Staples Center

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name=Staples Center


location=1111 S. Figueroa Street
Los Angeles, California 90015
broke_ground=March 31 1998
opened=October 17 1999
owner=L.A. Arena Company
Anschutz Entertainment Group
operator=L.A. Arena Company
Anschutz Entertainment Group
construction_cost=$375 Million USD
architect=NBBJ
tenants=Los Angeles Lakers (NBA) (1999-present)
Los Angeles Clippers (NBA) (1999-present)
Los Angeles Sparks (WNBA) (2001-present)
Los Angeles Kings (NHL) (1999-present)
Los Angeles Avengers (AFL) (2000-present)
Los Angeles D-Fenders (D-League) (2006-present)
seating_capacity=Basketball: 18,997
Hockey: 18,118
Arena Football: 18,118
Concerts: 20,000

Staples Center is a multi-purpose sports arena in Downtown Los Angeles, California adjacent to the L.A. Live development. It is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex. Staples Center was financed privately at a cost of $375 Million and is named for the Staples office-supply company, one of the center's corporate sponsors that paid for naming rights.cite press release|publisher=Los Angeles Sports Council|title=L.A. Facilities|url= http://www.lasports.org/lafacilities/display.php?s=Arena&id=19|accessdate=2008-01-01]

History

Staples Center opened on October 17 1999, with a Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band concert, [ [http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php/STAPLES_Center STAPLES Center - Hoopedia ] ] and became a two-time winner of the Pollstar-CIC Arena of the Year award soon after.cite press release | publisher = AEG Worldwide | title = AEG Staples Center | url = http://www.aegworldwide.com/01_venues/staples_center.html | accessdate = 2008-01-01] It is home to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers of the NBA, the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, the Los Angeles Sparks of the WNBA, and the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL.cite press release | publisher = AEG Worldwide | title = About Staples Center | url = http://www.staplescenter.com/doublecol.php?section=about&page=aboutstaplescenter | accessdate = 2008-01-01] It is the only arena that is home to five professional sports franchises.

The arena is host to 250 events and nearly 4,000,000 visitors a year. Since its opening day, Staples Center has hosted the 2000 Democratic National Convention, the 2002 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, the 52nd NHL All-Star game, the 2004 NBA All-Star Game, the Pac-10 Basketball Finals since 2002, the WTA Tour Championships from 2002 to 2005, the first Latin Grammy Awards in 2000, the annual Grammy Awards since 2000 with the exception of 2003, the Summer X Games indoor competitions since 2003, the UFC 60 pay per view event, as well as numerous Concerts and HBO Championship Boxing matches.

In addition to hosting the attendance record setting WrestleMania 21 in 2005, Staples Center has also hosted Unforgiven 2002, Judgment Day 2004, and No Way Out 2007 as well as other World Wrestling Entertainment events.

The arena

Staples Center seats up to 20,000 for concerts, 18,997 for basketball, and 18,118 for hockey and arena football. Two-thirds of the arena's seating, including 2,500 club seats, are in the lower bowl. There are also 160 luxury suites, including 15 event suites, on three levels between the lower and upper bowls. The arena's attendance record is held by WWE WrestleMania 21 with a crowd of 20,193 set on April 3, 2005.cite press release | publisher = World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc | title = WrestleMania 21 Highest Grossing WWE Event Ever at STAPLES Center | url = http://corporate.wwe.com/news/2005_04_04b.jsp | date = 2005-04-03 | accessdate = 2007-12-26]

Future developments

Although Staples Center is already a Los Angeles landmark,fact|date=January 2008POV-statement|date=August 2008 it is only a part of a much larger convert|4000000|sqft|m2|1|adj=on development by Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) adjoining Staples Center and the Los Angeles Convention Center. The development, known as L.A. Live, broke ground on September 15, 2005. L.A. Live is designed to offer entertainment, retail and residential programming in the downtown Los Angeles area.cite press release | publisher = AEG Worldwide | title = AEG L.A. Live | url = http://www.aegworldwide.com/04_future/losangeles.html | accessdate = 2008-01-01] cite press release | publisher = AEG Worldwide | title = L.A. Live timeline | url = http://www.lalive.com/timeline.php | accessdate = 2008-01-01]

Trivia

*Outside the arena are statues of Wayne Gretzky and Magic Johnson, although both sports legends played at the Great Western Forum, where the Kings, Lakers and Sparks previously played. (The Los Angeles Clippers previously played at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.)
*Staples Center measures convert|950000|sqft|m2|1 of total space, with a convert|94|ft|m|1|adj=on by convert|200|ft|m|1|adj=on arena floor. It stands convert|150|ft|m|1 tall.
*Load-in at the arena is accommodated through a floor-level dockway. There is a convert|15000|sqft|m2|1|adj=on marshaling area for event production, as well as a dock area designed to accommodate up to six television production vehicles.
*Staples Center features an eight-sided, center-court/Ice scoreboard featuring four convert|12|ft|m|1|adj=on by convert|15|ft|m|1|adj=on Mitsubishi DiamondVision video screens and four convert|9|ft|m|1|adj=on by convert|12|ft|m|1|adj=on messageboards. In addition, the arena contains two complete television control rooms and 34 fixed camera positions.
*convert|2500|ST|MT|0 of structural steel and convert|73000|sqyd|m2|1 of concrete were used to build Staples Center at a cost of $375 million.

*Staples Center was named New Major Concert Venue (2000) and Arena of the Year (2000 and 2001) by Pollstar Magazine and has been nominated each year since its 1999 opening.
*In January 2001, the crew of the television show "Frasier" redressed the arena to appear to be KeyArena in Seattle. This was for an episode of the series supposedly set at a Seattle SuperSonics game.fact|date=May 2008
*In 2005, the lower bowl purple seats were reupholstered to black seats.

ee also

* L.A. Live
* Los Angeles Convention Center

References

External links

* [http://www.staplescenter.com Staples Center official website]
* [http://www.aegworldwide.com/home.html AEG Worldwide]
* [http://www.nbbj.com/#work/projects/staples-center NBBJ]
* [http://www.lasports.org/lafacilities/display.php?s=Arena&id=19 Los Angeles Sports Council]
* [http://www.rtkl.com/beyond_the_gates.asp RTKL L.A. Live]

succession box
title = Home of the
Los Angeles Clippers
years = 1999 – present
before = Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Los Angeles Lakers
years = 1999 – present
before = Great Western Forum
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Los Angeles Kings
years = 1999 – present
before = Great Western Forum
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Los Angeles Avengers
years = 2000 – present
before = first arena
after = currentsuccession box
title = Home of the
Los Angeles Sparks
years = 2000 – present
before = Great Western Forum
after = currentsuccession box
title = Host of the
NHL All-Star Game
years = 2002
before = Pepsi Center
after = Office Depot Centersuccession box
title = Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
years = 2004
before = Philips Arena
after = Pepsi Centersuccession box
title = Host of WrestleMania 21
years = 2005
before = Madison Square Garden
after = Allstate Arenasuccession box
title = Host of the
Democratic National Convention
years = 2000
before = United Center
after = FleetCenter