Bridgestone Arena
| The Stone; The Bridge; The Tire Barn | |
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Bridgestone Arena from the outside
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| Former names | Nashville Arena (1996–1999, 2007, 2010) Gaylord Entertainment Center (1999–2007) Sommet Center (2007–2010) |
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| Address | 501 Broadway |
| Location | Nashville, Tennessee |
| Coordinates | 36°9′33″N 86°46′43″W / 36.15917°N 86.77861°WCoordinates: 36°9′33″N 86°46′43″W / 36.15917°N 86.77861°W |
| Owner | Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County |
| Operator | Powers Management Company (Nashville Predators) |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 19,395
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| Field size | 750,000 square feet (70,000 m2) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 20, 1994 |
| Opened | December 18, 1996 |
| Construction cost |
$144 million ($220 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
HOK Sport Hart Freeland Roberts, Inc. |
| Project manager | Brookwood Group |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti |
| Services engineer | Smith Seckman Reid Inc. |
| General contractor | Turner/Perini |
| Tenants | |
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Nashville Predators (NHL) (1998–present) Nashville Kats (AFL) (1997–2001, 2005–2007) |
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Basketball: 19,395
Ice hockey:
17,298 (1996–1999)
17,113 (1999–present)
Concert:
Bridgestone Arena (originally Nashville Arena and formerly Gaylord Entertainment Center and Sommet Center) is an all-purpose venue in downtown Nashville, Tennessee, that was completed in 1996.
Designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport) in conjunction with the Nashville-based architecture/engineering firm Hart Freeland Roberts, INC., it was designed at an angle on the corner of Broadway and 5th Avenue in Nashville in physical homage to the historic Ryman Auditorium, the original home of the Grand Ole Opry.
Bridgestone Arena is owned by the Sports Authority of Nashville and Davidson County and operated by Powers Management Company, a subsidiary of the Nashville Predators National Hockey League franchise, which has been its primary tenant since 1998. The Predators hosted the NHL Entry Draft here in 2003.
In 1997, it was the venue of the United States Figure Skating Association national championships, and in 2004 hosted the U.S. Gymnastics championships. It was the home of the Nashville Kats franchise of the Arena Football League from 1997 until 2001, and hosted the team's revival from 2005 to 2007, when the Kats folded.
The venue has also hosted numerous concerts and religious gatherings, and some major basketball events, including both men's (2001, 2006, 2010) and women's tournaments of the Southeastern Conference and the Ohio Valley Conference. Nashville will serve as a primary venue for the SEC Men's Basketball Tournament nine times between 2015 and 2025 (2015–2017, 2019–2021, and 2023–2025) after the SEC signed a long-term agreement with the Nashville Sports Council in 2013. It hosted the 2014 NCAA Women's Final Four and will host women's tournaments in 2018, 2022, and 2026. Since 2002, it has also hosted a PBR Built Ford Tough Series bull riding event every year (except in 2005 and 2006) until 2010. The event moved to the Arena in 2002 after having previously occupied the Municipal Auditorium from 1994 to 2001; during the venue's first year hosting this event, the Built Ford Tough Series was known as the Bud Light Cup.
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Wikipedia