Spectrum Center
| Charlotte Bobcats Arena | |
| CBA/Uptown Arena | |
| St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice (for hockey only) | |
| Facility statistics | |
|---|---|
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Broke ground | July, 2003 |
| Opened | October, 2005 |
| Owner | City of Charlotte |
| Operator | City of Charlotte |
| Naming Rights Holder | St. Lawrence Homes (for hockey only) |
| Tenants | |
| Charlotte Bobcats (2005-) Charlotte Checkers (2005-) Charlotte Sting (2006-) | |
| Seating capacities: | |
| NBA Basketball: 18,500 | |
| WNBA Basketball: 8,518 | |
| College Basketball: 20,200 (maximum) | |
| ECHL Hockey: 14,100 | |
| Pro-Wrestling: 20,200 (maximum) | |
| Concerts: | |
| End stage 180 degrees: 13,376 | |
| End stage 270 degrees: 15,236 | |
| End stage 360 degrees: 18,249 | |
| Center stage: 18,504 | |
| Theatre: 4,000-7,000 | |
Charlotte Bobcats Arena (also known locally as The Uptown Arena and CBA, and for hockey, St. Lawrence Homes Home Ice) is an 18,500-seat entertainment and sports venue located in the Uptown area of Charlotte, North Carolina. Its primary use is as the home court of the Charlotte Bobcats of the NBA. It made its grand opening in October of 2005 for a concert by The Rolling Stones and hosted its first Bobcats game on November 5, 2005. The arena's center-hung Daktronics video screens measure 16 feet by 28 feet, making them the largest of any indoor arena.
Sports
Though the arena was constructed with the Bobcats in mind, the arena hosts many types of sports and entertainment events. As North Carolina is a hotbed for college basketball, it is expected that the arena will host many NCAA basketball games; indeed, the venue has already been chosen as a men's regional site for the 2008 NCAA Tournament, and the Charlotte 49ers have tentatively agreed to play several high-profile games there over the next several seasons. The 2008 ACC men's basketball tournament will be played there too. The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the oldest collegiate association of historically black colleges and universities in the United States, will hold their annual Men's and Women's conference basketball tournament at the venue beginning in 2006 and will continue to hold the event there until at least 2009 (the dates of the event will be February 6- March 4 each year). In addition to the Bobcats, the arena currently has two other permanent tenants. The Charlotte Sting of the WNBA moved, along with the Bobcats, from the old Charlotte Coliseum to the new venue in 2005. Secondly, the Charlotte Checkers of the ECHL vacated historic Cricket Arena to play in the new arena in the fall of 2005.
Entertainment
Charlotte Bobcats Arena is used for more than just sporting events, with musical acts, family productions, and many other large entertainment performances such as concerts and circuses. The acts that have performed in or scheduled performances at CBA include:
- The Rolling Stones (October 21, 2005)
- U2 (December 12, 2005)
- Dolly Parton (December 15, 2005)
- Clay Aiken (December 21, 2005)
- Aerosmith and Lenny Kravitz (January 12, 2006)
- Larry the Cable Guy, (January 14, 2006)
- Bon Jovi (January 18, 2006)
- WWE RAW (January 23, 2006)
- Keith Urban (February 16, 2006)
- Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus (February 22–26, 2006)
Controversy
In 2001, a non-binding public referendum for an Arts package, which included money to build the new uptown arena, was placed on the ballot for voters. This was done in order to demonstrate what was believed to be wide public support for construction of a new uptown venue. The Arts package would be funded with the issuance of bonds by the city. The referendum failed after extensive opposition, leading to the departure of the original NBA franchise, the Charlotte Hornets. Owner George Shinn relocated the Hornets to New Orleans when the city would not fund a new facility for them. In 2002 a proposal was finally approved by the city, despite the failure of the arena referendum to obtain voter approval, which would finance construction of the arena. The NBA immediately awarded Charlotte a new franchise under the ownership of Bob Johnson, who at the time had created and owned the BET television network. Ground was broken on the new arena in July 2003, with a grand opening date set for October 2005 for the new home of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats.
As of 2005, the total cost of the arena to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County was not known, but estimated at around $260 million. The construction was approved by the city council, which did not opt to present another referendum to the public.