Wendler Arena
| "The Dow" | |
 |
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| Former names | The Saginaw County Event Center Saginaw Civic Center |
|---|---|
| Location | 303 Johnson Street Saginaw, Michigan 48607-1213 |
| Owner | Saginaw County |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity |
Concerts: 7,647 Basketball: 6,217 Hockey 5,527 Indoor Football 5,201 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1970 |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Renovated | 2003 |
| Construction cost | $17 million (renovation) ($22.1 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Wigen, Tincknell, Meyer & Associates, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
|
Saginaw Gears (IHL) (1972–1983) Saginaw Gears (UHL) (1994–1999) Saginaw Spirit (OHL) (2002–present) Saginaw Sting (AIF) (2008–2009, 2011–2015) |
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The Dow Event Center (formerly known as Saginaw County Event Center and Saginaw Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in Saginaw, Michigan. The center consists of several parts: The Atrium At The Dow Event Center, The Garden Room At The Dow Event Center, The Theater At The Dow Event Center, The Red Room At The Dow Event Center, Huntington Event Park and The Arena At The Dow Event Center. It currently houses the Ontario Hockey League's Saginaw Spirit. The facility has housed a number of hockey teams in the past, such as the Saginaw Lumber Kings and both the IHL and UHL incarnations of the Saginaw Gears.
The Arena At The Dow Event Center, has a capacity of 7,600 people for concerts (without the ice), and 5,500 for hockey games. The Theater At The Dow Event Center has a capacity of 2,276 people.
Originally built in 1972 as part of an urban development program, the center is the only structure left. Most of the other buildings were razed in the 1980s due to many problems, including health risks, foreclosure and bankruptcy.
For a time in the 1990s, the facility nearly faced foreclosure and bankruptcy due to lack of funds provided by the city. The facility underwent a series of much-needed renovations in early 2000s, mainly in hopes for a better facility to host their newly acquired hockey team. The naming rights of the facility were transferred in September 2004 to The Dow Chemical Company, headquartered in nearby Midland. The center was used two times during the summer of 2004 as a center for Republican political rallies in support for the re-election of U.S. President George W. Bush.
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