Verizon Center
| "The Phone Booth" | |
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|
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| Former names | MCI Center (1997–2006) |
|---|---|
| Address | 601 F Street Northwest |
| Location | Washington, D.C. |
| Coordinates | 38°53′53″N 77°1′15″W / 38.89806°N 77.02083°WCoordinates: 38°53′53″N 77°1′15″W / 38.89806°N 77.02083°W |
| Public transit |
Washington Metro   at Gallery Place
|
| Owner | Monumental Sports and Entertainment |
| Operator | Monumental Sports and Entertainment |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 20,674 (1997–2002) 20,173 (2002–2010) 20,278 (2010–2011) 20,282 (2011–2012) 20,308 (2012–2013) 20,356 (2013–present) Ice hockey: 19,740 (1997–1999) 18,672 (1999–2002) 18,277 (2002–2010) 18,398 (2010–2011) 18,506 (2011–present) |
| Field size | 1,020,000 square feet (95,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | October 18, 1995 |
| Opened | December 2, 1997 |
| Construction cost | US$260 million ($388 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Ellerbe Becket Devrouax & Purnell KCF-SHG Architects |
| Project manager | Seagull Bay Sports, LLC. |
| Structural engineer | Delon Hampton & Associates |
| Services engineer | John J. Christie Associates |
| General contractor | Clark/Smoot |
| Tenants | |
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Washington Wizards (NBA) (1997–present) Washington Capitals (NHL) (1997–present) Georgetown Hoyas (NCAA) (1997–present) Washington Mystics (WNBA) (1998–present) Washington Power (NLL) (2001–2002) Washington Valor (AFL) (beginning in 2017) |
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The Verizon Center, formerly known as the MCI Center, is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C.
Named after its sponsor, the telecommunications company Verizon Communications, the Verizon Center has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" by local fans, because of its historical association with various telecommunications companies, such as MCI Inc. and Verizon. Located in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C., the Verizon Center sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro.
The Verizon Center is home to the Washington Wizards of the National Basketball Association (NBA), Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Georgetown University men's basketball team, the Washington Mystics of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Washington International Horse Show and was formerly the home of the Washington Power of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) from 2001 to 2002. It will soon be home to the new Washington Valor team in the Arena Football League in 2017. The arena's seating capacity is 20,308 for basketball and 18,506 for ice hockey.
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