T-Mobile Center
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  T-Mobile Center Location within Missouri  T-Mobile Center Location within the United States | |
| Former names | Sprint Center (2007–2020) |
|---|---|
| Address | 1407 Grand Boulevard |
| Location | Kansas City, Missouri |
| Coordinates | 39°05′51″N 94°34′49″W / 39.09750°N 94.58028°WCoordinates: 39°05′51″N 94°34′49″W / 39.09750°N 94.58028°W |
| Public transit |  KC Streetcarat Power & Light |
| Owner | City of Kansas City |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) |
| Capacity | Arena football: 17,297 Basketball: 18,972 Ice hockey: 17,544[1] Concerts: 19,252 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | June 24, 2005 |
| Opened | October 10, 2007 |
| Construction cost | US$276 million |
| Architect | Downtown Arena Design Team: HOK Sport 360 Architecture Ellerbe Becket[2] Rafael Architects |
| Project manager | ICON Venue Group[3] |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore[4] |
| Services engineer | M-E Engineers, Inc.[5] |
| General contractor | Mortenson Construction |
| Tenants | |
| Kansas City Command (AFL) (2008, 2011–2012) Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament (2008, 2010–present) | |
T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has effectively replaced Kemper Arena as the city's primary indoor arena, which had been built in 1974 a few miles away in the West Bottoms neighborhood.
History[edit]
The arena is owned by the city of Kansas City, Missouri.[6] The final design was selected in August 2005, from the Downtown Arena Design Team, which was a collaboration of the architectural firms Populous, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects, and Ellerbe Becket. The construction manager was M.A. Mortenson Company, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Groundbreaking was on June 24, 2005, and construction was completed on October 11, 2007 at US$276 million[7] (equivalent to $361 million in 2021).
The complete exterior glass façade system, all metal panels for the adjacent buildings and all accessory metal cladding, was custom designed, detailed, and supplied by Overgaard Ltd. Hong Kong to Architectural Wall Systems, the Des Moines, Iowa based glazing contractor who installed the building envelope. In total there are approximately 13,000 square meters (140,000 sq ft) of double insulated glass and 5,000 square meters (54,000 sq ft) of painted aluminum curtain wall panels. There are roughly 200 tons of system profiles and accessories. All of the 2,404 individual glass units on the main building were produced sequentially and completely assembled prior to shipping. The 5 million pounds of rebar was detailed, fabricated, and supplied by The Carter-Waters Corporation of Kansas City. The arena features a work of public art, The Moons, by Chris Doyle, commissioned by the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission (KCMAC). The interior has a 360-degree LED video screen. The arena seats over 19,000 people and has 72 suites. Connected to its north side is the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.
In early 2006, Anschutz Entertainment Group selected Brenda Tinnen to serve as the facility's general manager. She had previously served as senior vice president of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and is widely credited with the initial success of the venue and for attracting top tier concert tours. Garth Brooks personally thanked her from the stage for luring him out of semi-retirement to play nine consecutive sold-out shows within a month of the venue opening. She responded by unveiling a "Championship Banner" in the rafters, to commemorate his achievement.
Sprint Center opened on October 10, 2007, inaugurated by an Elton John concert three days later.[8][9]
In April 2020, T-Mobile US became the naming rights partner by completing a merger with Sprint Corporation.[10] On July 9, 2020, Sprint Center was officially renamed to T-Mobile Center.[11] Changes include an entrance specifically for T-Mobile customers, a lounge with tables that can charge smartphones wirelessly, charging stations all over the arena, T-Mobile 5G coverage, and a monument outside saying "Heart KC".[12]
Gallery[edit]
2016 Big 12 Wrestling Championship.
The arena and Power & Light District, from the convention center in 2011.
2016 Built Ford Tough PBR Kansas City Clash
Events[edit]
Since the arena's construction, various city officials of Kansas City have been in discussions with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) about possible expansion or relocation of a professional hockey and/or basketball franchise for the arena; however, neither league has yet approved a team to play in T-Mobile Center.[13][14]
The arena hosted the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008 and in every year since 2010.[15] It hosted the first and second rounds of the 2009 and 2013 NCAA Men's Tournaments, and the regional rounds of the 2017 NCAA Men's Tournament and the 2010 NCAA Women's Tournament. It hosted a 2019 NCAA Men's Division I regional.[16] It hosted the former Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League (AFL).
- On October 13, 2007, Elton John performed the arena's inaugural concert that sold out in less than 90 minutes.
- Garth Brooks performed nine sold-out shows on November 5–12 & 14, 2007. All shows sold out in under two hours. The November 14 show was broadcast live in movie theatres across the United States.
- The February 27, 2010 concert of Elton John & Billy Joel holds the record for highest grossing show at the arena.
- Katy Perry performed August 17, 2011.
- Jennifer Lopez performed August 4, 2012.
- Foo Fighters performed at the arena on August 30, 2011 and August 21, 2015. Both shows were picketed by the Westboro Baptist Church, to which the band offered counter protests.[citation needed]
- Paul McCartney performed his first show in Kansas City in nearly four years at Sprint Center on July 16, 2014, playing for nearly 2 hours and 45 minutes to a sold-out crowd.[17]
- Mary J. Blige performed on December 12, 2016.
- Ed Sheeran performed the first United States show of his ÷ Tour on June 29, 2017.
- Queen + Adam Lambert performed on July 9, 2017.
- The Weeknd performed on September 26, 2017 on his Starboy: Legend of the Fall Tour.
- Metallica performed its WorldWired Tour on March 6, 2019, with an attendance record of 19,646.[18][non-primary source needed]
- The CBE Classic is held every year at T-Mobile Center. The event was first held on November 19, 2007.
- The PBR holds a Built Ford Tough Series event at T-Mobile Center annually since 2008. Prior to 2008, the event was held at Kemper Arena.
- Imagine Dragons performed July 14, 2018.
- Drake performed August 13, 2018 after staying in Kansas City for a few days.
- Justin Bieber performed on May 4, 2022.
- New Kids on the Block and Salt-N-Pepa including the legendary Rick Astley performed on May 15, 2022.
- On June 25, 2022, Big Slick KC performed, Including Paul Rudd , Jason Sudeikis, Rob Riggle, and Eric Stonestreet. Sheryl Crow was a suprise appearance.
References[edit]
- ^ "Sprint Center Sells Out Kings-Penguins NHL Preseason Contest". National Hockey League. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Sprint Center". Archived from the original on April 9, 2009.
- ^ "Sprint Center, Kansas City, Missouri".
- ^ "Projects". walterpmoore.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Sprint Center – Kansas City, MO – M-E Engineers Inc". me-engineers.com. Archived from the original on November 24, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Sprint Center". Walter P Moore. March 4, 2015. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
- ^ "Official site Sprint Center construction cost". February 16, 2009. Archived from the original on February 16, 2009.
- ^ Elton John made Saturday night alright for a concert Kansas City Star, October 13, 2007.
- ^ Elton John to open Sprint Center Kansas City Star, July 26, 2007.
- ^ T‑Mobile Completes Merger with Sprint to Create the New T‑Mobile T-Mobile USA, April 1, 2020.
- ^ Hardy, Kevin (July 9, 2020). "Following T-Mobile merger, downtown Kansas City's Sprint Center will get a new name". The Kansas City Star.
- ^ T-Mobile Center Unboxed: Kansas City's Exciting New Venue | T-Mobile, retrieved April 29, 2022
- ^ Keeler, Sean (October 16, 2014). "With the NBA and KC, never say never – though we're getting close". Fox Sports Kansas City. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ "KC again left in the cold as NHL commissioner says 'no' to expansion". Kansas City Star. October 7, 2014. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Center, Sprint. "2017 Big 12 Men's Basketball Championship – Sprint Center". sprintcenter.com. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "2019 – 2022 Future DI NCAA Championship Sites". ncaa.com. April 18, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2018.
- ^ "Paul McCartney gives Sprint Center crowd a show for the ages".
- ^ Center, Sprint (March 6, 2019). "March 6, 2019: @Metallica's WorldWired Tour performed to 19,646 fans – the highest attended show in #SprintCenter history. #MetInKC Thank you, #KansasCity!".
External links[edit]
| Main companies |
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| Main services | ||
| Mobile networks |
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| Related | ||
- T-Mobile US branded venue
- Sprint Corporation
- Sports venues in Kansas City, Missouri
- Indoor arenas in Missouri
- Arena football venues
- Basketball venues in Missouri
- College volleyball venues in the United States
- Gymnastics venues in the United States
- Indoor ice hockey venues in Missouri
- Indoor lacrosse venues in the United States
- Indoor soccer venues in Missouri
- Music venues in Missouri
- Volleyball venues in the United States
- Sports venues completed in 2007
- 2007 establishments in Missouri
- Downtown Kansas City
- Sports venues in Missouri
- Deutsche Telekom