Dunkin' Donuts Center
| "The Dunk" | |
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Providence Civic Center (1972–2001) |
|---|---|
| Location |
101 Sabin Street Providence, Rhode Island 02903 |
| Coordinates | 41°49′25″N 71°25′6″W / 41.82361°N 71.41833°WCoordinates: 41°49′25″N 71°25′6″W / 41.82361°N 71.41833°W |
| Public transit | Providence Station |
| Owner |
Rhode Island Convention Center Authority (2005–present) City of Providence (1972–2005) |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity |
Concerts: 14,000 Basketball: 12,410 Ice hockey: 11,075 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1971 |
| Opened | November 3, 1972[1] |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Construction cost |
US$13 million ($73.7 million in 2016 dollars[2]) US$80 million (renovation) ($88.1 million in 2016 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Associates |
| General contractor | Dimeo Construction Company[3] |
| Tenants | |
|
Providence Bruins (AHL) (1992–present) Providence Friars (NCAA) (1972–present) Providence/Rhode Island Reds (AHL) (1972–1977) New England Tea Men (NASL) (1979–1980) New England Steamrollers (AFL) (1988) | |
The Dunkin' Donuts Center (originally Providence Civic Center) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the emerging Providence College men's basketball program, due to the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for a home arena for the then-Providence Reds, who played in the nearly 50-year-old Rhode Island Auditorium. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins, of the AHL and the Providence College men's basketball team.
Background
The idea for a Civic Center in Providence had been proposed as early as 1958, on the site of what later became the Providence Place Mall. The project was proposed as a joint federal-state-city project, which would create jobs and bring economic benefits. However, the plan failed due to the inability to secure federal funds.[4]
In 1968, the plan was revived again as a statewide bond issue in the 1968 general election; voters outside of Providence soundly defeated the referendum.[4] Finally, mayor Joseph A. Doorley Jr. pushed through a citywide special referendum in 1969, which passed.[4] When this amount proved to be inadequate, Doorley pushed through another referendum in 1971, which also passed.[4] The project became so closely associated with Mayor Doorley that it was referred to in the press as "Doorley's Dream."[5][6]
History
The Providence Civic Center was constructed in 1972 on the site of an old jewelry factory.[6] The opening ceremony was held November 3, 1972, with a Providence Reds hockey game.[4][6] President Richard Nixon, campaigning in the area, was invited to the attend, but he declined.[6] In its first year, the center hosted concerts by Pink Floyd and Frank Sinatra, as well as hockey games and political rallies, and was considered a success.[6]
In October 1974, when Civic Center director Harold Copeland was convicted of soliciting a $1,000 bribe from a concert promoter.[6] The conviction, occurring a month before election day, thrust prosecutor Vincent Cianci into the Mayor's office and ended Doorley's political career.[6]
Frank Sinatra performed 10 times at the then-Providence Civic Center. His first was to a sold-out crowd including Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis for his Variety Club International Tour on April 15, 1974 and the last on October 3, 1992. During many of Sinatra's performances, Rhode Island State Police would attend, searching for organized crime members in the audience. During a 1979 appearance in Providence, Mayor Buddy Cianci named Sinatra an honorary fire chief, complete with a helmet bearing the name "F. SINATRA" with nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes" beneath.
The Grateful Dead recorded half of their live album, entitled Dick's Picks Volume 12, here on June 26, 1974.
Former Beatle George Harrison held a concert here on December 11, 1974, during his "Dark Horse Tour" (so called because it occurred near the launch of Harrison's Dark Horse Records). Performers included Harrison, Ravi Shankar, Jim Keltner, and Billy Preston. At one point in the show, a girl tried to climb onstage, but was stopped and assaulted by police; Harrison stopped mid-song and shouted "Krishna! Krishna!".
Some of the songs on the Eric Clapton album E. C. Was Here were recorded live at the Civic Center, on June 25, 1975.
The arena played host to The Rolling Thunder Revue Tour on November 4, 1975, headed by Bob Dylan.
David Bowie's concert on May 5, 1978 was one of three recorded for his live album Stage.
The Bee Gees performed two sold-out concerts here on August 28-29, 1979 as part of their Spirits Having Flown Tour.
The Kinks recorded much of their live album and video, One for the Road at the Civic Center September 23, 1979.
In 1979, Mayor Cianci cancelled a concert at the Civic Center by the rock band The Who.[7] Cianci cancelled the performance after hearing about a Who concert in Cincinnati earlier that month where 11 fans had been trampled to death.[7] 33 years later, the band returned to Providence and announced they would honor any tickets from the 1979 show.[7] Ten fans, now middle-aged, traded in 14 tickets to see the performance.[7]
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Civic Center fell into decline; it required city bailouts and was seen as a financial problem.[4]
Phish recorded Live Phish Volume 20 on December 29, 1994, Live Phish 04.04.98 and Live Phish 04.05.98 on April 4–5, 1998.
In 2001, as a means of increasing financing,[4] the arena was named the Dunkin' Donuts Center as part of a naming-rights deal with Dunkin' Donuts.[8] In December 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the city of Providence and spent $80 million on an extensive renovation. Major elements of the construction included a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Rhode Island Convention Center, a new center-hung LED video display board, a new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, four new bathrooms, and all-new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Behind-the-scenes improvements included a new HVAC system, ice chiller, and a first-of-its-kind fire suppression system. These renovations were completed in October 2008.[9]
In 2010, the arena hosted first and second-round games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament for the first time since 1996.[10]
During a live performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on May 4, 2014, nine female performers were sent to the hospital after a high wire snapped while they were attempting a routine where they hang by their hair high above the floor. The performers fell from between 25 and 40 feet to the ground, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.[11]
Usage
Sports
Providence College men's basketball
The Providence Friars men's basketball team has been the only major tenant of the arena since its inception, having played almost all of its home basketball games at the arena since 1972. The Providence men's basketball team and their fans have made the Dunk one of the most intimidating environments in recent years for NCAA basketball. On rare occasions, the Providence women's basketball team has played "home" games in the arena, most notably for games against URI or the University of Connecticut, where demand for tickets would be enough to warrant an arena larger than the 2,620-seat Alumni Hall.
Other college sports
The arena has been the site of many collegiate tournaments, including the inaugural 1980 Big East Conference men's basketball tournament; the Division I men's basketball ECAC New England Region Tournament, organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), in 1978 and 1979;[12][13][14][15] NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament first- and second-round games in 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1996, 2010, and 2016; the 1978 and 1985 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament East Region finals; the inaugural 1985 Hockey East Tournament, as well as the second tournament a year later in 1986 before the tourney made Boston a permanent home; and the 1978, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1995 and 2000 NCAA Frozen Four ice hockey championships. The University of Rhode Island (URI) men's basketball team also played some home basketball games at the Providence Civic Center beginning in 1973, although this practice stopped with the opening of the Ryan Center in 2002.
Professional sports
The Providence Reds (later known as the Rhode Island Reds) hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL) played at the Providence Civic Center from 1972 to 1977. The New England Tea Men of the North American Soccer League (NASL) played their indoor soccer matches there from 1979–1980 before moving south to Jacksonville, Florida at the start of the 1980–81 indoor season.[16][17][18] The Providence Bruins of the AHL began play at the arena in 1992. The New England Steamrollers of the Arena Football League also called the arena home for their single season of existence in 1988.
A number of other professional sporting events, including Harlem Globetrotters basketball games and preseason games for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA) have been held at the arena.
Other events
The arena has long been a regular stop on WWE tours. It was the site of WWF King of the Ring tournaments four times: from 1987 to 1991, before the event became a pay-per-view, and once after in 1997. In 1994, it hosted the Royal Rumble. On April 25, 1999, the arena was home to the first WWF Backlash pay-per-view event; the Backlash (2009) final edition of the event was hosted there as well, ten years to the day.[19] In December 2005 the arena hosted WWE Armageddon. The January 13, 2014 edition of WWE Raw was filmed at the arena. WWE Smackdown filmed two shows at the arena in 2015, on April 21 and August 25.
Gallery
View of the center while empty, after renovations
The arena before Monster Jam, prior to renovations
Arena in hockey configuration, after renovations
Syracuse vs. Providence College men's basketball game in February 2010
References
- ↑ http://www.worldofstadiums.com/north-america/united-states/rhode-island/dunkin-donuts-center/
- 1 2 Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved October 21, 2016.
- ↑ "75th Anniversary Flash Timleine". Dimeo Construction. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Leazes, Francis J (2004). Providence, the Renaissance City. UPNE. pp. 60–61. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ↑ "Mayors of the City of Providence". City of Providence. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Stanton, Mike (9 December 2002). "A Providence civics lesson". The Providence Journal. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- 1 2 3 4 Grow, Kory (1 August 2012). "Meet the Who Fans Who Found Their Cancelled 1979 Concert Tickets". SPIN magazine. Retrieved 22 November 2016.
- ↑ "Providence Civic Center and Dunkin' Donuts Seal a Sweet Deal" (Press release). Dunkin' Donuts Incorporated. June 14, 2001. Archived from the original on March 21, 2006. Retrieved September 20, 2005.
- ↑ Parker, Paul Edward (August 31, 2008). "Renovations a Slam Dunk". The Providence Journal. p. F1. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ Grimaldi, Paul (March 21, 2010). "'Impressed? Yes'". The Providence Journal. p. A1. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ Saffir, Doug; Burgess, Robert (May 4, 2014). "Performers Hurt in Platform Collapse at Providence Circus". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Varsity Pride. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "1978 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Varsity Pride. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "1979 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments". Varsity Pride. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "1978–79 Independent Season Summary". Sports-Reference. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Tea Men Are Leaving N.E. for New Home in Florida". The Day (New London). Associated Press. November 17, 1980. p. 28. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "April 10, 1982 – Jacksonville Tea Men vs. New York Cosmos". Fun While It Lasted. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "Attendance Project: NASL Indoor". Kenn Blog. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
- ↑ "WWE News: Backlash 2009 Location, South Dakota Rating, Press Release". 411 Mania. May 12, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dunkin' Donuts Center. |
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Olympia Stadium Detroit |
Host of the Frozen Four 1978 |
Succeeded by Olympia Stadium Detroit |
| Preceded by Olympia Stadium Detroit |
Host of the Frozen Four 1980 |
Succeeded by Duluth Arena Duluth, Minnesota |
| Preceded by Duluth Arena Duluth, Minnesota |
Host of the Frozen Four 1982 |
Succeeded by Ralph Engelstad Arena Grand Forks, North Dakota |
| Preceded by Joe Louis Arena Detroit |
Host of the Frozen Four 1986 |
Succeeded by Joe Louis Arena Detroit |
| Preceded by Saint Paul Civic Center St. Paul, Minnesota |
Host of the Frozen Four 1995 |
Succeeded by Riverfront Coliseum Cincinnati |
| Preceded by Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim Anaheim, California |
Host of the Frozen Four 2000 |
Succeeded by Pepsi Arena Albany, New York |