United Center

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United Center
The UC
Madhouse on Madison
The House That Jordan Built
United Center logo
The east side of the United Center
The east side of the United Center
Data
place 1901 West Madison Street Chicago , Illinois 60612
United StatesUnited States
Coordinates 41 ° 52 '50.5 "  N , 87 ° 40' 27"  W Coordinates: 41 ° 52 '50.5 "  N , 87 ° 40' 27"  W.
owner United Center Joint Venture (UCJV)
operator United Center Joint Venture
start of building April 6, 1992
opening August 18, 1994
First game NBA:
November 4, 1994
Chicago Bulls - Charlotte Hornets 89:83 ( Regular Season )
NHL:
January 25, 1995
Chicago Blackhawks - Edmonton Oilers 5: 1 (Regular Season)
Renovations 2009-2010, 2014
Extensions 2016-2017
surface Concrete
parquet
ice surface
soil
costs 175 million US dollars
architect HOK Sport ( Kansas City )
WE Simpson Company ( San Antonio )
capacity 21,711 places (basketball)
20,500 places (ice hockey)
23,500 places (concerts, maximum)
Societies)
Events

The United Center is a multi-purpose hall in the US metropolis of Chicago in the state of Illinois . Depending on the event, it offers space for up to 23,500 spectators. It has been the home of the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 1994 . The Chicago Blackhawks from the National Hockey League (NHL) have been using the hall since the beginning of 1995 due to the lockout in the 1994/95 season . The owner and operator is the United Center Joint Venture (UCJV), a joint venture in which the Bulls and the Blackhawks each hold 50 percent.

history

The Chicago Bulls played their first two seasons at the International Amphitheater from 1966 before moving to the Chicago Stadium . The Chicago Blackhawks played their home games from 1926 to 1929 at the Chicago Coliseum from 1899 before moving to the then new Chicago Stadium. The impetus to build a new multi-purpose arena came in 1988 from Bill Wirtz, owner of the Chicago Blackhawks, and Jerry Reinsdorf, main owner and chairman of the Chicago Bulls. The venue at that time, the Chicago Stadium, was almost 70 years old at the time and no longer met the modern standards of comfort and equipment. Construction work began in April 1992. On August 18, 1994 the inauguration of the United Center could be celebrated. After the completion of the new building, the old hall was demolished in 1995. A parking space for the arena was created on site. The first major event that took place at the United Center was on August 29, 1994, the Summer Slam of World Wrestling Entertainment . The American singer and pianist Billy Joel gave the first concert on October 19, 1994. The Bulls' first game in the regular season NBA 1994/95 took place on November 4, 1994. In front of 22,313 spectators, the home side won 89:83 against the Charlotte Hornets . The best scorer was Scottie Pippen with 22 points. The Blackhawks celebrated their premiere in the regular season ( 1994/95 ) on January 25, 1995 with the encounter against the Edmonton Oilers  (5-1).

The postmodern building, the total cost of which at the opening was 175 million US dollars, was financed by a consortium of twelve banks under the leadership of the Japanese Fuji Bank (predecessor of the Mizuho Financial Group ) . Only three US credit institutions were among them . The construction was privately financed without public funds. The structure, which stands on nearly 45 acres (0.2 km²  ), has a footprint of nearly 960,000  square feet , a circumference of approximately 520 meters (1,700  feet ), and a height of approximately 42 meters (136 feet).

From the opening until the beginning of the 2010s, the United Center was visited by over 40 million people. Over 200 events take place in the multi-purpose hall every year. In addition to the games of the Bulls and the Blackhawks , she will u. a. for concerts , family shows (Disney on Ice, Cirque du Soleil , Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , Harlem Globetrotters ), stand-up comedy shows , rodeos of the Professional Bull Riders (PBR), fight nights of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and used political gatherings.

Between 2009 and 2010 the hall was rebuilt and the 300 level area set up. The reception hall was renewed, new food and drink stands were set up and two new bars with a view of the interior of the arena completed the hall. At the beginning of October 2011, the almost 5,000 m² company logo on the roof of the arena was updated after the airline changed it since its merger with Continental Airlines in 2010. Before the 2015/16 season, the United Center received a new floor for the Bulls with a new design. The biggest change was the 75% larger Bulls head of the logo in the center circle.

On November 10, 2017, the NBA awarded the NBA All-Star Weekend with the All-Star Game  2020 to Chicago with the United Center. It is the first NBA All-Star Game for the United Center. The league's last All-Star Game took place in 1988 at the Chicago Stadium.

Surname

The United Center has been sponsored by the Chicago-based airline United Airlines since it opened . The company paid $ 1.8 million annually for the naming rights for a 20-year contract through 2014. In December 2013 the sponsorship contract was extended. The arena will bear the airline's name for another 20 years until 2034. It is estimated that United Airlines pays five to six million US dollars a year. The old contract was valued at $ 2 million per year.

Statues

Before the building was a fenced Bronze - Statue of Michael Jordan called The Spirit . It was unveiled during the ceremony with the hanging of Jordan's jersey number 23 under the roof on November 1, 1994. The statue has been in the atrium on the east side of the hall since March 1, 2017. The two Blackhawks legends Bobby Hull and Stan Mikita , which were unveiled on October 22, 2011, will also be honored with a statue outside the arena . Since April 7, 2011 there has been a bronze statue of Scottie Pippen in the hall at the Gate 7 entrance , who won a total of six championship titles with the Bulls between 1991 and 1998 and was Michael Jordan's most important player. Another statue honors since February 10, 2009 the former basketball player Johnny "Red" Kerr , who worked in various positions for the Chicago Bulls for over 33 years.

Under the roof of the hall, banners with the successes and deserving of the two clubs hang on the rafters .

Chicago Bulls

No. Surname position Working for the Bulls
4th Jerry Sloan Guard / Small Forward 1966-1976
10 Bob Love Power forward 1968-1976
23 Michael Jordan Shooting Guard 1984-1993
1995-1998
33 Scottie Pippen Shooting Guard 1987-1998
2003-2004
- Phil Jackson Coach 1987–1989 (Assistant Coach)
1989–1998 ( Head Coach )
- Johnny Kerr Coach
managing director
sports commentator		 1966–1968 (head coach)
1973–1975 (managing director)
1977–2009 (sports commentator)
- Jerry Krause Chief Executive 1985-2003

Championship banner

  • Midwest Division Champion : 1974/75
  • Master of the Central Division : 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98, 2010/11, 2011/12
  • Masters of the Eastern Conference : 1990/91, 1991/92, 1992/93, 1995/96, 1996/97, 1997/98
  • NBA champions : 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998
  • The banner for the 1995/96 Central Division title also has the number 72 for the Chicago Bulls' season record with 72:10 games.

Chicago Blackhawks

No. Surname position Working for the Blackhawks
1 Glenn Hall goalkeeper 1957-1967
3 Keith Magnuson defender 1969-1980
3 Pierre Pilote defender 1955-1968
9 Bobby Hull Left winger 1957-1972
18th Denis Savard center 1980-1990
1995-1997
21st Stan Mikita center 1958-1980
35 Tony Esposito goalkeeper 1969-1984

Championship banner

gallery

  • The Demolition of Chicago Stadium (March 1995)

  • A view of the roof with the old United Center logo

  • Michael Jordan's achievements on the gabbro pedestal of his statue (October 2003)

  • The facade with the old United logo (June 2006)

  • A recording in April 2007 from what was then Sears Tower

  • Interior at a rodeo . Above the interior some championship banners of the Bulls (February 2009)

  • The interior during a first round play-off game in April 2011 against the Indiana Pacers

  • The interior at a Blackhawks game in October 2011

Web links

Commons : United Center  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ United Center concert list. In: setlist.fm. Retrieved November 5, 2018 .
  2. ↑ Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls Box Score, Nov. 4, 1994. In: basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  3. ^ Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Box Score - January 25, 1995. In: hockey-reference.com. Sports Reference, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Friendly skies? Chicago flies United for a new stadium? In: news.google.com . The Milwaukee Journal , November 6, 1992, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Fuji said to lead financing for stadium in Chicago. (Fuji Bank Ltd .; Illinois) (Brief Article) ( Memento from April 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
  6. ↑ Building Specifications ( Memento of October 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  7. ↑ Introduction & History. In: unitedcenter.com. Accessed November 4, 2018 .
  8. ↑ United Center gets new 50,000-square-foot logo. In: abc7chicago.com. ABC , October 3, 2011, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Bulls unveil their new court design ( Memento from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  10. ^ NBA selects Chicago to host All-Star 2020. In: nba.com. NBA , November 10, 2017, accessed November 3, 2018 .
  11. ↑ Stadium naming rights. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed November 4, 2018 .
  12. ↑ United Airlines Inks 20-Year Extension For Chicago Arena Naming Rights. In: sportsbusinessdaily.com. December 12, 2013, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  13. ↑ Michael Jordan statue at the United Center. In: nba.com. NBA , January 12, 2017, accessed November 4, 2018 .
  14. ↑ Statues. In: unitedcenter.com. United Center, accessed November 4, 2018 .