Mark Price Arena
| Convention Hall | |
| Location | Enid, Oklahoma, United States |
|---|---|
| Owner | City of Enid, Oklahoma |
| Capacity | 2,500 |
The Mark Price Arena was a 2,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Enid, Oklahoma located in Convention Hall, named after basketball player Mark Price who played for Georgia Tech and the Cleveland Cavaliers.
In addition to hosting concerts and high school sports, the arena was home to the Oklahoma Storm, a basketball team in the USBL. Convention Hall is currently undergoing renovations and expected to reopen on November 18, 2012 as part of Veteran's Day festivities. Upon reopening, Convention Hall will house two new ballrooms totalling 14,000 sq ft and 5,500 sq ft of additional meeting rooms. It has been closed since 2009 for its inability to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
In 1919, Milton C. Garber, then mayor of Enid, and his commissioner aides, G. W. Pancoast and Jason W. Butts, proposed a bond issue for the construction of a building to memorialize the efforts of Garfield County soldiers in World War I. Sealed bids were accepted until September 1, 1919 on bonds of $250,000 for the construction of the convention hall. The building was constructed at a cost of $500,000 with an original capacity of 5,000. It was designed by the architectural firm Layton, Smith and Forsyth and constructed by Bass and Frankenfield Builders. It served as a meeting place for the Enid Chamber of Commerce. The hall served as a venue for stage productions including plays such as Hitchy-Koo and Al G. Field minstrel shows and for musicians such as John Philip Sousa, Ernestine Schumann-Heink, Bob Wills, and Fred Waring. President George Bush spoke at the venue while campaigning in 1992.
The original hall was four stories tall, and had two balconies: the first of which holds 995 people and the second 667 people. The floor measures at 109 feet (33 m) long by 67 feet (20 m) wide, and can hold 600 people. The ceiling is 40 feet (12 m) high, and the stage measures at 37 feet (11 m) wide and nearly 30 feet (9.1 m) long. The 2,500 seat basketball arena in Convention Hall was renamed in 1993 to Mark Price Arena after basketball player Mark Price who played for Georgia Tech and the Cleveland Cavaliers. In addition to hosting concerts and high school sports, the arena was home to the Oklahoma Storm, a basketball team in the USBL. The Skeltur Conference Tournament was held at the arena from 1964 to 2009.
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