Toyota Center (Houston)

Infobox Stadium|stadium_name=Toyota Center


location=1510 Polk Street
Houston, Texas 77002
opened=October 6, 2003
owner=Harris County - Houston Sports Authority
operator=Clutch City Sports and Entertainment
architect=Morris Architects,
HOK Architects,
John Chase Architects
construction_cost=202 million $USD
tenants=Houston Rockets (NBA) (2003-present)
Houston Comets (WNBA) (2003-2007)
Houston Aeros (AHL) (2003-present)
seating_capacity=Basketball: 18,300
Ice Hockey: 17,800
Concerts: up to 19,000

The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located at 1510 Polk Street in Downtown Houston, Texas.

Named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota, the Toyota Center houses three sports teams: The Houston Rockets of the NBA, the Houston Comets of the WNBA and The Houston Aeros of the AHL.

History

In 2002, the Houston sports teams pressured the city for a new stadium to be built to replace the Compaq Center, formerly known as the Summit. As a result, the Toyota Center was built and has since become their new home.

The Toyota Center can seat 18,300 for basketball, 17,800 for hockey, and up to 19,000 for concerts. It has 2,900 club seats and 103 luxury suites. There are over 10,000 parking spaces within a few blocks of the facility, including the 2,500-space Toyota Tundra garage connected to the arena via private skybridge.

The Toyota Center was the winner of the Allen Award for Civic Enhancement by Central Houston in 2003, the "Rookie of the Year" award by the Harlem Globetrotters in 2004 and was a finalist for Pollstar Magazine’s "Best New Concert Venue" award. Attendance at events during the facility's first year exceeded 1.5 million people.

Events

The first event after the arena's opening ceremony was a Fleetwood Mac concert on October 6, 2003. The first Rockets game at the Toyota Center was against the Denver Nuggets on October 30, 2003.

External links

* [http://www.toyotacentertix.com/ Toyota Center Homepage]

succession box
title = Home of the
Houston Rockets
years = 2003 – present
before = Compaq Center
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Houston Aeros
years = 2003 – present
before = Compaq Center
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Houston Comets
years = 2003 – 2007
before = Compaq Center
after = Reliant Arenasuccession box
title = Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
years = 2006
before = Pepsi Center
after = Thomas & Mack Center