season game in the arena a few weeks later, losses to the Houston Rockets, on November 8, 1994.
As part of its purchase of team and rights naming in 2005, Dan Gilbert, owner of Quicken Loans, funded the renovation of the arena, including installing new wine-colored seats, advanced scoreboard, video systems and sound systems, arena charts and new marks, and upgrades to security, locker rooms, and suites, all of which are in place for the start of the 2005-2006 Cavaliers season, except for the chairs, which are replaced by multiple sections at once.
Gilbert bought the then-inactive Utah Grizzlies franchise from the American Hockey League on May 16, 2006, and announced that he would move to Quicken Loans Arena to replace the dead Cleveland Barons. The team's name was announced as Lake Erie Monsters on January 25, 2007, and began playing in the 2007-08 season. The Lake Erie Monsters changed their name to Cleveland Monsters on August 9, 2016.
The Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League announced on October 16, 2007, that they will move to the Quicken Loans Arena, becoming Cleveland Gladiators.
In December 2016, the Cavaliers announced plans for a renovation to Q that included an extensive increase of concourse and open-ended recordings, along with upgrades throughout the building. The plan, which relies on part of the tax money for funding, faces opposition from activist groups including Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus and Greater Cleveland Congregations (GCC). After the group submitted a signature to impose a referendum on the plan, the Cavaliers announced that they were withdrawing from the plan, citing rising costs and delays caused by a prospective referendum. However, in August 2017, after Cuyahoga County made a non-binding commitment to build two mental health crisis centers, the GCC withdrew its petition. In December 2017, the team stated that they are moving forward with renovations. The project will cost $ 193 million, after interest, with taxes paying $ 100 million.
Design and operation
The Arena has 20,562 for basketball, with 2,000 club seats and 88 luxury suites. Seating is divided into three levels, with two main level suites and five "platinum suites" at the event level. Around the seats there are two main concourses, one on the ground floor to access the 100 level seating and 32 lower suites, and the upper concourse for the top 200 seat. The lower concourse also includes a ticket office and a two-tier main-level shop. Among them is the club level, which provides access to the top 60 suites and club seating. Also at the club level was an additional gym, used by the Cavaliers as their main training ground up to the opening of the Cleveland Court Clinic practice facility in 2007.
In hockey and arena soccer configurations, the capacity is 20,056. During most of the Monsters games, the upper level seats are covered and covered by a large curtain, reducing the capacity to 10,025. In basketball configuration, when upper level seating is closed, capacity is listed at 11,751. 60% of seats are located on two lower levels.
The main scoreboard in The Q, dubbed Humongotron , is the second largest scoreboard used in the NBA arena. It was installed in October 2014 after Cavs owner Dan Gilbert has seen a similar scoreboard at the Toyota Center in Houston during the 2013 NBA All-Star Weekend. The scoreboard includes four large high definition video screens with a large coir in each of the expandable corners to shoot fires, usually as part of a player introduction. The two screens facing the sidelines are 31.5 feet (9.6 m) tall and 56.69 feet (17.28 m) wide, while the two screen facing baseline measures 29.92 feet (9.12 m) high and 33.07 feet (10.08 m) wide.
On the roof of the building is a large LED message board measuring 360 feet (110 m) by 90 feet (27 m), described as "the largest LED roof sign on the planet" by Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. The mark was approved by the Cleveland City Planning Commission in March 2016 provided that only the name of the arena or its naming rights sponsors can be displayed. The use of other marks requires commission approval. Message boards were installed later in 2016 and debuted in May during Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals.
The Arena, along with adjacent Progressive Field and adjacent parking garage, is owned by Gateway Economic Development Corporation of Greater Cleveland, an entity composed of members designated by the municipalities of Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. Gateway rents the arena to the Cavaliers, which also run Monsters Cleveland and Cleveland Gladiators. The food service is managed by Aramark and includes items donated by award-winning chef Michael Symon. The two existing restaurants were renamed in 2009 after Baron's bar-bistros "Symon Bar" and "The B-Spot", and some typical dishes are available as a catering suite offerings.
In March 2017, in partnership with KultureCity's non-profit organization, Quicken Loans Arena officially introduced the availability of accommodation during all events for guests with hypersensitivity needs, such as participants with autism spectrum disorders. This includes staff training, a free "sensory bag" with headphones, blankets, and other items intended for participants with sensory needs, as well as sensory space and exclusion of reentry policies if they are overwhelmed by the environment. Arena became the first in the NBA to be certified by KultureCity as "inclusive sensory".
Maps Quicken Loans Arena
Renters
Current
As the home of Cavalier, Monster, and Gladiator, Q has organized a number of important events for each team, including the playoffs and championship games. Through the 2015-16 season, the Cavs have hosted playoffs in 10 of their 22 seasons at The Q, including three and four games from the 2007 NBA Finals, and three, four and six games from the 2015 and 2016 Finals. The 1997 NBA All-Star Game, which celebrates the 50th anniversary of the founding of the NBA.
The Gladiators have qualified for the Arena Football League playoffs in four of their seven seasons in Cleveland until 2015, and host the playoff matches in 2008, 2011, and 2014. During the 2014 season, the team finished 15-1 overall and advanced to ArenaBowl XXVII, held at Quicken Loans Arena. An exciting game of 18,410 fans and was held at the same time as Cleveland Browns's home pre-season game at FirstEnergy Stadium, and Indian Cleveland home game in the adjacent Progressive Field.
The Monsters made their playoff debut in 2011 and returned to the playoffs in 2016. In the 2016 Calder Cup playoffs, the team advanced to the Calder Cup final and swept Hershey Bears in four games for their first Calder Cup in franchise history. The three and four games are held in The Q. The four games, held on June 11, sold out and attracted 19,665 fans, setting a record for the biggest crowd to ever see a professional hockey match in the state of Ohio and the second-the largest postseason experience in history of the American Hockey League.
Former
Quicken Loans Arena has been home to other franchises that have been relocated or folded. When it opened in 1994, in addition to being the home of the Cavaliers, it is also the home arena for the Cleveland Lumberjacks of the International Hockey League (IHL). The Lumberjacks played in the arena until 2001 when the team folded together with IHL. Later that year a new incarnation of Cleveland Barons, who played in the American Hockey League, began playing and tenants in the arena until 2006 when the team moved to Worcester, Massachusetts.
Two professional women's teams are also called home arenas. From 1997 to 2003, Cleveland Rockers, one of eight charter members of the National Women's Basketball Association (WNBA), played in The Q. The team folded after the 2003 WNBA season because of the Gunds, who still had the Cavs at the time. , no longer want to operate the Rocker franchise and a new ownership group can not be obtained. The Cleveland Crush of the Lingerie Football League plays at The Q for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons before moving to Toledo, Ohio, by the end of 2013.
Events
College sports
In addition to professional sport tenants, The Q has hosted a number of inter-club sports events. It has been home to the Mid-American Men's Basketball Tournament (MAC) since 2000 and MAC MAC Women's Basketball Tournament since 2001. "MAC Madness", as it is known, has been a strong attraction for the arena. Men's semifinal and championships routinely attract 10,000-15,000 attendees. In addition, Quicken Loans Arena has served as the host for the Division I NCAA Division I Division Basketball Championship, hosting the preliminary round of matches in 2011 and the semi-finals and regional endings in 2015. Q has also hosted a game for the NCAA Division Women's Division I Basketball Championships, hosting the semi-finals and regional finals for the 2006 and Final Four tournaments and the 2007 national championship tournament.
By 2015, it was announced that arena management and Cleveland State University reached an agreement whereby choosing a Viking Viking men's and women's basketball game will take place in Q, while Quicken Loans Arena will basically take over the operations of Wolstein Center (the main home of the CSU arena), which is responsible for answer to promote and order events at the venue.
More events
In addition to team sports, The Q has hosted numerous other events, including the US Figure Skating Championships in 2000 and 2009 along with professional wrestling broadcasts for Raw and SmackDown , and many pay- per-display WWE:
- SummerSlam (1996) - titled by Shawn Michaels vs. VADER for the WWF Championship
- No Mercy (1999) - titled Triple H vs Stone Cold Steve Austin for WWF Championship
- Invasion (2001) - titled by Team Alliance vs. WWF team.
- Survivor Series (2004) - titled by Team Orton vs. Triple Team H
- Unforgiven (2008) - titled by the first Championship Scramble game.
- TLC: Tables, Stairs and Chairs (2014) - titled by Bray Wyatt vs. Dean Ambrose in a TLC match.
- Fastlane (2016) - titled by Brock Lesnar vs Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose in a Triple Threat match for the # 1 competitor for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 32.
LeBron James garnered nearly 20,000 people in the arena on October 29, 2008, to watch Democrat president Barack Obama's ads, 30 minutes of American Stories ad, American Solutions . It was shown on the big screen on stage, where Jay-Z then held a free concert.
Quicken Loans Arena was elected in July 2014 as the host site for the 2016 Republican National Convention. The arena hosted the first Republican presidential debate of the 2016 election, broadcast by Fox News Channel, on August 6, 2015. The Convention was held July 18-21, 2016. Records obtained by the Center for Public Integrity shows that Comcast, Microsoft, the American Petroleum Institute, Chevron, Koch Public Sector Company, PhRMA, and other trade and lobby groups, "funded a limited company called 'Friends of the House 2016 LLC' to pay" design and equipment the exclusive office, the space and the collection room, the so-called 'dressing room', for Republican lawmakers "on the Cleveland Cavaliers Quicken Loans Arena Cleveland Cleveland Training Committee, which" facilitates the construction of a dressing room ", receives $ 923,100 from Friends of the House 2016 LLC. "
Stipe Miocic, a Cleveland native, retained his heavyweight championship at UFC 203, held at The Q on September 10, 2016.
References
External links
- Official website
- Quicken Loans Arena Quarters Chart
Source of the article : Wikipedia
0 Comments