- For the convention center in Milwaukee, see Delta Center (Milwaukee).
| EnergySolutions Arena | |
|---|---|
| "ESA" | |
| File:Energysolutionsarena.jpg EnergySolutions Arena in 2006; the arena's former Delta Center sign is slightly visible beneath the sheet covering it | |
| Location | 301 W South Temple Salt Lake City, Utah  United States
|
| Coordinates | 40°46′6″N 111°54′4″W / 40.76833°N 111.90111°WCoordinates: 40°46′6″N 111°54′4″W / 40.76833°N 111.90111°W |
| Broke ground | May 22, 1990 |
| Opened | October 4, 1991 |
| Owner | Larry Miller Sports & Entertainment |
| Operator | Larry Miller Sports & Entertainment |
| Construction cost | $93 million ($150 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | FFKR Architecture[2] |
| Structural engineer | R2H Engineers[3] |
| Services engineer | Olsen & Peterson Consulting Engineers, Inc.[4] |
| General Contractor | Ohbayashi/Sahara |
| Former names | Delta Center (1991–2006) Salt Lake Ice Center (2002 Winter Olympics) |
| Tenants | Utah Jazz (NBA) (1991–present) Utah Blaze (AFL) (2006–2008, 2011–present) Utah Starzz (WNBA) (1997–2002) Utah Grizzlies (IHL) (1995–1997) Salt Lake Golden Eagles (IHL) (1991–1994) XIX Olympic Winter Games (February 2002) |
| Capacity | Basketball: 19,911 Ice hockey / Ice Floor: 14,000 Concert in the round: 20,000 End stage concert: 15,000 Dirt show: 15,000 |
EnergySolutions Arena (originally Delta Center) is an indoor arena, in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, owned by Jazz Basketball Investors, Inc., the estate of Larry H. Miller. The arena seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats.
Opened in 1991, the arena was known as the Delta Center, until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights, after Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15 year contact, effective November 20, 2006.
The arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz and the AFL's Utah Blaze.
The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics (during the Olympics, the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center).
History[]
The arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats.[5] Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991 in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of $93 million.[6]
The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4–2.[7] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969.[8] The Eagles, which were purchased by Miller in 1990, lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center.
The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, 101–95.[9] In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991, Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center.[10]
June 2005 photo of the venue, when it was known as the Delta Center.
The 1993–95 Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments were held at the facility, as was the 1993 NBA All-Star Game. The Delta Center also hosted games of the 1997 and 1998 NBA Finals between the Jazz and Chicago Bulls.
The arena's roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing $3,757,000 to repair.[11]
The facility played host to the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships. The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics.[12]
In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the arena has also been the home of the WNBA's Utah Starzz from 1997 to 2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991 to 1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995 to 1997, both of the International Hockey League. Notably, on June 8, 1996, the Delta Center hosted the largest crowd in the history of American minor league hockey: 17,381 fans attended Game 4 of the 1996 Turner Cup Finals.[13] The Grizzlies won 3–2 in overtime, completing a four-game sweep of the Orlando Solar Bears and earning the IHL championship in their first season in Utah.
In 2002, the arena upgraded its super system with ribbon display technology and auxiliary scoreboards from Brookings, South Dakota-based Daktronics.[14]
The movie Legally Blonde 2 was partially filmed in the arena.
Dan Roberts serves as the official EnergySolutions Arena public address voice for the Jazz. He has been the Jazz's home game announcer since before the arena was built.[15]
The EnergySolutions Arena is well known for being one of the hardest places to play for visiting teams in the NBA. According to an NBA Players Poll taken by Sports Illustrated on February 11, 2008, the ESA is considered "the most intimidating arena in the NBA" with 20% of the vote made up of 240 current NBA players.[16] Many commentators referred to the arena as the "Decibel Center", a play on the name "Delta Center". During Game 5 of the 1997 NBA Finals, a decibel meter installed at floor level had readings of over 110 decibels, close to the noise generated by a jet takeoff. Also, during the 1997 NBA Finals, Hannah Storm of NBC called the then-named Delta Center "one of the loudest places in sports"[17]
EnergySolutions Arena was the site of the West regional semifinals ("Sweet Sixteen") and championship ("Elite Eight") in the 2010 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. During the summer of 2010, EnergySolutions Arena was remodeled, which included the installation of Bear's Backyard, a playground for kids, a new dining area for adults and over 500 television screens. During the 2012 Utah Jazz Media Day, former General Manager Kevin O'Connor announced that the building would receive a new jumbo-tron, most likely to be installed during the 2013 off season.
Renaming[]
The first renaming of the arena happened during the Salt Lake City Olympics, due to IOC policies about having corporate sponsorship for venue. The arena was renamed the Salt Lake Ice Center during the games.
EnergySolutions Arena with the new signage in 2009.
After Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15-year naming rights contract, which expired on September 30, 2006, the stadium's owner, Larry H. Miller, opted to sell naming rights to EnergySolutions, a low-level nuclear waste disposal company headquartered in Salt Lake City.[18] The new name was unveiled November 20, prior to the Jazz home game against the Toronto Raptors. Two stickers were placed on the court, covering up the arena's old name with the new one.[19] The temporary logos were replaced with official logos on the court sometime in December. EnergySolutions naming rights will expire in 2016.[20]
Initial fan reactions to the new name were predominantly negative. Early nicknames for the arena included "the Dump", a jab at EnergySolutions' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations.[21] Other suggestions included the Glow Dome, Radium Stadium, the Isotope, ChernoBowl, JazzMat (short for Jazzardous Materials), the Big Bang, the Tox Box, the Power House, the Hot Spot, Plutonium Palace, the Fallout Shelter, the Melta Center, and Energy Pollutions Arena.[22]
John Stockton and Karl Malone statues[]
Outside the arena are statues of two players regarded as among the greatest in the history of the Jazz. The John Stockton statue was unveiled on March 30, 2005. The Karl Malone statue was unveiled on March 23, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights but lost both games.
Larry H. Miller Court[]
On April 15, 2010, over a year after the death of Jazz owner Larry H. Miller, the Jazz basketball court was named in his honor. The official name is Larry H. Miller Court at EnergySolutions Arena
References[]
- ↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.
- ↑ FFKR Architecture
- ↑ http://www.r2h.com/dgh-energysolutions.html
- ↑ Wayne Clark Peterson, P.E. - Utah ASHRAE
- ↑ Hemphill, Lex (September 29, 1991). "Will Delta Center Pack in the Fans? Ticket Sales Say Yes". The Salt Lake Tribune: p. A6.
- ↑ Sandomir, Richard (October 21, 1991). "Truss Erection System Scores at Utah Arena". Engineering News-Record vol. 226. p. 16.
- ↑ Kragthorpe, Kurt (October 17, 1991). "Eagles Disappoint". The Salt Lake Tribune: p. C1.
- ↑ Rosetta, Dick (October 17, 1991). "Golden Eagles Jazz up Delta Center". The Salt Lake Tribune: p. C1.
- ↑ Luhm, Steve (October 24, 1991). "Knicks Win to Spoil Jazz Debut". Salt Lake Tribune: p. D1.
- ↑ Butters, Lori (October 24, 1991). "Elfman Makes Delta Center Roll in Rock-Concert Debut". The Salt Lake Tribune: p. D1.
- ↑ Woolf, Jim (August 10, 2000). "A Real Twister: 1 Year Later: A Whirlwind of Memories; Salt Lake City Recalls Devastating Tornado that Changed Lives Forever". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ↑ 2002 Winter Olympics official report. Volume 1. pp. 93–4.
- ↑ "Orlando Ousted in OT". Orlando Sentinel. June 9, 1996. http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1996-06-09/sports/9606090196_1_orlando-solar-solar-bears-utah-grizzlies.
- ↑ "Daktronics Photo Gallery: EnergySolutions Arena". Daktronics. http://www.daktronics.com/ProductsServices/PhotoGallery/Pages/default.aspx?photoID=WP-13076&keywords=energy%20solutions&filters.
- ↑ Fricks, Patti T. (May 11, 1991). "Palace Earsplitting But Not Deafening". The Salt Lake Tribune: p. A1.
- ↑ "Si Players Nba Poll". Sports Illustrated. February 11, 2008. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1109385/index.htm. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vWHDxG0YLk
- ↑ "Delta Center's Out, EnergySolutions Arena Is In". The Salt Lake Tribune. November 20, 2006.; see also Cortez, Marjorie (November 21, 2006). "EnergySolutions Arena? It's a Mouthful". Deseret News (Salt Lake City). http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,650208779,00.html.
- ↑ Koreen, Mike (November 21, 2006). "Utah Understands Hoffa". The Toronto Sun. http://torontosun.ca/Sports/Basketball/2006/11/21/pf-2432303.html.
- ↑ http://www.leg.wa.gov/JointCommittees/LFOKC/Documents/2008-10-01BasketBall.pdf
- ↑ Gorrell, Mike (November 21, 2006). "Arena's New Name a Winner, Miller Says". The Salt Lake Tribune.
- ↑ Sandomir, Richard (November 29, 2006). "In Utah, the Half-Life of Arena Naming Rights". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/29/sports/basketball/29stadium.html.
External links[]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to EnergySolutions Arena. |
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Salt Palace |
Home of the Utah Jazz 1991 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Orlando Arena |
Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1993 |
Succeeded by Target Center |
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ru:Энерджи Солюшнз-арена