Nationwide Arena
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| Location | 200 West Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215 |
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| Coordinates | 39°58′9″N 83°0′22″W / 39.96917°N 83.00611°WCoordinates: 39°58′9″N 83°0′22″W / 39.96917°N 83.00611°W |
| Opened | 2000 |
| Owner | Nationwide Financial Services |
| Operator | Columbus Blue Jackets with day to day operations managed by SMG |
| Construction cost | $175 million |
| Architect | 360 Architecture (formerly Heinlein Schrock Stearns) & NBBJ |
| Capacity | Ice hockey: 18,144 Arena football: 17,171 Basketball: 19,500 |
| Tenants | |
| Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) (2000-present) Columbus Destroyers (AFL) (2004-present) Ohio Junior Blue Jackets (USHL) (2006-2008) Columbus Landsharks (NLL) (2001–2003) |
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Nationwide Arena is a sports and entertainment arena in Columbus, Ohio. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise in the National Hockey League, who were joined for the 2004 season by the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. It was also home to the Columbus Landsharks of the National Lacrosse League from 2001–2003. And, in 2006 it began hosting the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets, a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team that is a part of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Nationwide Arena is also one of three facilities in Columbus (along with the Greater Columbus Convention Center and the Franklin County Veterans Memorial Auditorium) that hosts events as part of the annual Arnold Classic, a sports and fitness event hosted by former professional bodybuilder and current California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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[edit] Ownership
The venue is named for the arena's owner, Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, whose world headquarters are located across the street. Nationwide's real estate development affiliate, Nationwide Realty Investors, financed and developed the project—making it one of very few privately financed arenas in the nation.
[edit] Construction
The arena is of a brick design and serves as the center of an entertainment district located about one half mile north of the Ohio State Capitol. Seating capacity is approximately 18,136 for hockey, 17,171 for arena football, 19,500 for basketball, and up to 20,000 for concerts. The death of 13 year-old Brittanie Cecil from injuries sustained from a hockey puck flying into the stands at a Blue Jackets game in 2002 led to the installation of nylon netting to catch pucks that fly over the acrylic glass at all professional ice hockey arenas in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL.
[edit] Location
The area surrounding Nationwide Arena, appropriately called the Arena District, houses a variety of bars, clubs and a movie theater. Constructed as a seamless entity, Columbus uses the arena as a drawing point for the city with the various other establishments feeding off of the foot traffic. The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion concert venue, and Arena Grand Theatre adjacent to the Nationwide Arena property, completes the entertainment complex.
[edit] Facilities
Nationwide Arena also houses a smaller ice rink called the Dispatch IceHaus (formerly named the CoreComm IceHaus). This facility serves as the practice rink for the Blue Jackets and is also used for youth hockey games and open skating times for the public. This facility makes Nationwide Arena the first NHL arena with an on-site practice facility and one of only two such facilities in NHL (the other being the Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils).
[edit] Former Ohio Penitentiary
Nationwide Arena was built at the site of the abandoned Ohio Penitentiary. Although, believed to be built over the prison, the arena is actually built over the prison's former parking lot. Nationwide's parking lot is built where the prison formerly stood. Many prisoners were executed at the prison, and a fire killed 322 of prisoners locked in their cells[1]. Some fans and employee who frequent Nationwide claim experiencing paranormal activities. Whether skeptics or not, some Blue Jackets fans jokingly blame supernatural beings for unsuccessful seasons since the team's inception, as well as the death of Brittanie Cecil.[2]
[edit] Notable Events
- It hosted the final World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) King of the Ring pay-per-view in 2002 and the last WWE Bad Blood in 2004.
- The PBR's Built Ford Tough Series bull riding tour has held an event every year at Nationwide Arena since 2000 (prior to 2000 the event was held at the Ohio State Fairgrounds Arena, and from 2000 to 2002 the BFTS was called the Bud Light Cup.) It was the last event of the BFTS regular season (not counting the PBR World Finals) between 2000 and 2007.
- On Saturday, March 3, 2007, it hosted UFC 68, a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). It marked the first UFC event held in Ohio, and set a North American attendance record. On Saturday, March 7, 2009, UFC returned for UFC 96.
- The arena hosted the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Also, first and second round games of the 2004 and 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament were played there.
- On Saturday, September 22, 2007; Genesis played a sold out show as part of their Turn It On Again: The Tour tour.
- On Wednesday, April 4, 2001 AC/DC played a sold out show as part of their Stiff Upper Lip Tour.
- Britney Spears opened her Dream Within a Dream Tour at Nationwide which sold out in a record breaking 10 minutes.
- On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, a record hockey crowd of 19,219 watched the Blue Jackets lose to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings by a final score of 4-1 in a Western Conference Quarterfinal game.[3]
[edit] Reception
ESPN The Magazine declared “the No. 2 stadium experience in professional sports.”[4] The Ultimate Sports Road Trip rated it the best arena in the NHL saying "This newer arena in downtown Columbus is the anchor for the emerging Arena District, already burgeoning with shops, restaurants and hotels. The venue is spectacular, from its nostalgic brick and stone veneer to its sweeping concourses with blue mood lighting and modern amenities. The arena bowl has state of the art scoreboards and surround LED graphics boards which look 21st century high tech. With a separate practice rink built right in the facility, theme restaurants and great food selection, not to mention a raucous hockey atmosphere, this NHL venue is a must see!"[5]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=558 Ohio Penitentiary Fire - Ohio History Central - A product of the Ohio Historical Society
- ^ Nationwide Arena
- ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=290421029
- ^ The Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets
- ^ Services
[edit] External links
Coordinates: 39°58′9.42″N 83°0′22.00″W / 39.9692833°N 83.0061111°W
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