i wireless Center
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2008) |
 |
|
| Former names | The MARK of the Quad Cities (1993-2007) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1201 River Drive Moline, Illinois 61265 |
| Coordinates | 41°30′28″N 90°31′14″W / 41.507837°N 90.520437°WCoordinates: 41°30′28″N 90°31′14″W / 41.507837°N 90.520437°W |
| Opened | May 1993 |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket[1] |
| Capacity | 12,000 (concerts) 3,000 (theater concerts) 6,000 (amphitheater concerts) |
| Tenants | |
|
|
The i wireless Center is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena in Moline, Illinois. It is currently home to the Quad City Steamwheelers af2 arena football team and the Quad City Mallards of the International Hockey League.
The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities with Neil Diamond being the opening act. The arena has garnered numerous industry awards since that time.
Contents |
[edit] Sporting events
The arena has hosted NCAA Division 1 college basketball games (including the Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament from 1996-99) in addition to several NHL and NBA exhibition contests. The now-defunct Quad City Thunder basketball team played all their home games at The i wireless Center from 1993 until the Continental Basketball Association folded six years later. Hockey was also played at the arena from 1995 to 2009, the first 12 years by the Quad City Mallards of the United Hockey League and the last two by the Quad City Flames of the American Hockey League before moving to Abbotsford, British Columbia.
[edit] Configuration
The arena seats up to 12,000 for end-stage concerts and 12,000 for center-stage concerts. It takes only six hours to convert the Mark into a theater (called The Theater at the i wireless Center); seating capacity is 3,000 for theater shows, including Broadway shows, concerts and family shows, 6,000 for amphitheater concerts. The center has also hosted professional wrestling events, including the 1997 WCW Great American Bash pay-per-view and numerous broadcasts of World Wrestling Entertainment programming, including "Monday Night RAW," "ECW" and "SmackDown."
The arena contains 31,000 square feet (2,900 m2) of arena floor space, allowing the arena to be used for trade shows and conventions; adjacent is 20,000 square feet (2,000 m2) of meeting room space and an 11,000-square-foot (1,000 m2) lobby. The current attendance record is set in 1996 by Neil Diamond at just over 12,000 people.
[edit] Naming rights
In August 2005, i wireless (a T-Mobile affiliate) announced a 10-year agreement with The Mark (former name) and the Illinois Quad City Civic Center Authority to secure naming rights of the arena, but a name change to the i wireless Center did not take place until July 19, 2007.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
|
|||||
|
|||||||||||||||||
