. | ||
Location: | 1501 Dave Dixon Drive New Orleans, Louisiana 70113 United States [1] | |
Former names: | New Orleans Arena (1999–2009) | |
Owner: | The State of Louisiana | |
Operator: | SMG | |
Capacity: | NBA Basketball: 16,867 College basketball/NBA playoff games: 18,500 Arena Football/Hockey: 16,900 Concerts: 17,805 | |
Broke ground: | November 30, 1995 | |
Opened: | October 29, 1999 | |
Construction cost: |
$114 million
($175 million in 2019 dollars) | |
Tenants | ||
---|---|---|
New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans (NBA) (2002–2005, 2007–present) New Orleans VooDoo (AFL) (2004–2005, 2007–2008, 2011–2015) New Orleans Brass (ECHL) (1999–2002) | ||
Floor design | ||
New Orleans Pelicans |
Smoothie King Center (formerly New Orleans Arena) is an indoor multi-sport arena located in New Orleans, Louisiana, is home to the NBA's New Orleans Pelicans since they moved there in 2002 as the New Orleans Hornets, and is also home to some Tulane University basketball games as well as some high school basketball games and other special events. The now-defunct New Orleans Brass of the ECHL played in the New Orleans Arena their last three seasons before their demise in 2002. Since February 2004, the New Orleans VooDoo, of the Arena Football League (AFL), has played their home games in the arena.
The arena was completed in 1999 at a cost of $84 million and officially opened on October 19, 1999. The Brass was the main tenant for its first three years until the team was forced to fold after Hornets management demanded priority upon moving. The arena seats 18,000 for basketball and 16,500 for arena football, and has 56 luxury suites.
The Arena is also used as a venue for music concerts where it can seat from 7,500 for a half-stage setup to 17,221 for end-stage shows and 17,805 for center-stage shows. For trade shows and conventions the Arena features 17,000 square feet of space. The ceiling is 65 feet to beam and roof, 70 to the top of the arena.
It hosted ArenaBowl XXI in 2007, the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the 2012 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament, and the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 2007 and 2010.
Hurricane Katrina[]
Following Hurricane Katrina on August 31, 2005, medical operations that had previously been housed in the Superdome were moved to the Arena. Medical personnel had been working in an area of the Superdome with poor lighting, leaking ceilings and soggy carpet. The Arena's design was tested in 2006 by CPP, a wind engineering consulting firm, so it fared far better than the Superdome during the storm and was in better condition to house sensitive medical operations. Thus, unlike the Superdome, the Arena reopened to activities only one month after the storm.
Post Katrina revival[]
The Hornets played their first game since the 2005-06 season in the Arena on March 8, 2006 to a sellout crowd of 17,744 as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Hornets, 113-107.
On Wednesday 5 July, 2006, the New Orleans Arena accommodated its largest crowd ever for any event during a concert, with Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performing.
In February of 2013, the New Orleans Arena was renamed the Smoothie King Center.