The Bank of Kentucky Center
| The Bank of Kentucky Center | |
|---|---|
 The Bank of Kentucky Center |
|
| Location | 500 Nunn Drive Highland Heights, KY 41099 |
| Broke ground | May 20, 2006 |
| Opened | May 10, 2008 |
| Owner | NKU |
| Operator | SMG |
| Construction cost | $64 million ($69.1 million in 2012 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | 360 Architecture GBBN Architects |
| Structural engineer | THP Limited Inc.[2] |
| General Contractor | Turner Construction[3] |
| Capacity | 9,400 (Basketball) 10,500 (Concerts) |
| Tenants | |
| Northern Kentucky Norse men's & women's basketball, women's volleyball (2008-present) Northern Kentucky River Monsters (UIFL) (2011) Kentucky Monsters (UIFL) (2012-present) |
|
The Bank of Kentucky Center is a 10,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Highland Heights, Kentucky that was completed in 2008. (The definite article is part of the venue's official name; the naming rights are owned by a local bank, The Bank of Kentucky.)
The arena, on the campus of Northern Kentucky University, was topped off on June 21, 2007 and the first event held there was NKU's graduation ceremony on May 10, 2008.
The box office is open Monday through Friday from 10:00am–5:30pm.[4] A grand opening ceremony was held on September 22, 2008 from 4-8pm.
The NKU men's and women's basketball teams are the main tenants, [5] but many outside events are booked at the Center. Among the first were country music star Carrie Underwood, comedian Jeff Dunham, and the cast of the reality television show So You Think You Can Dance as well as Cirque du Soleil, and the Walking With Dinosaurs live production. It will also host the Elite Eight of the NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Tournament in 2012 and 2013,[6] and on May 10, 2011, The Bank of Kentucky Center hosted WWE live.
The first basketball event at the arena saw the NKU men's and women's teams play Louisville on November 8, 2008.[7]
Contents |
[edit] Sponsorship
The Bank of Kentucky agreed to cover 10 percent of the cost of the arena, up to $6 million, in exchange for naming rights. It will also get a luxury suite, access to premium tickets and free use of the facility rent free for one special event each year.[8]
[edit] Tenants
Beginning in spring of 2011, The Bank Of Kentucky Center was home to the Northern Kentucky River Monsters of the Ultimate Indoor Football League. After the season, the River Monsters agreed to part ways with the UIFL. The UIFL still had rights to place a team in the BOKC, so there will be an expansion team placed there, the Kentucky Monsters.
The Bank of Kentucky Center will also play host to the Black-n-Bluegrass Roller Girls, starting in 2012. The home dates for the league in 2012 are as follows: May 19, June 16, July 21, August 18, September 22, and October 20.
[edit] Issues
Due to the pre-existing roadways on the Northern Kentucky University Campus, parking and traffic have had some issues. Not following the signage can cause you to have to loop back and try again, since all the streets are divided. There is a roundabout which most people in the area are unfamiliar with, which causes a large backup. Several shows have already delayed starting on time due to the traffic situation, and solutions are in planning.
[edit] References
- ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ http://www.thpltd.com/portfolio/structuralengineering/sports.aspx
- ^ http://arenadigest.com/in-the-arena/visits/bank-of-kentucky-center-northern-kentucky-norsemen
- ^ http://www.bankofkentuckycenter.com/events_info.asp
- ^ "NKY.com". http://news.nky.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/AB/20070622/NEWS0103/706220407. Retrieved 2007-07-11.
- ^ "NCAA selects NKU as host for 2012 and 2013 Division II Elite Eight for men's basketball" (Press release). Northern Kentucky University Athletics. June 11, 2010. http://nkunorse.com/news/2010/6/11/MBB_0611103213.aspx. Retrieved July 21, 2010.
- ^ "NKU ticket information". http://www.nku.edu/~athletics/WBasketball/2007-08/releases/2008-09%20ticket%20info.html.
- ^ Hassert, Dan (2005-02-19). "Battles over taxes on several fronts". The Kentucky Post (E. W. Scripps Company). Archived from the original on 2006-02-28. http://web.archive.org/web/20060228022106/http://www.kypost.com/2005/02/19/kyweekreview021905.html.
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 39°01′56″N 84°27′32″W / 39.032273°N 84.458864°W
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||
