Hy-Vee Arena

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Hy-Vee Arena
The Kemper Arena in Kansas City (2006)
The Kemper Arena in Kansas City (2006)
Earlier names

Kemper Arena (1974-2018)
Mosaic Arena (2017)

Data
place 1800 Genessee Kansas City , Missouri 64102
United StatesUnited States
Coordinates 39 ° 5 '31 "  N , 94 ° 36' 20.5"  W Coordinates: 39 ° 5 '31 "  N , 94 ° 36' 20.5"  W.
owner Foutch Brothers LLC
start of building July 17th, 1972
September 17th, 2017 (renovation)
opening September 30, 1974
October 5, 2018 (renovation)
Renovations 1976, 1987, 1996, 2017-2018
Extensions 1997
surface Concrete
parquet
costs 23 million US dollars (1974)
23 million US dollars (1997)
39 million US dollars (2018)
architect Helmut Jahn (1974)
Foutch Architecture and Development (2018)
capacity approx. 8,500 places (since 2018)
19,500 places (1997–2016)
17,513 places (1988–1997)
Societies)
Events

The Hy-Vee Arena (originally Kemper Arena ) is a multi-purpose arena in the US city ​​of Kansas City in the state of Missouri . Until 2016 it offered 19,500 places to visitors. From the mid-1970s to the mid-1980s it was the home ground of the Kansas City Scouts (now the New Jersey Devils ) from the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Kansas City Kings (now the Sacramento Kings ) from the National Basketball Association (NBA) ). The hall was named after Rufus Crosby Kemper Sr. , a well-known banker and one of the most important donors in the construction of the arena with 3.2 million US dollars . The building has been sponsored by the retail company Hy-Vee since May 2018 .

history

The then Kemper Arena was built on July 17, 1972 in 18 months in place of the 8,000-seat Municipal Auditorium , to serve as the home ground for the city's professional basketball and ice hockey teams . The arena was the first major project by the German-born architect Helmut Jahn , who would later become one of the most important architects of his time.

The building was considered to be revolutionary in its simplicity as well as due to the fact that the hall managed without pillars in the interior that stole the view, as the structure was held in place from the outside by steel girders. The windowless outer facade contrasts with Jahn's later projects, which were often characterized by larger glass surfaces. The total cost of the project amounted to a total of 23 million US dollars , which was funded by a total of seven donors, including the later namesake Rufus Crosby Kemper Sr. and the American Royal Association .

The 1976 Republican Congress: handshake between candidates Ronald Reagan (left) and President Gerald Ford

In the 1970s, the arena finally served primarily as the home of the ice hockey team of the Kansas City Scouts of the National Hockey League and the Kansas City Kings of the National Basketball Association. In 1976, the Republican National Convention , the nomination party convention of the Republicans, took place in the hall , at which the incumbent US President Gerald Ford was able to prevail against his inner-party opponent for the upcoming election , Ronald Reagan .

On June 4, 1979, a 110 km / h fast storm with heavy rainfall caused part of the roof of the Kemper Arena to collapse. However, since the stadium was not in operation in the early evening, no people were harmed, but a conference with over a thousand participants had taken place in the hall just 24 hours before the accident. After the ceiling structure of the Hartford Civic Center collapsed due to heavy snowfall in January of the previous year, it was the second such incident within a short time in the United States, which led to the safety of the American arenas being discussed in public. Today two factors are considered to be the cause of the accident. On the one hand, it is suspected that the roof's sewer system was no longer able to fully divert the water masses, so that the water accumulated on the roof, and on the other hand, the strength of the bolts in the roof structure should have been calculated incorrectly, as a single such bolt broke is said to have caused the collapse of a part of the ceiling. After extensive renovation work, however, the arena was able to reopen after a year.

In the following years, other major events took place in the Kemper Arena, such as the 1988 NCAA Basketball Final Four , the most important college basketball tournament in the USA, and the Women's Final Four in 1998. The stadium has also been home to various others over the years Professional teams from Kansas City, such as the ice hockey franchises Kansas City Blues ( CHL ), Kansas City Blades ( IHL ) or the Kansas City Outlaws ( UHL ) as well as the Kansas City Comets from the soccer league MSL and the Kansas City Brigade from the Arena Football League .

The arena underwent several renovations in the 1990s, most notably in 1997 when the hall was refurbished for $ 23 million and equipped with a new lobby area and 2,000 additional seats. In addition, concerts by important artists took place in the hall, for example the performances of the Backstreet Boys , Michael Jackson , Billy Joel , Cher , Christina Aguilera , Elton John , Eric Clapton , Janet Jackson and Prince .

Fatal accident of wrestler Owen Hart

At the pay-per-view wrestling event "Over The Edge", which took place on May 23, 1999, there was a fatal accident when professional wrestler Owen Hart fell about 24 meters while abseiling from the ceiling of the hall and with the Body hit the corner of the ring. Due to serious internal injuries, Hart died lying in the ring. Commentator Jim Ross informed viewers that a serious accident had occurred and asserted that it was not a storyline . Hart's widow still accuses the wrestling association WWF that both the safety precautions and the quality of the safety hook are said to have been completely inadequate.

Reconstruction of the arena

From September 2017, the Kemper Arena was rebuilt. A multisport complex for young people and adults was created on two levels with 12 hardwood playing fields (four below and eight above), which can be used for basketball , volleyball , futsal and pickleball . On the lower level there are around 3,900 seats. There are over 4,500 seats on the upper one. In addition, there is a 350-meter long plastic track , a fitness studio , meeting rooms , retail stores, entertainment options and restaurants. Smaller events such as lectures, fashion shows , marketing meetings , exhibitions , team building up to various corporate and social events take place. The building was reopened on October 5, 2018.

The arena complex

The Hy-Vee Arena complex also includes the following buildings:

  • the Hale Arena with a capacity of 5,000 seats and an area of ​​1,580 m²
  • the “Governor's Building” with an area of ​​8,900 m²
  • the “Lower Level Exhibition Hall” with an area of ​​8,000 m²
  • the “Upper Level Exhibition Hall” with an area of ​​8,000 m²
  • the "Wagstaff Theater" with 450 seats
  • the "American Royal Museum"
  • the "Scott Pavilion", an animal enclosure for keeping animals before events
  • the "West Bottoms Garage" with 995 parking spaces
  • six parking areas with 4,500 vehicle spaces

Web links

Commons : Hy-Vee Arena  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Steve Vockrodt: KC's historic Kemper Arena to become Hy-Vee Arena under new naming rights deal. In: kansascity.com. May 17, 2018, accessed on March 21, 2020 .
  2. ^ Hy-Vee Arena. In: visitkc.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
  3. ^ The Arena. In: hyveearena.com. Retrieved March 21, 2020 .
  4. ↑ Tammy Ljungblad: Former Kemper Arena reopens as Hy-Vee Arena with some big changes. October 5, 2018, accessed on March 21, 2020 .