PNC Arena

This article is about the indoor arena in Raleigh, North Carolina. For the baseball park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, see PNC Park. For the baseball park in Moosic, Pennsylvania, see PNC Field.
"RBC Center" redirects here. For the office tower in Toronto, Ontario, see RBC Centre. For the arena in Sarnia, Ontario, see RBC Centre (Sarnia).
PNC Arena

PNC Arena South Entrance in 2013
Former names Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena (1999–2002)
RBC Center (2002-2012)
Location 1400 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, North Carolina 27607
Coordinates 35°48′12″N 78°43′19″W / 35.80333°N 78.72194°W / 35.80333; -78.72194Coordinates: 35°48′12″N 78°43′19″W / 35.80333°N 78.72194°W / 35.80333; -78.72194
Owner Centennial Authority
Operator Gale Force Sports & Entertainment
Capacity Basketball: 19,722[1]
Ice hockey: 18,680[1]
Concerts: 19,500
Field size 700,000 square feet (65,000 m2)
Surface Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground July 22, 1997
Opened October 29, 1999
Renovated 2003, 2008, 2009
Construction cost $158 million
($224 million in 2016 dollars[2])
Architect Odell Associates, Inc.
Project manager McDevitt Street Bovis, Inc.[1]
Structural engineer Geiger Engineers[3]
General contractor Hensel Phelps Construction Co.[1]
Tenants
Carolina Hurricanes (NHL) (1999–present)
NC State Wolfpack (ACC) (1999-present)
Carolina Cobras (AFL) (2000-2002)
Website
http://www.thepncarena.com/

PNC Arena[4] (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly the RBC Center) is an indoor arena, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Arena seats 19,722 for basketball,[1] and 18,680 for ice hockey,[1] including 66 luxury suites and 2,000 club seats. The building has three concourses and includes a 300-seat restaurant.

It is home to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team of NCAA Division I. The arena neighbors Carter–Finley Stadium, home of Wolfpack Football; the North Carolina State Fairgrounds; and Dorton Arena (on the Fairgrounds). The arena also hosted the Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League from 2000 to 2002. It is the fourth-largest arena in the ACC (after the Carrier Dome, KFC Yum Center, and the Dean Smith Center), and the third-largest designed specifically for basketball; the eighth-largest arena in the NCAA and the seventh-largest designed for basketball.

History

The idea of a new basketball arena to replace the Wolfpack's longtime home, Reynolds Coliseum, first emerged in the 1980s under the vision of Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano. In 1989, the NCSU Trustees approved plans to build a 23,000 seat arena. The Centennial Authority was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1995 as the governing entity of the arena, then financed by state appropriation, local contributions, and University fundraising. The Centennial Authority refocused the project into a multi-use arena, leading to the 1997 relocation agreement of the Hurricanes (then the Hartford Whalers). Construction began that year and was completed in 1999 with an estimated cost of $158 million, which was largely publicly financed by a Hotel and Restaurant tax. The Hurricanes agreed to pay $60 million of the cost, and the state of North Carolina paid $18 million. As part of the deal, the Hurricanes assumed operational control of the arena.

Known as the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (or ESA) from 1999 to 2002, it was renamed the RBC Center after an extended search for a corporate sponsor. RBC Bank, the US division of the Royal Bank of Canada, acquired 20-year naming rights for a reported $80 million. On June 19, 2011, it was announced that PNC Financial Services bought US assets of RBC Bank and acquired the naming rights to the arena pending approval by the regulatory agencies.[5] On December 15, 2011, the Centennial Authority, the landlord of the arena, approved a name change for the facility to PNC Arena.[6] The name change officially took place on March 15, 2012.[7] On a normal hockey day, PNC Arena has more than 400 people on duty for security and concessions.

Raleigh experienced its first NHL game on October 29, 1999, when the Hurricanes hosted the New Jersey Devils on the building's opening night. PNC Arena hosted games of both the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals, however the Hurricanes lost in the final. On June 19, 2006, the Hurricanes were on home ice for a decisive game seven of the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3–1 to bring the franchise its first Stanley Cup and North Carolina its first major professional sports championship. The arena hosted the playoffs again in 2009, with the Hurricanes losing in the Eastern Conference Finals.[8] On April 8, 2010, the Hurricanes and the NHL announced the arena would host the 58th National Hockey League All-Star Game on January 30, 2011.

Renovations

A ribbon board was installed in 2003 which encircles the arena bowl.[9] In 2008, the arena renovated its sound system. Clair Brothers Systems installed a combination of JBL line arrays to provide improved audio coverage for all events. In June 2009, video crews installed a new Daktronics HD scoreboard. It replaced the ten-year-old scoreboard that had been in the arena since its opening. The scoreboard is full LED and four-sided with full video displays, whereas the old scoreboard was eight-sided and four of those sides featured alternating static dot-matrix displays (very much outdated for today's standards). In addition, the scoreboard features an octagonal top section with full video capability, along with two rings above and below the main video screens; they are similar to the ribbon board encircling the arena.

In October 2015, architects met with the Centennial Authority to discuss a potential renovation which includes all-new entrances, a new rooftop restaurant and bar, covered tailgating sections, and moving the administrative offices elsewhere in the arena as a result. Project costs have not yet been decided, as the architects were given until May/June 2016 to come up with estimates. The Centennial Authority would have to approve the estimates before official voting on the project could begin.[10][11]

One of the main concourses inside PNC Arena during a Hurricanes game in 2009.

Notable Events

In addition to hockey and college basketball, PNC Arena hosts a wide array of concerts, family shows, and other events each year. Past performers include Bruce Springsteen, Cher, Eric Clapton, Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Justin Timberlake, Elton John, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Celine Dion, George Strait, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, and many other artists. Family shows have included Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sesame Street Live, Disney On Ice, and the Harlem Globetrotters.

On May 20, 2012, WWE hosted Over the Limit 2012 at the arena. The event drew 167,000 buys, up from last years event of 140,000 buys. The main event featured John Cena vs John Laurinaitis in a No Disqualification Match. The event drew 8,000 in attendance.

PNC Arena hosted the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) men's basketball tournament from 1999–2008.

The arena was a site for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2004, 2008, and 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, respectively. It will also host the first and second rounds for the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament

An NC State college basketball game at PNC Arena in 2008 before the name change.

List of Concerts and events

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "PNC Arena: Info". Centennial Authority. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  2. ↑ "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ "PNC Arena". Geiger Engineers. Retrieved February 5, 2013.
  4. ↑ Shaffer, Josh (March 16, 2012). "RBC Center Out; PNC Arena In". The News & Observer (Raleigh: The McClatchy Company). Archived from the original on April 30, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  5. ↑ Ranii, David (June 20, 2011). "Goodbye RBC Center". The News & Observer (Raleigh: The McClatchy Company). Retrieved May 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ deBruyn, Jason (January 25, 2012). "RBC Signs Coming Down at RBC Center". Triangle Business Journal. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Hurricanes and PNC Bank to Introduce PNC Arena to Community on March 15" (Press release). Centennial Authority. February 23, 2012. Retrieved January 13, 2013.
  8. ↑ http://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/CAR/2009.html
  9. ↑ http://www.thepncarena.com/arena_info/fun_facts
  10. ↑ http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/acc/nc-state/article41563464.html
  11. ↑ http://cardiaccane.com/2016/01/19/carolina-hurricanes-home-update-on-proposed-pnc-arena-renovations/

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to PNC Arena.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Greensboro Coliseum		 Home of the
Carolina Hurricanes
1999 – present 		Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
none		 Home of the
Carolina Cobras
2000–2002 		Succeeded by
Charlotte Coliseum
Preceded by
Petersen Events Center		 Host of the
Jeopardy! College Championship
2005 		Succeeded by
Galen Center
Preceded by
Bell Centre		 Host of the
NHL All-Star Game
2011 		Succeeded by
Scotiabank Place
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