Qwest Center Omaha
| CenturyLink Center Omaha | |
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West façade c. 2012
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| Former names | Omaha Arena and Convention Center (planning/construction) Qwest Center Omaha (2003-11) |
| Alternative names | CenturyLink Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena |
| General information | |
| Location | Downtown Omaha |
| Address | 455 North 10th Street Omaha, Nebraska 68102-1151 |
| Named for | CenturyLink |
| Groundbreaking | March 1, 2001 |
| Opened | September 20, 2003 |
| Inaugurated | September 12, 2003 |
| Cost |
$291 million ($379 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Owner | City of Omaha |
| Landlord | Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority |
| Technical details | |
| Size | 1,118,300 square feet (103,890 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | DLR Group |
| Structural engineer | Thornton-Tomasetti Group |
| Services engineer | M–E Engineers, Inc. |
| Main contractor | Kiewit Construction Co. |
| Other information | |
| Seating capacity | 18,320 (basketball) 17,100 (hockey) 18,975 (Concert Center-stage) 2,693 (Peter Kiewit Grand Ballroom) |
| Parking | 4,500 spaces |
Coordinates: 41°15′45″N 95°55′50″W / 41.26250°N 95.93056°W
The CenturyLink Center Omaha is an arena and convention center in the North Downtown neighborhood in Omaha, Nebraska operated by the Metropolitan Entertainment & Convention Authority (MECA). The 1,100,000-square-foot (100,000 m2) facility has an 18,975-seat arena, a 194,000-square-foot (18,000 m2) exhibition hall and 62,000 sq ft (5,800 m2) of meeting space.
The complex opened in 2003 as Qwest Center Omaha. It adopted its current name on July 15, 2011, as part of a $22 billion buyout of Qwest by CenturyLink (formerly CenturyTel). All signage, inside and outside, changed to conform to the new arena name and exterior accent lighting changed from blue to green. Work completed on December 20, 2011. The contract expires in 2018 and MECA is preparing to negotiate a new contract.
The arena hosts basketball games, hockey games, professional wrestling events and concerts and the annual shareholders' meeting of Omaha-based conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway, usually held on the first Saturday of May.
The arena's primary tenant is the Creighton University men's basketball team. Through the 2014–15 NCAA ice hockey season, the Omaha Mavericks men's team, representing the University of Nebraska Omaha, was also a primary tenant, but the Mavericks moved to the new Baxter Arena for the 2015–16 season.
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