Verizon Wireless Arena
| "SNHU Arena" | |
 |
|
| Former names | Civic Arena (during construction) Verizon Wireless Arena (2001–2016) |
|---|---|
| Location | 555 Elm Street Manchester, New Hampshire 03101 |
| Coordinates | 42°59′11″N 71°27′44″W / 42.98639°N 71.46222°WCoordinates: 42°59′11″N 71°27′44″W / 42.98639°N 71.46222°W |
| Owner | City of Manchester |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | 9,852 (hockey) 11,140 (basketball) 10,050 (end stage) 11,770 (centerstage concerts) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 13, 2000 |
| Opened | November 15, 2001 |
| Construction cost |
$68,000,000 ($92 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect |
Populous Lavallee Brensinger Architects |
| Project manager | ScheerGame Sports Development, LLC. |
| Structural engineer | LeMessurier Consultants |
| General contractor | Gilbane/Harvey |
| Tenants | |
|
Manchester Monarchs (AHL) (2001–2015) Manchester Wolves (af2) (2004–2009) Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) (2015–present) New England Liberty (LFL) (2016–present) |
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The SNHU Arena (Southern New Hampshire University Arena) is an indoor events arena in Manchester, New Hampshire, and seats 9,852 for ice hockey, 11,140 for basketball and up to 11,770 for concerts.
The facility was originally known during construction as Civic Arena, and this name still appears on most of the directional signs around town. Its naming rights were sold prior to opening in 2001 and was called Verizon Wireless Arena. On February 2, 2016, it was announced that Southern New Hampshire University had partnered with SMG for the naming rights to the arena, which began on September 1, 2016, for a period of at least ten years.
The arena contains 542 club seats, 34 luxury suites, and five party suites.
The SNHU Arena is located on Elm Street (U.S. Route 3) at the corner of Lake and Granite streets, the latter of which leads directly to Interstate 293 across the Merrimack River. The arena was built on the site of a former Zayre's department store and is located on an irregular block, surrounded by Elm Street (west), Lake Street (north), Chestnut Street (east) and Auburn Street (south), with Cedar (north) and Willow (east) streets taking a corner off the southwestern corner of the block. Before and after events, Lake and Elm Streets will typically be blocked off for pedestrian access.
The arena's exterior includes its notable curved blue roof, which helps heavy New Hampshire snowfall to slide off. The top half of the arena's facade is a steel oval, the western side of which is lit during events and is visible from the west side of the city and from Interstate 293. The lower half of the building is red brick, except the main entrance on the western side of the arena, which is entirely glass, providing views of the entry plaza, mills, and the West Side. There is also a large window on the main concourse's north side providing views of the Manchester skyline. There are multiple entrance doors on the front side of the arena, and two sets of doors on the eastern side. A large abstract sculpture adorns the southwest lawn of the arena near the corner of Cedar and Elm streets, and the arena's outdoor LED marquee board is located at the corner of Lake and Elm. Drive-in access for larger shows is located on the southeastern corner of the arena, accessible by a gate on Willow Street.
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Wikipedia