Rose Garden (arena)

Infobox Stadium | stadium_name=Rose Garden
nickname="The Garden"


location=1 Center Court
Portland, Oregon 97227
broke_ground=1993
opened=October 1995
owner=Vulcan Inc. (Paul Allen)
operator=Global Spectrum
construction_cost=US$262 million
architect=Ellerbe Becket
general_contractor=Drake/Turner
coordinates=coord|45|31|53.44|N|122|40|0.35|W|type:landmark_scale:2000
tenants=Portland Trail Blazers (NBA) (1995–present)
Portland Winter Hawks (WHL) (1995–present)
Portland LumberJax (NLL) (2006–present)
Portland Forest Dragons (AFL) (1997–1999)
Portland Pythons (WISL) (1998–1999)
Portland Fire (WNBA) (2000–2002)
seating_capacity=Basketball: 20,630
Hockey/Lacrosse:18,280
Center stage: approx. 20,500
End Stage: approx. 15,000
"Theatre of the Clouds": approx. 5,000

The Rose Garden, commonly known as the Rose Garden Arena, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is suitable for large indoor events of all sorts, including basketball, ice hockey, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions. The arena has a capacity of 20,630 spectators when configured for basketball; it holds smaller crowds when configured for other events. The arena is equipped with state-of-the-art acoustics and other amenities.

It is owned by Vulcan Inc., a holding company owned by Paul Allen, and is currently managed by Global Spectrum, a company which manages sports facilities (and which also owns several sports franchises). The primary tenant is the Portland Trail Blazers NBA franchise, also owned by Allen. Several other professional sports franchises, and the Portland State University men's basketball team, either currently play home games in the Rose Garden, or have done so in the past. In addition, the Rose Garden is a popular venue for concerts and other artistic productions.

Construction on the Rose Garden began in 1993, and the arena opened on October 12, 1995. The arena cost US$262 million to build; construction was financed with funds obtained by a variety of sources, including the City of Portland, Allen's personal fortune, and $155 million in bonds issued by a consortium of mutual funds and insurance companies. These bonds would become the subject of an acrimonious 2004 bankruptcy in which the Oregon Arena Corporation, the holding company which owned the arena at the time, would forfeit title to the Rose Garden in lieu of repaying the bonds per the payment terms. Allen would later repurchase the arena from the creditors in 2007.

Description

The Rose Garden is a multipurpose arena which is suitable for numerous indoor sports, including basketball, ice hockey, arena football, and lacrosse, as well as for hosting other events such as concerts, conventions, and circuses.cite web|url=http://www.rosequarter.com/RoseQuarter/FunFacts/tabid/88/Default.aspx
title=Rose Quarter Venue Facts|publisher=Rose Quarter|accessdate=2007-10-23] The arena is located in a sports and entertainment district known as the Rose Quarter, a parcel of land in inner northeast Portland which also includes the Memorial Coliseum arena, as well as several parking structures, restaurants, and other amenities.

Name

The official name of the facility is "Rose Garden"; though the arena is commonly known as the "Rose Garden Arena" to disambiguate it from the International Rose Test Garden, also located in Portland. The name was chosen both to reflect Portland's reputation as the Rose Citycite news
url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/football/bal-sp.unitas17sep17,0,2703334.story
title=Naming stadium for Unitas costly, not unprecedented
author=Jon Morgan
work=Baltimore Sun
date=2002-09-17
accessdate=2007-10-29] , and to reflect the importance to basketball heritage of Boston Garden and Madison Square Garden arenas in Boston and New York City, respectively. When the name was selected, the remainder of the former Coliseum grounds were given the name "Rose Quarter".

On December 12, 2007, the Trail Blazers and Vulcan announced that they were seeking a corporate partner to grant naming rights for the facility, with the goal of a new name being available for the Blazers' 2008-09 season.cite web|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2007/12/10/daily26.html?ana=from_rss|title=Naming rights for Rose Garden for sale|work=Portland Business Journal|date=December 12, 2007|accessdate=2007-12-13] Until then, the Rose Garden remains one of only a handful of NBA facilities for which naming rights have not been sold. [cite web
url=http://law.marquette.edu/cgi-bin/site.pl?2130&pageID=2688
title=Sports Facility Reports (National Basketball Association)
work=Sports Facility Reports
publisher=Marquette University Law School National Sports Law Institute|accessdate=2007-10-29] Currently, corporate sponsorship is offered on four "media totems" at each of the facility's main entrances.

tructure and architecture

The Rose Garden is a precast concrete-framed structure with a roof made up of skeletal steel. The arena structure encloses a total of over 785,000 square feet (7.3 hectares), on eight levels, five of which are open to the public. The building is 140 feet (43 m) tall, from the event floor to the pinnacle of the saddle-shaped roof. The arena includes a 60 feet by 40 feet (18 m by 12 m) permanent stage, and a 200 feet by 85 feet (60 m by 25.5 m) ice rink.

The building is composed of over 48,000 cubic yards (37,000 m³) of concrete, and over 9700 short tons (8,800 metric tons) of steel. The exterior is composed of over 29,000 square feet (2,700 m²) of glass, 17500 square feet (1625 m²) of plaster, 52000 square feet (4800 m²) of architectural precast, 39,000 square feet (3600 m²) of insulation, and 13654 square feet (1270 m²) of steel louvres. [cite journal|journal=Ascent|title=Team approach, inside and out, aids growth|url=http://www.pci.org/view_file.cfm?file=AS-97WI-2.PDF|issue=Winter 1997|pages=6–12|author=Anne Peterson|accessdate=2007-10-26]

The building, designed by architecture firm Ellerbe Becket, has been criticized by some in Portland's architectural community. A survey of local architects and planners was conducted by the "Portland Tribune", and subsequently the Rose Garden was listed among the five ugliest buildings in the citycite news
url=http://www.localnewsdaily.com/news/story.php?story_id=116164287113693400
title=The lookers and the losers|date=2006-10-24|author=Peter Korn|publisher=Portland Tribune|accessdate=2007-10-26.]

eating

The arena has a total of over 14,000 permanent seats arranged in two bowls. An additional 1540 permanent seats are found in the arena's 70 skyboxes. Over 4200 portable seats may or may not be installed, depending on the arena's configuration.cite book
title=Public/Private Finance and Development: Methodology, Deal Structuring, and Developer Solicitation
author=John Stainback
date=2000
publisher=Wiley and sons
isbn=0471333670
page=123|accessdate=2007-10-29] When configured for basketball, the arena has a capacity of 19,980, and can accommodate a total of up to 20,580 patrons with standing room. Prior to the 1998 NBA season the capacity was reduced to 19,980 from the original 21,400 spectators. [The Rose Garden years. "The Oregonian", October 27, 2002.] When configured for hockey or lacrosse, capacity decreases to 17,544. The arena supports numerous other configurations for events such as concerts, monster trucks, and circuses. The seating below the skyboxes, known as the lower bowl, is further divided into the 100 and 200 levels. The upper bowl seats, above the skyboxes, are the 300 level.

kyboxes and suites

The arena features 70 skyboxes, each with a seating capacity of 22 guests. Skyboxes include amenities such as a wet bar, catering, a private restroom, multiple television monitors, and a sound system. Skyboxes may be rented on a yearly [cite web
url=http://www.rosequarter.com/PremiumSeating/Suites/tabid/74/Default.aspx
title=Premium Seating at the Rose Garden: Executive Suites|publisher=Rose Quarter|accessdate=2007-10-23] or single-event [cite web
url=http://www.rosequarter.com/PremiumSeating/SingleEventSuites/tabid/75/Default.aspx| title=Premium Seating at the Rose Garden: Single-Event Suites|publisher=Rose Quarter|accessdate=2007-10-23] basis; yearly renters of skyboxes are given access to all Rose Garden events. The arena also features modular party suites, which can be configured either as a pair of 44-person Super Suites, or as one 88-person mega suite.cite web|work=nba.com
url=http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/Rose_Garden_Gets_a_HighTech_F-238359-1218.html|title=Rose Garden gets a high-tech facelift|date=2007-10|accessdate=2007-10-24]

Theater of the Clouds

For smaller, more intimate events, the Rose Garden can be placed into a configuration known as the "Theater of the Clouds". This configuration, part of a trend of large arenas having smaller theater configurations, [cite news|title="Theater" setup much ado about something|url=http://www.allbusiness.com/services/amusement-recreation-services/4590858-1.html
work=Amusement Business|date=1999-09-27|accessdate=2007-10-29|author=Pam Sherborne] places the stage at center court, and utilizes the western side of the arena. [cite web
url=http://www.rosequarter.com/Home/SeatingMaps/tabid/57/Default.aspx
title=Rose Quarter seating
work=Rose Quarter website|accessdate=2007-10-29] Custom floor-to-ceiling theater curtains are draped at the edges of the seating area, creating a more intimate setting. As of 2004, on average 10 events per year have been held in the Theater of the Clouds configuration.cite news|title=Arena Theaters Small But Nice
url=http://www.allbusiness.com/retail-trade/miscellaneous-retail-retail-stores-not/4648338-1.html
author=Ray Waddell|work=|date=2004-09-25|accessdate=2007-10-29] The Theater of the Clouds configuration seats 6,500; with 16 of the 70 luxury boxes being usable. [cite web|url=http://www.travelportland.com/meeting_planners/venues/unique_v/rose_quarter.html
title=Rose Quarter: Rose Garden Arena — Memorial Coliseum — Rose Quarter Commons|work=travelportland.com|publisher=Portland Oregon Visitors Association|accessdate=2007-10-29]

Amenities

Two concourses, the 100 level and the 300 level, are open to the ticket-buying public during events; the 100 level concourse provides access to the lower bowl (including the 200-level seats); the 300-level concourse provides access to the upper bowl. A third concourse, the 200 level, provides access to guest services such as a sports bar, a grill, an executive banquet facility, and several outdoor terraces, including two which permit smoking. A fourth concourse, known as Suite Level, provides access to the skyboxes and is restricted to patrons who have skybox admission. All concourses provide a variety of concession stands. The arena also features 32 public restrooms; women's toilets outnumber men's toilets 3 to 1. There are wi-fi hotspots throughout the arena. The concourses are decorated with historical memorabilia.cite web|url=http://www.thesportsroadtrip.com/portlandtrailblazers.html
title=Rose Garden|work=NBA Venue Rankings|publisher=sportsroadtrip.com|date=2001-04-01|accessdate=2007-10-29]

The primary scoreboard is a Mitsubishi-manufactured high definition video scoreboard. This scoreboard, which hangs from the ceiling over center court, features four 15 feet by 22.5 feet (4.5 m by 6.75 m) video screens, among the biggest in the NBA. The arena also features over 650 television monitors placed throughout, showing the action on court. Numerous auxiliary scoreboards, located both in the arena itself and the concourses, provide a wealth of statistical information, including "hustle" statistics for basketball (rebounds, blocked shots, and steals). Three media towers, one at each main entrance, provide video of other games in the NBA.

Acoustics

A unique feature found in no other multi-purpose arena what is known as the "acoustical cloud". The acoustical cloud is a set of 160 rotating acoustic panels suspended from the Rose Garden ceiling, and were intended to recreate the roar of noise that made the old Memorial Coliseum one of the loudest buildings in the NBA. One side of each 10 feet by 10 feet (3 m by 3 m) panel reflects sound, while the other side absorbs sound. Each panel is shaped like an airplane wing, and is 8 inches (20 cm) thick at the center and 4 inches (10 cm) thick at the edges. The effect during Blazers games is to absorb the noise from the upper levels and reflect it back down to the court.

The panels permit the acoustics of the arena to be adjusted according to the requirements of the event. For smaller events in which only the lower bowl of the arena is used, the panels can be lowered to further improve the sound and increase the intimacy of the arena. The acoustical cloud cost US$2 million to design and install. cite journal|url=http://www.panstadia.com/vol3/32-022.htm
title=Creating an atmosphere|journal=Light and Sound|volume=3|issue=2|accessdate=2007-10-29] The arena is also equipped with a JBL sound system. The acoustics of the Rose Garden have been widely praised compared to similar venues.

Ownership and management

The Rose Garden is currently owned by Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, a holding company owned by Paul Allen which manages Allen's various sports-related properties. Tod Leiweke is the current president of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment.cite web | title = Tod Leiweke to Assume Management Oversight for the Portland Trail Blazers | publisher = Portland Trail Blazers | date = March 1, 2007 | url = http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/TOD_LEIWEKE_TO_ASSUME_MANAGEME-213195-1218.html | accessdate = 2007-06-23] Management and operation of the Rose Garden, along with other Rose Quarter facilities, is contracted out to Global Spectrum, [cite web
url=http://www.global-spectrum.com/default.asp?lnopt=1&sn1opt=1&sn2opt=1&month=10&year=2007&newsID=0
title=Global Spectrum Company Background|accessdate=2007-10-29|publisher=Global Spectrum] who is under contract to run the Garden until August 2008.cite news|title=Blazers give 1-year extension to Rose Garden manager|date=2007-08-30|accessdate=2007-10-23|author=Brent Hunsberger|publisher=The Oregonian
url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2007/08/blazers_renew_arena_contract_w.html] Global Spectrum employs more than 75 full-time and 700 part-time employees at the Rose Garden. Mike Scanlon is the current general manager of the arena. Global Spectrum was first hired by arena creditors to operate the Rose Garden after Allen lost possession of the arena in a bankruptcy proceeding; Allen has subsequently repurchased the Rose Garden from creditors. [cite news
url=http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2005/01/24/daily5.html|title=Global Spectrum names Rose Garden Manager|publisher=Portland Business Journal|date=2005-01-24|accessdate=2007-10-23] Prior to the bankruptcy, Oregon Arena Corporation operated the arena directly; Global Spectrum has been widely praised for increasing the financial performance of the facility.cite news
url=http://www.oregonlive.com/blazers/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/business/1184212523272680.xml&coll=7
title=Blazers overseer ponders new cohort|author=Helen Jung|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2007-07-12|accessdate=2007-10-25]

Tenants and events

The arena's current primary tenant is the Portland Trail Blazers of the NBA. Both the Trail Blazers and the Rose Garden are ultimately owned by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who also owns the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. The Trail Blazers have a lease agreement with the Rose Garden which runs through 2025, [cite news|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=34150|publisher=Portland Tribune|date=2006-02-28|title=Look who's not talking now|accessdate=2007-10-24|author=Kerry Eggers] and an exclusive site agreement with the City of Portland requires the team to play all home games in Portland (not necessarily in the Rose Garden) through 2023.cite news|title=Allen won't rule out bankruptcy|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=34723|date=2006-04-18
accessdate=2007-10-24|publisher=Portland Tribune|author=Kerry Eggers]

It is also home to the Portland Winter Hawks of the Western Hockey League, a Canadian junior hockey league. Both the Trail Blazers and Winter Hawks previously played in the Memorial Coliseum and moved to the Rose Garden when it was completed in 1995. However, the Rose Garden and the Memorial Coliseum split Winter Hawks home games during the season. The Rose Garden and Portland Winter Hawks hold the Western Hockey League's record for single game attendance with a crowd of 19,103 on March 15, 1997. The Winter Hawks tied the visiting Seattle Thunderbirds, 6–6. The arena was also built to accommodate a NHL franchise and there has been speculation over the years about Portland landing an NHL team; however this has not occurred. A third tenant is the Portland Lumberjax of the National Lacrosse League, who have played two seasons in the Rose Garden. [cite web|url=http://www.portlandjax.com/schedule.php|title=Portland Lumberjax 2008 schedule|publisher=Portland Lumberjax|accessdate=2007-10-29]

The arena has hosted numerous other minor-league sports teams as well. In 1997, an AFL team landed in Portland from Memphis as the Portland Forest Dragons. Two seasons later, they relocated to Oklahoma City. From 2000 through 2002, the Rose Garden hosted the now-defunct Portland Fire of the WNBA. In the past, the Portland State Vikings men's basketball team has played home games in the Rose Garden; currently, the team plays its home games in the Stott Center on the PSU campus. [cite web
url=http://www.goviks.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=19300&KEY=&SPID=11202&SPSID=92453
title=Portland State Vikings Men's Basketball 2007-08 Schedule|work=Portland State Vikings Athletics|publisher=Portland State University|accessdate=2007-10-26]

History

"For site history prior to 1993, see Memorial Coliseum".

In the early 1980s, as the National Basketball Association increased in popularity, it became apparent that the 12,888 seat Memorial Coliseum, which was the home of the Portland Trail Blazers at the time, was no longer an adequate NBA facility. The Trail Blazers had sold out every home game since April 5, 1977. [cite news|url=http://www.portlandtribune.net/news/story.php?story_id=34121|publisher=Portland Tribune
title=Paul Allen's tenure with the Trail Blazers|date=2006-02-28|accessdate=2007-10-24] In 1988, the team was purchased by Paul Allen and made appearances in the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. Allen soon expressed a desire to build a new arena for his team, and in 1991 chartered the Oregon Arena Corporation, a private corporation with Allen as the sole shareholder, to build and operate a new facility.cite web
url=http://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/Portland-Trail-Blazers-Company-History.html
title=Company History: Portland Trail Blazers|publisher=Funding Universe|date=2003|accessdate=2007-10-24] The team soon made an agreement with the City of Portland to build a new multi-purpose arena on the Coliseum's parking lot. [cite news|title=City approves Blazers' arena|date=1993-06-24|author=Jeff Baker|accessdate=2007-10-25|publisher=The Oregonian]

Financing

The financing of the Rose Garden construction was widely hailed at the time as a good example of public-private partnership; most of the costs were borne by Allen and/or Allen-owned companies, rather than by taxpayers. [cite news
title=PRIVATE BACKERS PUNGLE UP $227.3 MILLION FOR ARENA|date=1993-06-25|author=Steve Brandon|publisher=The Oregonian|accessdate=2007-10-25] The bulk of the $262 million construction costs were funded by a $155 million loan from a consortium of lenders led by pension fund TIAA-CREF. As Allen was unwilling to guarantee the loan with his personal finances, the lenders demanded an interest rate of 8.99%, with no opportunity for prepayment. [cite news|title=Rose Garden woes may wilt arena financings
url=http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/2004/03/15/tidbits1.html
publisher=Puget Sound Business Journal|date=2004-03-12|accessdate=2007-10-24] Other major creditors included Prudential Insurance, and Farmers Insurance.cite news|title=Bankruptcy as a business strategy|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2007/02/bankruptcy_as_a_business_strat.html|publisher=The Oregonian|author=Helen Jung|date=2007-02-05|accessdate=2007-10-24]

The remainder of funds came from the City of Portland ($34.5 million), Allen himself ($46 million), with the final $10 million coming from a bond backed by box office and parking revenues. [cite web
url=http://basketball.ballparks.com/NBA/PortlandTrailBlazers/index.htm|title=The Rose Garden|work=ballparks.com|accessdate=2007-10-24] In addition, the City transferred to Allen the underlying land. The City maintains ownership of the Memorial Coliseum and the adjacent parking garages, but the right to manage these was also transferred to Allen. In exchange, Allen signed an exclusive site agreement with the city requiring the Trail Blazers to play all home games in Portland for thirty years The City of Portland hoped that the building of the arena would lead to other renovation or development in the Rose Quarter district, but as of 2008 this has yet to materialize. [cite news|title="The Ghost Quarter"|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=116587988539328200
author=Todd Murphy|publisher=Portland Tribune|date=2006-12-05|accessdate=2007-10-24]

Construction and opening

Ground on the arena was broken in 1993, and the arena opened on October 12, 1995. [cite news
title=How We Play: Pro sports scene blooms at Rose Garden
author=Brian T. Smith
publisher=The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)
date=2007-02-25
accessdate=2007-10-25
url=http://www.columbian.com/news/portrait/news/02252007news108965.cfm] The project included the largest construction and demolition recycling program in the U.S. up to that time, in which 36000 tons (32600 metric tons) of construction waste and 340,000 tons (308,400 metric tons) of dirt were recycled, saving OAC over US$127,000. This effort later won the project an environmental award from the city. [cite web
url=http://www.p2pays.org/ref/26/25329.pdf|title=Construction recycling curbs arena project costs|date=1994|publisher=City of Portland, Oregon|accessdate=2007-10-30]

The first concert held in the Rose Garden was held two weeks later, when David Bowie performed on October 25, with Nine Inch Nails opening. [cite web|url=http://www.bowiewonderworld.com/tours/tour95.htm|title=1995-1996: The Outside World Tour|work=http://www.bowiewonderworld.com|accessdate=2007-10-24] The first regular-season game to be played at the Rose Garden was the Trail Blazers hosting the then-Vancouver Grizzlies on November 3, 1995, a 92-80 defeat for the home team. The arena was originally capable of seating 20,340 spectators for NBA basketball. Its capacity has since been reduced to 19,980 by subsequent modifications. At the time of its construction, the arena was a state-of-the-art facility. Although more recent NBA arenas have surpassed the Rose Garden in amenities, it still is well-regarded as a facility. A 2005 survey by "USA Today" ranked the Rose Garden in the middle of the pack among the 29 NBA arenas; it should be noted that factors unrelated to the venue itself (such as ticket prices and entertainment offerings) are considered in the rankings. [cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/basketball/nba/2005-04-12-arenas-cover_x.htm|publisher=USA Today|author=Greg Boeck|date=2005-04-12|accessdate=2007-10-24|title=NBA arenas: Fantastic or not?]

Soon after the arena opened, it was the subject of several lawsuits seeking to enforce the Americans with Disabilities Act. One lawsuit ("United States v. Ellerbe Becket, Inc.") was filed by the United States Department of Justice against architect Ellerbe-Becket; another ("Independent Living Resources v. Oregon Arena Corporation") was filed by a disabled advocacy group against OAC. Both lawsuits alleged that the Rose Garden (and other facilities designed by Ellerbe Becket) did not provide adequate seating for patrons using wheelchairs, and that the line-of-sight of patrons in wheelchairs was frequently obstructed by standing spectators.cite news|title=Enforcing the ADA: A Status Report from the Department of Justice
url=http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/octdec96.htm|date=1996|publisher=United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division|accessdate=2007-10-26] The first case was settled with a consent decree, wherein Ellerbe Becket agreed to design future projects in compliance with the ADA; [cite web|url=http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/ellerbe.htm|title=Consent Order in re United States vs Ellerbe Becket Inc|date=1997|publisher=United States District Court, District of Minnesota|author=Judge Tunheim|accessdate=2007-10-26] the lawsuit against Oregon Arena Corp was resolved in 1998 when OAC agreed to install over one hundred elevated seats permitting wheelchair-bound patrons to see over standing spectators in front. [cite news|title=Score one for the disabled|work=BusineessWeek|url=http://www.businessweek.com/1998/48/b3606136.htm
date=1998-11-19
author=Tom Farrey
accessdate=2007-10-26]

Notable past events

While the Rose Garden has never hosted the NBA Finals (Portland's last appearance in the Finals was in 1992, three years before the Garden opened), it has hosted two NBA Western Conference Finals series, in 1999 and 2000. In 1999, the Trail Blazers were defeated by the San Antonio Spurs; in 2000 by the Los Angeles Lakers. Both teams would go on to win the NBA championship. One NBA-related event the Rose Garden—and for that matter, the Trail Blazers franchise—has never hosted is the NBA All-Star Game. The Trail Blazers are one of several franchises to never host an All-Star game; the Blazers' All-Star drought of 37 years is second only to the Boston Celtics, who hosted the game in 1964. According to the Oregon Sports Authority, the main issue is hotel space close to the arena; the city of Portland lacks the large "headquarters" hotel needed to host the NBA and media entourage which accompanies the game. [cite news|url=http://wweek.com/editorial/3215/7246/
title=Ill-starred: Why Portland never gets the All-Star game|author=Paul Gerald|work=Willamette Week|date=2006-02-15|accessdate=2007-10-26]

In 2004, Portland was selected as one of five cities in the U.S. to host the Dew Action Sports Tour, a new extreme sports franchise to start in 2005. Titled the Vans Invitational, the event was held at the Rose Quarter from August 17–21. The Rose Quarter hosted BMX: Dirt and Freestyle Motocross. The Dew Action Sports will return to Portland for a third year. [cite news|title=Rose Garden ready for Dew Action Sports Tour|url=http://www.kgw.com/lifestyle/stories/kgw_081705_sports_dew_action_sports.82fa0bfa.html
publisher=KGW|date=2005-08-17|accessdate=2007-10-25]

In the Winter of 2005, the Rose Quarter hosted the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, an event attended by over 100,000 spectators. [cite web|url=http://www.marketingpower.com/content28863.php|publisher=American Marketing Association|title=Sports and Special Events SIG|authors=Lynn R. Kahle, James H. Warsaw|accessdate=2007-10-25] The Rose Garden would later host the 2007 NLL All Star Game on March 10, 2007. [cite news|title=NLL All Star game a success|author=Paul Buker|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2007-03-10|accessdate=2007-10-25
url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2007/03/nll_all_star_game_a_success.html]

In 2009, the Rose Garden will host first- and second-round games of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. It will be the first time NCAA men's tournament games are played in the state of Oregon since 1983, though the arena did host the finals of the 2008 Big Sky Conference men's basketball tournament. The state had been under an NCAA-imposed tournament embargo due to sports betting being legal in the state (specifically, the Oregon Lottery's "Sports Action" game, a parlay game which allowed bettors to wager on NFL games), but was awarded 2009 tournament games when the state Legislature eliminated Sports Action from the lottery's lineup. [cite news|title=Basketball: Portland to host men's NCAA tournament games in 2009|publisher=Associated Press|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/collegesports/2003109315_webncaa06.html
date=2007-07-06|accessdate=2007-10-25] In addition to sports, the arena regularly hosts numerous other types of events, including concerts, circuses, ice shows, and conventions. Portland State University holds its spring commencement ceremonies at the arena. [cite web|url=http://oaa.pdx.edu/ABCHandbookSectionC|title=The ABCs of PSU—A Handbook for Portland State University Faculty (Section C)|publisher=Portland State University|accessdate=2007-10-24]

Notable non-sports related events include the 1998 Portland State commencement ceremony, where the keynote speaker was then U.S. President Bill Clinton. The President, speaking before a packed house in the Garden (including a graduating class of 2000), gave a speech embracing immigration to the United States, and was also awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the university. [cite news|url=http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/1998/06/13/national/main11767.shtml
title=Clinton Welcomes U.S. Immigrants|publisher=Associated Press|date=1998-06-13|accessdate=2007-10-26] [cite speech
url=http://www.shusterman.com/prez.html|title= REMARKS BY PRESIDENT CLINTON AT PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY COMMENCEMENT|date=1998-06-13|author=Bill Clinton|location=Portland State University 1998 commencement, Rose Garden Arena, Portland, Oregon|accessdate=2007-10-26] On June 27, 2000, a Roger Waters concert at the Rose Garden became the basis for the concert video "". [cite web|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0306022/|title=Roger Waters: In the Flesh Live|work=Internet Movie Database]

The Rose Garden hosted WWE Unforgiven 2004, and is set to host WWE No Mercy 2008.

Oregon Arena Corporation bankruptcy

Claiming the local economy was responsible for reduced revenues which made it unable to make payments on the loans used to finance Rose Garden Construction, the Oregon Arena Corporation filed for bankruptcy on February 27, 2004. After negotiations concurrent with the bankruptcy failed to produce a settlement, the United States Bankruptcy Court ordered on November 8 of that year that the Oregon Arena Corporation transfer the Rose Garden to the creditors.cite news
url=http://www.entertainmentmanagementonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2004/11/18/419ad9bfeee63
title=Global Spectrum takes over the Rose Garden|publisher=Entertainment Management Online|date=2004-11-10|author=Matt Cunningham|accessdate=2004-10-24] A new corporation owned by the creditors, Portland Arena Management (PAM) took over operation of the Rose Garden.cite news
url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=27773
title=Paul Allen's Rose Garden: Under new ownership|author=Todd Murphy|date=2005-01-04|accessdate=2007-10-24] PAM in turn hired Global Spectrum to operate the arena. For several years, the Trail Blazers (still owned by Allen) and the Portland Arena Management had a highly hostile relationship, [cite web
url=http://www.sportsbusinessradio.com/?q=node/695
title=Portland Arena Management vs Blazers Owner Paul Allen|author=Brian Berger|work=Sports Business Radio|date=2007-01-13|accessdate=2007-10-24] with the two entities competing for ticket sales.cite news|url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/news/story.php?story_id=32764|title=Allen: I'll buy back arena for right sum|author=Kerry Eggers|date=2005-11-22|publisher=Portland Tribune|accessdate=2007-10-24]

The team made numerous complaints about a "broken economic model",cite news
url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4188/is_20060226/ai_n16188451
title=The not-so-great Northwest|author=Loren Jorgenson|date=2006-02-26|publisher=Deseret Morning News|accessdate=2007-10-24] and there was much speculation that the Trail Blazers might leave. [cite news
url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2002827693_trailblazers25m.html
title=Allen's Trail Blazers seek help to stay in Portland
publisher=Seattle Times
date=2006-02-25
author=Hal Bernton
accessdate=2007-10-25] The team was put up for sale in the summer of 2006, [cite news|title=It's official: Blazers and Rose Garden are for sale
url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2006/06/its_official_blazers_and_rose.html
author=Helen Jung|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2006-06-07|accessdate=2007-10-24] only to be taken off the market again several months later. [cite news|title=Rose Garden statement on no sale of Blazers
url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2006/08/rose_garden_statement_on_no_sa.html
author=Helen Jung|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2006-08-03|accessdate=2007-10-24] Speculation intensified as to what would happen,cite news
title=Blazers owner foresees a "few turns in the road"
url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/story?columnist=sheridan_chris&id=2666051
author=Chris Sheridan
publisher= ESPN
date=2006-11-17
accessdate=2007-10-25] and the team and Paul Allen were roundly criticized in the media. [cite web|url=http://bojack.org/2004/02/bankruptcy_and_the_billionaire.html|title=Bankruptcy and the Billionaire|date=2004-02-29|author=Jack Bogdanski|work=Jack Bog's Blog|accessdate] [cite news
url=http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=34144|title=State of Blazers is their own fault|date=2006-03-03|author=Dwight Jaynes|publisher=Portland Tribune|accessdate=2007-10-24] [cite news|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2006/07/broken_economic_model.html|title=Broken financial model?|author=Helen Jung|date=2004-06-24|accessdate=2007-10-24|publisher=The Oregonian] Despite the criticism and the team's poor finances the team insisted that bankruptcy was the right move.cite web
url=http://www.nba.com/blazers/news/A_Conversation_With_Paul_Allen-171563-41.html|title=A Conversation with Paul Allen|publisher=National Basketball Association|work=nba.com|date=2006-03-11|accessdate=2007-10-24]

Early in 2007, Allen and the creditors reached an agreement for Allen to repurchase the arena, and the team and the building were united under common ownership once more.cite news|url=http://blog.oregonlive.com/playbooksandprofits/2007/04/rose_garden_deal_done.html
title=Rose Garden deal done|author=Helen Jung|publisher=The Oregonian|date=2007-04-02|accessdate=2007-04-02] After much speculation that Allen would hire Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) to replace Global Spectrum, arena management elected to extend Global Spectrum's management contract by one year in the summer of 2007. In September 2007, Global Spectrum announced that the arena would undergo US$13 million in renovations.

ee also

* Rose Garden Heliport

References

External links

*cite web|url=http://www.rosequarter.com/|title= Rose Quarter website
*cite web|url=http://www.vulcan.com|title=Vulcan, Inc. official website
*cite web|url=http://www.global-spectrum.com|title=Global Spectrum official website
*cite web|url=http://www.nba.com/blazers|title=Portland Trail Blazers official website
*cite web|url=http://www.winterhawks.com|title=Portland Winter Hawks official website
*cite web|url=http://www.portlandjax.com/|title=Portland Lumberjax official website

succession box
title = Home of the
Portland Trail Blazers
years = 1995 – present
before = Memorial Coliseum
after = current