U.S. Cellular Arena

U.S. Cellular Arena
The Cell, The Arena
Former names	Milwaukee Arena (1968–1974) MECCA Arena (1974–1995) Milwaukee Arena (aka Wisconsin Center Arena) (1995–2000)
Location	400 W Kilbourn Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53203
Coordinates	43°2′32″N 87°55′1″W / 43.04222°N 87.91694°W / 43.04222; -87.91694Coordinates: 43°2′32″N 87°55′1″W / 43.04222°N 87.91694°W / 43.04222; -87.91694
Broke ground	1945
Opened	1950
Owner	Wisconsin Center District
Operator	Wisconsin Center District
Surface	Maple basketball floor, concrete, ice, or Astroturf
Construction cost	$10 million USD ($91.2 million in 2011 dollars[1])
Architect	Eschweiler & Eschweiler
Capacity	12,700 (maximum) 10,783 (basketball) 9,500 (Indoor Soccer)
Tenants
Milwaukee Wave (MISL) (1984–1987, 2003–present) Milwaukee Panthers (NCAA) (1992–1998, 2003–present) Horizon League Championship (2004, 2005, 2006, 2011) Milwaukee Mustangs (AFL) (2010; 1 playoff game) Milwaukee Hawks (NBA) (1951–1955) Milwaukee Bucks (NBA) (1968–1988) Milwaukee Admirals (IHL) (1984–1987) Marquette Warriors (NCAA) (1974–1989) Milwaukee Bonecrushers (CIFL) (2008–2009)

U.S. Cellular Arena (originally Milwaukee Arena and formerly MECCA Arena and Wisconsin Center Arena) is an indoor arena, located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The arena, which seats as many as 12,700 people and offers 41,000 feet of floor space, is part of a larger downtown campus, that includes the Milwaukee Theatre and Frontier Airlines Center.

The arena was part of the MECCA Complex (The Milwaukee Exposition Convention Center and Arena) 1974-1995.

It is the current home of the Milwaukee Panthers, of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee.

History

It opened in 1950 and was one of the first to accommodate the needs of broadcast television. It was folded into the MECCA complex when it opened in 1974. It is also known for its former unique basketball court painted by Robert Indiana in 1978, with large rainbow 'M's taking up both half-courts representing Milwaukee.

It was home to the Milwaukee Bucks of the NBA from 1968-1988, and hosted the 1977 NBA All-Star Game before an audience of 10,938. The venue was also home to Marquette University's men's basketball team along with the International Hockey League Milwaukee Admirals. These teams all moved to the Bradley Center upon the newer arena's opening in 1988.

In 1994, the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), a state organization, was created in order to fund the Midwest Airlines Center, and, in 1995 the MECCA complex was folded into this, including the Arena (the Bradley Center is owned by a separate authority). Following a major overhaul in 1998, the arena is now home to the Milwaukee Panthers' men's college basketball team and the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Indoor Soccer League (including the 2006 MISL All-Star game) and is the Milwaukee venue for Disney on Ice. It has also hosted professional wrestling events, including WCW SuperBrawl II in 1992, WWF King of the Ring 1996, WCW Clash of the Champions in 1997, WWF Over the Edge in 1998 and WCW Mayhem in 2000. It was at the forementioned King Of The Ring card where "Stone Cold" Steve Austin first uttered his now-famous "Austin 3:16" catchphrase.

The WCD added the Wisconsin Athletic Walk of Fame alongside the U.S. Cellular Arena in 2001. At the end of this public promenade is a Wisconsin Historical Marker noting the location where Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter, featuring the QWERTY keyboard layout.

As the MECCA, the building hosted the 1984 NCAA Mideast first and second round games. The U.S. Cellular Arena has hosted all or part of every Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament since 2003.

In 2008 it became home to the Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League. [1]

On August 7, 2010, the arena hosted an Arena Football League playoff game between the Milwaukee Mustangs and the Chicago Rush. The Iron played its 2010 regular season home games at the Bradley Center, but renovations to that venue forced the home playoff games to be played at the U.S. Celluar Arena, where the Milwaukee Mustangs would go on to win.

Concerts

• The Beatles - September 4, 1964
• The Beach Boys - May 14, 1966, with The Chieftones and The Sir Douglas Quintet, December 4, 1973, with The New Riders of the Purple Sage and October 29, 1978
• The Doors - November 1, 1968
• Led Zeppelin - August 31, 1970 and July 10, 1973
• Fleetwood Mac - October 20, 1971, with Frank Zappa and Rory Gallagher, August 15, 1975 and June 24, 1976
• Jethro Tull - June 6, 1972, September 15, 1973, October 27, 1975, November 14, 1977, April 19, 1979, October 18, 1980 and December 2, 1987
• Elvis Presley - June 14, 1972, June 28, 1974 and April 27, 1977
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - August 11, 1972, with Wishbone Ash
• Yes - September 24, 1972, with The Eagles, August 17, 1976, September 1, 1977, April 26, 1979, March 10, 1984 and November 24, 1987
• The Moody Blues - October 28, 1972
• Frank Zappa - May 11, 1973, with The Mothers of Invention and September 26, 1978
• Alice Cooper - May 31, 1973, August 25, 1977, March 6, 1979 and February 10, 1987
• Deep Purple - June 10, 1973 and December 11, 1974, with Elf and The Electric Light Orchestra
• Jefferson Starship - November 14-15, 1974 and July 1, 1976
• Bachman–Turner Overdrive - April 7, 1975, with Thin Lizzy and Bob Seger
• Uriah Heep - August 24, 1975, with Blue Öyster Cult
• The Allman Brothers Band - November 18, 1975, with Muddy Waters
• KISS - February 4, 1976, September 24, 1979, February 10 and December 30, with Queensrÿche, 1984, January 20, 1986 and January 7, 1988
• David Bowie - February 20, 1976 and March 24, 1978
• Wishbone Ash - March 19, 1976
• Aerosmith - July 8, 1976 and October 5, 1977, with The Brownsville Station
• ZZ Top - September 14, 1976 and October 1, 1982
• Foghat - November 26, 1976 and February 16, 1978
• Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - February 22, 1977, June 9 and November 27, 1978 and October 14, 1980
• Emerson, Lake & Palmer - August 5, 1977 and October 22, 1986
• Blue Öyster Cult - October 24, 1977, with Black Oak Arkansas and Prism
• Kansas - November 28, 1977, with Crawler and November 3, 1980
• The Electric Light Orchestra - August 15, 1978 and November 2, 1981, with Hall & Oates
• Black Sabbath - August 27, 1978, with Van Halen and October 9, 1980, with Blue Öyster Cult (Riot ensued after Geezer Butler was hit by a bottle)
• Billy Joel - October 15, 1978
• John Denver - November 2, 1978, June 18, 1982 and December 3, 1993
• Rush - December 7, 1978, with Golden Earring, March 2, 1981, with Max Webster, October 9, 1982, with Rory Gallagher, June 25, 1984, March 24, 1986, with Marillion and April 5, 1988, with The Rainmakers
• Boston - March 31, 1979, with Sammy Hagar
• Van Halen - August 21, 1979, April 14, 1980, July 2, 1981 and August 16, 1982
• Rick James - April 7, 1980, with Prince
• Genesis - June 7, 1980, November 16, 1981 and November 10, 1983
• Def Leppard - June 14, 1980, November 5, 1987, November 16, 1992 and March 29, 2002
• Queen - September 10, 1980, with Dakota
• Styx - June 9-10, 1981, May 23, 1983 and June 15, 2003, with Journey and REO Speedwagon
• The Jacksons - August 26, 1981
• Bob Dylan - October 16-17, 1981, October 30, 1999, with Phil Lesh and Friends and October 28, 2001
• AC/DC - November 17, 1981
• Prince - December 26, 1981, with The Time and April 7, 1983, with The Time and Vanity 6
• The Who - December 7, 1982
• Phil Collins - February 3, 1983
• Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - March 14, 1983, with Nick Lowe & His Noise To Go and March 5, 1995, with Pete Droge
• Triumph - March 29, 1983, with Foghat
• Robert Plant - August 31, 1983, June 1, 1988 and November 9, 1993
• The Police - February 20, 1984
• Tina Turner - September 14, 1984 and September 14, 1985
• Billy Squier - November 4, 1984, with Ratt
• Iron Maiden - December 19, 1984 and March 8, 1987
• R.E.M. - August 6, 1985
• Mötley Crüe - October 30, 1985, October 17, 1997 and March 12, 2005
• Ozzy Osbourne - April 6, 1986, with Metallica
• Journey - September 26, 1986
• Emerson, Lake & Powell - October 22, 1986
• Roger Waters - November 13, 1987
• Dio - February 22, 1988, with Megadeth and Savatage
• Metallica - November 22, 1988, with Queensrÿche
• The Grateful Dead - April 15-16, 1989
• Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble and Jeff Beck - October 27, 1989
• Queensrÿche - March 11 and May 11, 1991 and April 29, 1995
• Bryan Adams - November 14, 1992
• Nirvana - October 26, 1993, with Jawbreaker and Mudhoney
• Tupac Shakur - September 3, 1994
• White Zombie - November 11, 1995
• Bush - April 19, 1996, with No Doubt and The Goo Goo Dolls
• The Stone Temple Pilots - December 13, 1996 and October 9, 2000, with Godsmack and Disturbed
• 311 - August 14, 1997, with Spearhead
• Creed - October 16, 1999
• Nine Inch Nails - April 18, 2000, with A Perfect Circle
• Ray Charles - November 4, 2001
• Alan Jackson - February 1, 2003
• Martina McBride - December 20, 2003
• Green Day - November 9, 2004, with My Chemical Romance
• Josh Groban - February 19, 2005
• Relentless7 - November 2, 2008, with Tenacious D, The Beastie Boys and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
• The Cheetah Girls - December 5, 2008, with Clique Girlz
• Daughtry - April 7, 2010, with Cavo, Theory of a Deadman, Lifehouse and Kris Allen
• Skillet - March 4, 2011, with Superchick and Flame

References

1. ^ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2008. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved December 7, 2010.

See also

• U.S. Cellular Field - home of the Chicago White Sox
• U.S. Cellular Coliseum - an indoor sports arena in Bloomington, Illinois
• U.S. Cellular Center - an indoor sports arena in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

External links

• U.S. Cellular Arena
• [2]
• Event Managers Sourcebook (PDF)
• Milwaukee Panthers Men's Basketball history at the U.S. Cellular Arena
• [3] - Audio recording of the 1980 Black Sabbath riot.

Events and tenants
Preceded by Wharton Field House	Home of the Milwaukee Hawks 1951 – 1955	Succeeded by Kiel Auditorium
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Milwaukee Bucks 1968 – 1988	Succeeded by Bradley Center
Preceded by The Spectrum	Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1977	Succeeded by Omni Coliseum