The EnergySolutions Arena
is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States owned by 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, effective November 20, 2006. The arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz.
In 2006, the arena became the home of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. It 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
).
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ENERGYSOLUTIONS ARENA (FORMERLY THE DELTA CENTER) TICKETS
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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.
[1] 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.
[2]
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.
[3] The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969.
[4] 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.
[5] 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.
[6]
The 1993-95
Western Athletic Conference men's basketball tournaments were held at the facility, as was the 1993
NBA All-Star Game.
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.
[7]
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.
In addition to the
Utah Jazz and
Blaze, the arena has also been the home of the
WNBA's
Utah Starzz from
1997-
2002, the
Salt Lake Golden Eagles from
1991-
1994, and the
Utah Grizzlies from
1995-
1997 both of the
International Hockey League. It also is and has been the host of the Utah Basketball League Salt Lake Devils since October 2005, the league's creation.
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' home game announcer since before the arena was built.
[8]
Renaming
Until November 20, 2006, the arena was known as the
Delta Center
.
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.
[9] 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.
[10] The EnergySolutions temporary logos were replaced with official EnergySolutions logos on the court, sometime between the 12-16-06 game vs the Sacramento Kings and the 12-26-06 game vs the Los Angeles Clippers.
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.
[11] 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.
[12] Many Salt Lake City residents still refer to it as the Delta Center.
John Stockton and Karl Malone Statues
Outside of 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 30th, 2005. The
Karl Malone Statue was unveiled on March 23rd, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights but both games were lost.
Notable Events
- Home of the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships
- The figure skating and short track speed skating competitions were held there during the 2002 Winter Olympics
- Hosted a sold out Rolling Stones A Bigger Bang Tour concert in 2005. The group performed a two song performance via satellite for the 2005 American Music Awards, with an introduction by Nicole Richie.
- U2 played a sold out concert here during their Vertigo Tour
- Josh Groban's live concert DVD, Awake Live was filmed at the arena in 2007.
- Will host the Sweet Sixteen and Elite Eight Rounds of the 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
- Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus performed two sold out concerts here during her Best of Both Worlds Tour. One of the concerts was filmed and released in 2008 in Disney Digital 3D in select theaters for a limited run worldwide and on DVD.
- Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire will perform their 2 Worlds, 2 Voices Tour 2008 at the arena on October 10, 2008.
- Celine Dion will perform her Taking Chances Tour at the arena on November 21, 2008.
- The EnergySolutions Arena will host auditions for the eighth season of American Idol on July 29, 2008 [13]
References
- Will Delta Center Pack in the Fans? Ticket Sales Say Yes
- Truss erection system scores at Utah arena
- Eagles Disappoint
- Golden Eagles Jazz up Delta Center
- Knicks win to spoil Jazz debut
- Elfman makes Delta Center roll in rock-concert debut
- A REAL TWISTER: 1 Year Later: A Whirlwind of Memories; Salt Lake City recalls devastating tornado that changed lives forever
- Palace Earsplitting But Not Deafening
- Delta Center's out, EnergySolutions Arena is in
- Utah understands Hoffa
- Arena's new name a winner, Miller says
- In Utah, the Half-Life of Arena Naming Rights
- http://www.americanidol.com/news/view/?pid=1367