Dunkin' Donuts Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| The Dunk | |
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| Former names | Providence Civic Center (1972-2001) |
| Location | 101 Sabin Street, Providence, Rhode Island 02903 |
| Coordinates | 41°49′25″N 71°25′6″W / 41.82361°N 71.41833°WCoordinates: 41°49′25″N 71°25′6″W / 41.82361°N 71.41833°W |
| Opened | November 3, 1972 |
| Owner | Rhode Island Convention Center Authority |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | Ice hockey:11,000 Basketball: 12,500 Boxing / Center Stage: 14,000 |
| Tenants | |
| Providence Reds (AHL) (1972-1976) Rhode Island Reds (AHL) (1976-1977) New England Steamrollers (AFL) (1988) URI Rams (NCAA) (?-2002) Providence Bruins (AHL) (1992-present) Providence College Friars (NCAA) (1972-present) 2010 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament (2010) |
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The Dunkin' Donuts Center, also known as The Dunk, is an indoor arena located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Built in 1972 and originally known as the Civic Center, the arena was built as a place for the emerging Providence College men's basketball program and the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for the then-Providence Reds, who played in the nearly fifty-year old Rhode Island Auditorium. The arena was known as the Providence Civic Center until a naming rights deal was reached with Dunkin' Donuts in June 2001. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins of the American Hockey League and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team.
In December 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the city of Providence and spent $80 million on an extensive renovation to transform the facility into a state-of-the-art arena. Major elements of the construction include a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Convention Center, a new LCD video scoreboard, new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, 4 new bathrooms, and all new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Behind the scenes improvements include a new HVAC system, ice chiller, and a first of its kind fire suppression system.
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[edit] Sports and events
The New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football League called the arena home for their single season of existence in 1988. The Providence Reds hockey team played there for five years starting in 1972. The venue has long been a regular stop on WWE tours. It was the site of WWF King of the Ring tournaments five times (from 1986-1990) before the event became a pay per view, and hosted the 1994 Royal Rumble. In April 25, 1999 the Dunkin' Donuts Center was home to the WWE Backlash Pay-Per-View event. In December, 2005 this venue hosted WWE Armageddon. It also hosted Backlash (2009)[1] A number of other professional sporting events (such as the Harlem Globetrotters), the 2008 NBA champions, the Boston Celtics in an exhibition game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, as well as rock, pop, and opera concerts occur there as well. The venue continued to score big names in 2007 with concerts featuring Elton John, Christina Aguilera and Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus. The arena will also host some games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 2010.
It has been the site of many collegiate tournaments, including the inaugural 1980 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament; several ECAC basketball tournaments; NCAA basketball tournament first- and second-round games in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1989, and 1996; the 1978 and 1985 basketball regionals; the inaugural 1985 Hockey East Tournament (won by the home team) as well as the second tournament a year later in 1986 before the tourney made Boston a permanent home; and the 1978, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1995, and 2000 NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championships. The University of Rhode Island has also played home basketball games at Dunkin' Donuts Center, although this practice has stopped with the opening of the Ryan Center in 2002. On rare occasions, the PC women's basketball team has played "home" games in the arena, most notably for games against URI or UConn, where demand for tickets would be enough to warrant an arena larger than the 2,620-seat Alumni Hall.On 23 May 1977 the venue hosted a live concert by Elvis Presley. And over 10 years later Whitney Houston visited the arena for an concert as part of her Moment of Truth World Tour on September 5, 1987.
[edit] Gallery
 Main Entrance |
 View of the center while empty |
 The arena before MonsterJam |
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Olympia Stadium Detroit, Michigan |
Host of the Frozen Four 1978 |
Succeeded by Olympia Stadium Detroit, Michigan |
| Preceded by Olympia Stadium Detroit, Michigan |
Host of the Frozen Four 1980 |
Succeeded by Duluth Arena Duluth, Minnesota |
| Preceded by Duluth Arena Duluth, Minnesota |
Host of the Frozen Four 1982 |
Succeeded by Ralph Engelstad Arena Grand Forks, North Dakota |
| Preceded by Joe Louis Arena Detroit, Michigan |
Host of the Frozen Four 1986 |
Succeeded by Joe Louis Arena Detroit, Michigan |
| Preceded by Saint Paul Civic Center St. Paul, Minnesota |
Host of the Frozen Four 1995 |
Succeeded by Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Preceded by Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Anaheim, California |
Host of the Frozen Four 2000 |
Succeeded by Pepsi Arena Albany, New York |
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