John Labatt Centre
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The John Labatt Centre is a sports-entertainment centre in London, Ontario, Canada -- the largest such centre in southwestern Ontario.
The John Labatt Centre, usually referred to as the "JLC", opened on October 11, 2002. It is named after John Labatt, founder of the Labatt brewery in London. Labatt still has a large brewery in London to the present day, although its head office was moved to Toronto in the 1990s.
The JLC was built, in part, to be the new downtown home of London's Ontario Hockey League team, the London Knights, replacing the 40-year-old London Ice House in the extreme south end of the city.
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Ownership and Management
The John Labatt Centre is owned by the London Civic Centre Corporation, an example of a public-private partnership. It is managed by Global Spectrum, a Philadelphia-based company that also operates more than 40 other arenas, stadiums and convention centres.
The arena formerly sold tickets through Ticketmaster. On August 1, 2005, the arena switched ticketing systems, and now uses an in-house system. Tickets are sold through the box office, via a toll-free number (1-866-455-2849 or 1-866-4-JLC-TIX), and online at their own web site.
Capacity and seating
Approximate capacities:
- 9,100 - Hockey
- 8,200 to 9,000 - End stage concert
- 3,200 - Theatre mode (smaller concert)
- 2,800 - Theatre mode (with proscenium)
- 10,200 - Centre stage concert
In addition to the standard end stage configuration for large concerts, the arena can be set up to accommodate touring Broadway shows or smaller concerts in its theatre mode. The theatre mode features a small, intimate atmosphere and a 30-line fly grid to suspend scenery or lighting and sound.
The centre features 38 luxury suites, as well as more than 1,000 club seats.
For accessibility to all, the JLC follows the guidelines of both the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as well as the Americans with Disabilities Act (even though not required to under Canadian law).
The JLC has 55 per cent more public restrooms than is required by law.
History and Construction
The John Labatt Centre was built at a cost of approximately $42-million by the Mississauga, Ontario-based construction company, EllisDon Corp., builders of Toronto's SkyDome (now called the Rogers Centre).
The construction of this sports-entertainment centre was decided upon as a part of the city government's overall effort to revitalize the city's downtown core. There were some complaints about the expense of the project, the destruction of the Talbot Inn and doubts about the JLC's intended economic benefits. However, most London Knights games are sold out, as well as many of the other concerts and events the centre hosts. Businesses in the core (particularly nearby restaurants and bars) continue to take advantage of the success of the JLC.
The Talbot Inn
Image:John Labatt Centre - Talbot Inn corner.jpg
The JLC's million-dollar facade at its northeast corner is a replica of the Talbot Inn using "retumbled" yellow brick. The Talbot Inn is one of the early 19th century buildings in London that was located on the site -- a designated heritage property under the Ontario Heritage Act.
Originally planning to re-use the original bricks from the Talbot Inn on the northeast facade of the JLC, the City of London suddenly demolished the heritage structure on the morning of June 3, 2001 -- without a demolition permit or delisting the Talbot Inn as a by-law registered heritage property.
Instead the City of London obtained a "heritage alteration permit." According to the Ontario Heritage Foundation, it is the first time in Ontario's history and possibly Canada's that improper use of a "heritage alteration permit" was used to outright demolish a designated heritage property.
The rationale cited was that the Talbot Inn bricks were not salvageable due to their moisture content after a contractor had power-washed the paint off the bricks. Some of the original bricks were used for the interior walls of the Talbot Restaurant on the second level.
No charges were ever laid against the City of London under the Ontario Heritage Act for the demolition. The Talbot Inn remained a designated heritage property for approximately 17 months after it was demolished.
The "Talbot Tot"
Prior to the construction of the JLC during an archaeological assessment of the property, the skeletal remains of an infant, believed to be from the 1830s or 1840s, were found in the soil at the site. The discovery caused an uproar and delayed construction for a few months. The human remains were dubbed the "Talbot Tot" and subsequently were reinterred at Oakland (pioneer) Cemetery on Oxford Street West in London.
Sports, Concerts, and Events
Within a few years of opening, the London Knights had a spectacular championship season in the 2004-05 season, and the centre was well positioned to take maximum advantage of the team's popularity.
The JLC hosted the 2005 Memorial Cup, the CHL championship series which the Knights also won after winning the OHL championship.
In 2005/2006, the University of Western Ontario Mustangs hockey began using the JLC as their home arena.
In addition to hockey, the JLC is host to national-level events, such as the 2005 Canadian Figure Skating Championships, the 2006 Scott Tournament of Hearts (curling), as well as a wide variety of family entertainment such as Disney on Ice, the Harlem Globetrotters, Monster Jam, WWE wrestling, and Stars on Ice. It also hosted an international jousting tournament two years in a row.
It has been the location for a number of high-profile concerts, including Cher, Tom Jones, Nickelback, Rod Stewart, Shania Twain, Metallica, David Bowie, Merle Haggard, B.B. King, Ray Charles, Sting, Mötley Crüe, Green Day, Sarah McLachlan, Deep Purple, George Jones, Pearl Jam, Billy Idol, Robert Plant, Robert Palmer, Nine Inch Nails, Great Big Sea and The Tragically Hip. It is one of the last venues that Guns N' Roses played on their ill-fated "Chinese Democracy" Tour, appearing at the arena on November 30, 2002. In October of 2005, former U.S. President Bill Clinton spoke at the JLC on U.S.-Canada relations.
In late 2005, Pollstar Magazine, a concert industry publication, listed the JLC as 21st on its list of top arena venues in the world, based on ticket sales for the first nine months of 2005. The three-year-old JLC attracted 189,026 concert-goers in the first nine months of 2005.