KFC Yum! Center
The KFC Yum! Center in 2011 as seen from Main Street in Downtown Louisville.
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| Former names | Downtown Arena |
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| Location | 1 Arena Plaza Louisville, Kentucky 40202 |
| Coordinates | 38°15′27″N 85°45′14″W / 38.25750°N 85.75389°WCoordinates: 38°15′27″N 85°45′14″W / 38.25750°N 85.75389°W |
| Owner | Louisville Arena Authority |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Capacity | 22,090 (Basketball) 17,500 (End stage) 21,500 (Volleyball) 22,090 (Max) |
| Surface | Multi-Surface Denny Crum Court |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 28, 2006 |
| Opened | October 10, 2010 |
| Construction cost |
$238 Million ($261 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Populous (formerly HOK Sport) Louis and Henry Group C.L. Anderson Architecture Jill Lewis Smith Architects |
| Project manager | PC Sports |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore |
| Services engineer | Smith Seckman Reid, Inc. |
| General contractor | M. A. Mortenson Company |
| Tenants | |
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Louisville Cardinals (NCAA) Men's basketball (2010–present) Women's basketball (2010–present) Women's volleyball (2011–present) |
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| Website | |
| www |
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The KFC Yum! Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is named after the KFC restaurant chain and Yum! Brands, the parent company of KFC. Adjacent to the Ohio River waterfront, it is located on Main Street between 2nd and 3rd Streets and opened on October 10, 2010. The arena is part of a $450 million project that includes a 975-car parking structure and floodwall.
The Louisville Cardinals men's and women's basketball teams from the University of Louisville are the primary tenants of the arena complex. The U of L women's volleyball team began using the arena as a part-time home in 2011, and made the arena its main home in 2012. With 22,090 seats for basketball, it is the second-largest college arena by seating capacity in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, behind Rupp Arena at the University of Kentucky, and the third-largest in the United States, behind the Carrier Dome at Syracuse University and Rupp Arena. The arena's current attendance record is 22,815, set March 9, 2013 against Notre Dame.
Since its opening, the KFC Yum! Center has been a frequent spot for major concerts.
Early arena planning focused on two potential arena sites: one owned by the Louisville Water Company bounded by Liberty Street, Muhammad Ali Blvd, 2nd and 3rd Streets, and one owned by Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) on the waterfront between 2nd and 3rd Streets on Main. In March 2006, University of Louisville men's basketball coach Rick Pitino stated he would not coach in an arena built at the water company site. This came at a time when the House budget committee earmarked funding for the arena only if it was built at the water company site. Others, including Papa John's Pizza founder John Schnatter, a major donor to the U of L athletic program, criticized the LG&E location due to its higher cost.
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