United Center
United Center | |
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The UC Madhouse on Madison The House That Jordan Built |
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The east side of the United Center | |
Data | |
place | 1901 West Madison Street Chicago , Illinois 60612
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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) | |
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Events | |
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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.
banner
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 |
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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 |
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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
- Eastern Division Champion : 1969/70
- Champion of the Western Division : 1970/71, 1971/72, 1972/73
- Master of the Smythe Division : 1975/76, 1977/78, 1978/79, 1979/80
- Champion of the Norris Division : 1982/83, 1985/86, 1989/90, 1990/91, 1992/93
- Central Division Champion : 2009/10, 2012/13
- Masters of the Campbell Conference : 1970/71, 1972/73, 1991/92
- Masters of the Western Conference : 2009/10, 2012/13, 2014/15
- Presidents' Trophy Winner : 1991, 2013
- Stanley Cup winners : 1934, 1938, 1961, 2010, 2013, 2015
gallery
Michael Jordan's achievements on the gabbro pedestal of his statue (October 2003)
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
Web links
- unitedcenter.com: Official website (English)
- setlist.fm: concert list of the United Center (English)
- Entry via United Center at Emporis
Individual evidence
- ↑ United Center concert list. In: setlist.fm. Retrieved November 5, 2018 .
- ↑ Charlotte Hornets at Chicago Bulls Box Score, Nov. 4, 1994. In: basketball-reference.com. Sports Reference, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ^ Edmonton Oilers at Chicago Blackhawks Box Score - January 25, 1995. In: hockey-reference.com. Sports Reference, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Friendly skies? Chicago flies United for a new stadium? In: news.google.com . The Milwaukee Journal , November 6, 1992, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Fuji said to lead financing for stadium in Chicago. (Fuji Bank Ltd .; Illinois) (Brief Article) ( Memento from April 21, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Building Specifications ( Memento of October 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
- ↑ Introduction & History. In: unitedcenter.com. Accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ United Center gets new 50,000-square-foot logo. In: abc7chicago.com. ABC , October 3, 2011, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Bulls unveil their new court design ( Memento from November 17, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
- ^ NBA selects Chicago to host All-Star 2020. In: nba.com. NBA , November 10, 2017, accessed November 3, 2018 .
- ↑ Stadium naming rights. In: espn.go.com. ESPN , accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ United Airlines Inks 20-Year Extension For Chicago Arena Naming Rights. In: sportsbusinessdaily.com. December 12, 2013, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Michael Jordan statue at the United Center. In: nba.com. NBA , January 12, 2017, accessed November 4, 2018 .
- ↑ Statues. In: unitedcenter.com. United Center, accessed November 4, 2018 .