MassMutual Center
| MassMutual Center | |
|---|---|
| The Nest | |
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| Former names | Springfield Civic Center (1972–2005) |
| Location | 1277 Main Street Springfield, Massachusetts |
| Coordinates | 42°6′8″N 72°35′13″W / 42.10222°N 72.58694°WCoordinates: 42°6′8″N 72°35′13″W / 42.10222°N 72.58694°W |
| Broke ground | 1970 |
| Opened | September 5, 1972[1] |
| Renovated | 2003-2005 |
| Owner | Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (1998-present) City of Springfield (1972-1997) |
| Operator | Global Spectrum |
| Construction cost | $10.3 million[1] ($56.5 million in 2013 dollars[2]) $71 million (renovation) ($83.5 million in 2013 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Catalano Architects Inc.[3] Sasaki Associates[4] (renovation) |
| Capacity | Ice Hockey: 6,866 Basketball: 7,552 Concerts: 8,514 |
| Public transit access | Springfield Amtrak PVTA |
| Tenants | |
| Hartford Whalers (NHL) (1978–1980) Springfield Indians (AHL) (1972–1993) Springfield Falcons (AHL) (1994–present) Springfield Armor (D-League) (2009–present) |
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The MassMutual Center is a multi-purpose arena and convention center, in downtown Springfield, Massachusetts, USA. Built in the city's Metro Center across from Court Square, the facility opened in 1972 as the Springfield Civic Center and was at that time considered to be the largest arena in the region. It was owned and operated by the City of Springfield and various management groups until 1997, when the city transferred ownership of the facility to the Massachusetts Legislature. Shortly after, ownership was given to the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority (MCCA) who in turn began working on plans to renovate and expand the facility. The two-year project, which began in 2003, included renovations to the 8,000 seat arena and the addition of a state-of-the-art convention center. In 2005, the Center was renamed when Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company entered into a naming rights agreement for the arena and convention center. Its grand opening occurred on October 1, 2005. The venue is home to the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League and the Springfield Armor of the NBA Development League. It is nicknamed "The Nest", because it is home to the Falcons.
The arena will be hosting the 2012-2014 MAAC Basketball Championships.[5]
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Renovation [edit]
In the fall of 2003, the project was publicly announced and demolition of the bank sitting next to the building, along with the facility's plaza and exhibit hall began. In the fall of 2005, the $71 million renovation project was completed. The renovation included new seats, handrails, signage, sound system, HVAC system, plumbing, and electrical to the existing arena. The arena floor was redone with new pipelines for the ice rink and new chillers were installed. The project also included 222 club seats, a bar and lounge, clubroom, an executive suite, new larger restrooms, and 11 newly refurbished concession stands. A new box office and lobby were also added. The arena was still operational during the two year project which was funded by city and state tax payers and other state funds.
The main entrance for the arena is located on Falcons Way. The arena has 3 levels:
- Event Level - Comcast Box Office, Administrative Offices, Falcons Office and Team Store.
- Concourse Level - Lower and Upper Bowl Seating, Center Grille Restaurant, Breakaway Bar & Lounge.
- Upper Level - Press Boxes, The Executive Perch.
Convention Center [edit]
With renovations to the existing arena, a brand new state-of-the-art convention center was added. With 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m2), it is the largest convention center in Western Massachusetts. It includes two exhibition halls, which total over 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2), 3 ballrooms that total 15,000 sq ft (1,400 m2) with back of house kitchen, 5 meeting rooms that total some 9,000 sq ft (840 m2), and 21,000 sq ft (2,000 m2) of pre-function space. Its unique design connects both the convention center and arena to add an additional 19,000 sq ft (1,800 m2) of floor space. Additionally, the pre-function space overlooks the city skyline, including a viewing area known as the glass alcove which gives panoramic views of downtown. The convention center is able to host galas, weddings, consumer and trade shows, concerts, conventions, conferences, and many other functions of various sizes.
The main entrance for the convention center is located on Main Street and Falcons Way. There are two levels:
- Lower Level - Meeting Rooms 1-5, Exhibition Halls A & B
- Upper Level - Ballrooms A, B, and C, Glass Alcove
History [edit]
The arena hosted the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League, while the Hartford Civic Center was undergoing renovations, because of a 1978 roof collapse.
The arena hosted the 16th edition of the World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event (the first episode following Wrestlemania IV, taped on April 22, 1988, aired on April 30). It also hosted the 19th WWF In Your House pay-per-view in 1997. The center has also hosted WWE Monday Night RAW and two WWE SmackDown! shows; the first one was on October 26, 1999 aired for that Thursday and the second was on December 13, 2005 aired for that Friday. The center was also where The Mountie (Jacques Rougeau) defeated Bret "Hitman" Hart for the WWF Intercontinental Championship on January 17, 1992. He would lose the title two days later to Rowdy Roddy Piper at the Knickerbocker Arena in Albany, New York at the Royal Rumble.
The building has hosted an American Hockey League franchise, since it opened in 1972. Between the 1972–73 AHL season and 1993–94 AHL season, the building hosted the Springfield Indians franchise, which is now known as the Peoria Rivermen. Since 1994, the Center has been the site of home games of the Springfield Falcons, the AHL affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The building, located in the "Birthplace of Basketball", has also hosted numerous NCAA Men's Division II Basketball Championships, first in 1977, then from 1980–94, and finally 2006 through 2011. The tournament will move to the Kentucky suburbs of Cincinnati in 2012 and 2013. It also hosted the first six NCAA Women's Division II Basketball Championships from 1982 to 1987. The UMass Minutemen basketball team has used the building for a number of home games in recent years under head coach Derek Kellogg, a Springfield native. The Springfield Armor of the NBA D-League joined the buildings roster of home tenants in the fall of 2009. The franchise was purchased by the HWS Group in early 2009, and was quickly moved to Springfield for the start of the 2009-2010 season. It was affiliated with the NBA's New York Knicks, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the New Jersey Nets for two years. The New Jersey Nets, now known as the Brooklyn Nets as of 2012, became the sole affiliate of the Armor in the start of the 2011-2012 season. The Armor received their first Eastern Division Championship during the 2011-2012 season under its new head coach Bob MacKinnon.
Notable Events [edit]
The venue has hosted events from various performers including:
- Mötley Crüe
- Blue Man Group
- Celtic Women
- Martina McBride
- Sugarland
- Jeff Dunham
- Larry the Cable Guy
- Three Days Grace
- Avenged Sevenfold
- Wisin y Yandel
- Wiz Khalifa
- Grateful Dead
- Elvis Presley
- Earth, Wind & Fire
- Buckeye Brothers Rhythm & Blues
The Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice and Champions on Ice have been annual visitors to this venue.
External links [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ a b "Expansion Upsets RI". The Boston Globe. September 10, 1972. Retrieved September 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Staff. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2012. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved March 31, 2013.
- ^ Images by Catalano, Eduardo of Springfield, Massachusetts, United States
- ^ http://www.sasaki.com/who/people.cgi?m=5&pid=2675
- ^ http://www.maacsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=87906&SPID=10446&DB_OEM_ID=17400&ATCLID=204861913
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by none |
Home of the Springfield Falcons 1994 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by none |
Home of the Springfield Armor 2009 - present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Hartford Civic Center |
Home of the New England Whalers 1978 - 1980 |
Succeeded by Hartford Civic Center |
| Preceded by Eastern States Coliseum |
Home of the Springfield Indians 1972 - 1994 |
Succeeded by Worcester Centrum |
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