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The EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States owned by Larry H. Miller. The arena seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats. Opened in 1991, the arena was known as the Delta Center until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights, effective November 20, 2006. The arena is the home of the NBA’s Utah Jazz.

Seating Capacity: 20,000
Opened: October 4, 1991
Owner: Larry H. Miller
Operator: Larry H. Miller
Construction cost: $93 million USD

In 2006, the arena became the home of the Arena Football League’s Utah Blaze. It was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics (during the Olympics, the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center).

History

The arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats. Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991 in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of $93 million.

The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4-2. The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969. The Eagles, which were purchased by Miller in 1990, lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center.

The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, 101-95. In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991 Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center.

The 1993-95 Western Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournaments were held at the facility, as was the 1993 NBA All-Star Game.

The arena’s roof was damaged by severe winds associated with the Salt Lake City Tornado of August 11, 1999, costing $3,757,000 to repair.

The facility played host to the 1999 US Figure Skating Championships. The arena was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In addition to the Utah Jazz and Blaze, the arena has also been the home of the WNBA’s Utah Starzz from 1997-2002, the Salt Lake Golden Eagles from 1991-1994, and the Utah Grizzlies from 1995-1997 both of the International Hockey League. It also is and has been the host of the Utah Basketball League Salt Lake Devils since October 2005, the league’s creation.

Dan Roberts serves as the official EnergySolutions Arena public address voice for the Jazz. He has been the Jazz’ home game announcer since before the arena was built.

(source .. wikipedia) reproduced under GFDL

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EnergySolutions Arena wikipedia entry
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