U.S. Cellular Arena
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U.S. Cellular Arena (formerly the Milwaukee Arena, MECCA Arena and Wisconsin Center Arena) is an indoor arena located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It opened in 1950 and was one of the first to accommodate the needs of broadcast television. It is also known for its unique basketball court painted by Robert Indiana in 1978, with large rainbow 'M's taking up both half-courts representing Milwaukee.
The Arena, which seats as many as 12,700 people and offers 41,000 feet of floor space, is part of a larger downtown campus that includes the Milwaukee Theatre and Midwest Airlines Center. The Arena was formerly part of the MECCA Complex (Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center, and Arena) in the 1970s and 1980s.
It was home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA from 1968-1988, and hosted the 1977 NBA All-Star Game before an audience of 10,938. The venue was also home to Marquette University's men's basketball team along with the International Hockey League Milwaukee Admirals. These teams all moved to the Bradley Center upon the newer arena's opening in 1988.
In 1994 the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), a state organization, was created in order to fund the Midwest Airlines Center, and the MECCA complex was folded into this, including the Arena (the Bradley Center is owned by a separate authority). Following a major overhaul in 1998, the arena is now home to the Milwaukee Panthers' men's college basketball team and the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League, as well as the Milwaukee venue for Disney on Ice. It also hosted WCW SuperBrawl 1992, the WWF King of the Ring tournament in 1996, WWF Over the Edge in 1998 and WCW Mayhem in 2000.
The WCD added the Wisconsin Athletic Walk of Fame alongside the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2001. At the end of this public promenade is a Wisconsin Historical Marker noting the location where Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter with its QWERTY key layout.
The U.S. Cellular Arena has hosted all or part of every Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament since 2003.
External links
- U.S. Cellular Arena
- Event Managers Sourcebook (PDF)
- Architecture in Milwaukee
- Milwaukee Panther Men's Basketball history at the U.S. Cellular Arena
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Categories: Basketball venues in the United States | College basketball venues | Indoor arenas in the United States | Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States | Marquette Golden Eagles basketball | Milwaukee Bucks | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Soccer venues in the United States | Sports venues in Milwaukee | Wrestling Pay-Per-View Venues | Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament Venues