Spectrum Center (arena)
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| Former names | Charlotte Bobcats Arena (2005–2008) Time Warner Cable Arena (2008–2016) |
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| Address | 333 East Trade Street |
| Location | Charlotte, North Carolina |
| Coordinates | 35°13′30″N 80°50′21″W / 35.22500°N 80.83917°WCoordinates: 35°13′30″N 80°50′21″W / 35.22500°N 80.83917°W |
| Public transit | CTC/Arena |
| Owner | City of Charlotte |
| Operator | Hornets Sports & Entertainment |
| Capacity |
Basketball: 19,077 *End stage 180°: 13,376 *End stage 270°: 15,236 *End stage 360°: 18,249 *Center stage: 18,504 *Theatre: 4,000–7,000 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 29, 2003 |
| Opened | October 21, 2005 |
| Renovated | 2016 |
| Construction cost |
$260 million ($319 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Ellerbe Becket Odell Associates, Inc. The Freelon Group, Inc. |
| Project manager | PC Sports |
| General contractor | Hunt/R.J. Leeper |
| Tenants | |
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Charlotte Hornets (NBA) (2005–present) Charlotte Checkers (ECHL) (2005–2010) Charlotte Sting (WNBA) (2006) Charlotte Checkers (AHL) (2010–2015) |
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| Website | |
| spectrumcentercharlotte |
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Basketball: 19,077
(expandable to 20,200)
Ice Hockey: 14,100
Pro-Wrestling: 20,200 (maximum)
Spectrum Center (formerly Time Warner Cable Arena) is an indoor arena located in center city Charlotte, North Carolina. It is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the NBA's Charlotte Hornets. Opening in October 2005, the arena seats 19,077 for NBA games but can be expanded to seat up to 20,200 for college basketball games.
The arena was originally intended to host the Charlotte Hornets in the early 2000s. The Charlotte Coliseum was outdated, despite being only 13 years old, and the team wanted a new arena closer to the city and with amenities found in arenas built after the Coliseum. In 2001, a non-binding public referendum for an arts package, which included money to build the new uptown arena, was placed on the ballot for voters; it was placed in order to demonstrate what was believed to be widespread public support for new arena construction. The arts package would have been funded with the issuance of bonds by the city. This resulted in opposition, with many feeling that the city should not fund a new arena at all due to the Coliseum's relatively young age. Then-mayor Pat McCrory vetoed a living wage ordinance just days before the referendum. As a result, Helping Empower Local People, a grass-roots organization supporting a living wage, launched a campaign to oppose the arena, arguing that it was immoral for the city to build a new arena when city workers didn't earn enough to make a living. The referendum failed with 43% for building the arena and 57% opposed.
City leaders then devised a way to build a new arena in a way that did not require voter support, but let it be known that they wouldn't consider building it unless then-Hornets' owner George Shinn sold the team. While even the NBA acknowledged that Shinn had alienated fans, NBA officials felt such a statement would anger other team owners. As it turned out, the NBA approved the Hornets' application to move to New Orleans. However, the league promised that the city would get a new team—which became the Bobcats—as part of the deal. The total cost of the arena to Charlotte and Mecklenburg County was not known, but estimated at around $260 million. The construction was approved by the city council, which did not opt to present another referendum to the public.
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