BB&T Center (Sunrise, Florida)
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| Former names | Broward County Civic Arena (construction/planning) National Car Rental Center (1998–2002) Office Depot Center (2002–05) BankAtlantic Center (2005–12) |
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| Address | 1 Panther Parkway |
| Location | Sunrise, Florida |
| Coordinates | 26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°WCoordinates: 26°9′30″N 80°19′32″W / 26.15833°N 80.32556°W |
| Parking | 7,045 total spaces |
| Owner | Broward County |
| Operator | Arena Operating Company, Ltd. |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 20,737 *End stage 180°: 15,207 *End stage 270°: 19,119 *End stage 360°: 21,371 *Center stage: 22,457 *Theatre: 3,000 |
| Field size | 872,000 square feet (81,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 8, 1996 |
| Opened | October 3, 1998 |
| Construction cost | US$185 million ($283 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Becket |
| Project manager | Upton & Partners |
| Structural engineer | Walter P. Moore & Associates |
| General contractor | Arena Development Company (A joint venture of Centex Rooney/Huber, Hunt & Nichols/Morse Diesel) |
| Tenants | |
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Florida Panthers (NHL) (1998–present) Florida ThunderCats (NPSL) (1998–99) Florida Bobcats (AFL) (1999-2001) Florida Pit Bulls (ABA) (2005-06) Miami Caliente (LFL) (2009–10) |
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Basketball: 20,737
Ice Hockey: 19,250
Arena Football: 19,779
The BB&T Center (previously known as the National Car Rental Center, Office Depot Center, and BankAtlantic Center) is an indoor arena located in Sunrise, Florida. It is home to the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League. It was completed in 1998, at a cost of US$185 million, almost entirely publicly financed, and features 70 suites and 2,623 club seats.
In 1992, Wayne Huizenga obtained a new NHL franchise that would eventually become the Florida Panthers. Until the team had an arena of their own, they initially played at the now-demolished Miami Arena, sharing the venue with the NBA's Miami Heat.Sunrise City Manager Pat Salerno made public a $167-million financing and construction plan for a civic center near the Sawgrass Expressway in December 1995, and Broward County approved construction in February 1996. In June 1996, the site was chosen by the Panthers, and in July, Alex Muxo gathered more than a dozen architects, engineers and contractors for the first major design brainstorming session. Architects Ellerbe Becket were given 26 months to build the arena, which had to be ready by August 30, 1998, to accommodate the 1998–99 NHL season. Despite never having designed a facility that had taken less than 31 months from start to finish, they accepted the job.
Seventy suites were completed with wet bars, closed circuit monitors and leather upholstery. Averaging over 650 square feet (60 m2), the suites are the largest in the country for this type of facility. All the activity was generated by over 50 subcontractors and 2.3 million man hours without a single injury. Known as Broward County Civic Center during construction, the naming rights were won in July 1998 by National Car Rental—a company purchased by Huizenga in January 1997—leading to the venue being named the National Car Rental Center. A certificate of occupancy was given on September 12, and the arena opened on October 3 with a Celine Dion concert. The next day, Elton John performed, and on October 9 the Panthers had their first home game at the new arena.
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