United Center

From Free net encyclopedia

The United Center is a sports arena located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois, named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines, located at 1901 W. Madison Street, west of downtown Chicago. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. The plan to build the arena was created by Bill Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf, the owners of the two sports teams, respectively. The United Center's predecessor was the indoor Chicago Stadium, which was demolished after the newer arena opened for business on August 18, 1994. It has done well for the area around it, helping develop the surroundings from a harsh neighborhood to now an increasingly popular area.

The privately-owned arena is 960,000 square feet big and is located on a 46 acre parcel west of the Chicago Loop. The arena claims to be the largest in the United States (in physical size, not in capacity; the arena seats 20,500 for hockey, 21,711 for basketball and up to 23,500 for concerts), and hosts over 200 events per year, drawing over 20 million visitors since its grand opening. In addition to approximately 100 Bulls/Blackhawks games each year, the United Center has hosted other sporting events such as University of Illinois basketball, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament (hosted six times with a seventh scheduled for 2007), and the Great Eight Classic. Musical acts appearing at the United Center have included The Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, U2, The Who, Madonna, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, and The Three Tenors. The United Center has also provided a Chicago home for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice. The United Center was also the site of WWE Summerslam 1994, and the 1996 Democratic National Convention. It also hosted the last WCW Spring Stampede in 2000.