T-Mobile Center

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T-Mobile Center
File:T-Mobile Center logo.svg
File:Kansas City June 2022 14 (T-Mobile Center).jpg
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Location within Missouri##Location within the United States
Former names Sprint Center (2007–2020)
Address 1407 Grand Boulevard
Location Kansas City, Missouri
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Public transit Tram interchange KC Streetcar
at Power & Light
Owner City of Kansas City
Operator Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG)
Capacity Arena football: 17,297
Basketball: 18,972
Ice hockey: 17,544[1]
Concerts: 19,252
Surface Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground June 24, 2005
Opened October 10, 2007 (age Expression error: Unrecognized word "october".Expression error: Unrecognized word "october".)Expression error: Unrecognized word "october".
Construction cost US$276 million
Architect Downtown Arena Design Team:
HOK Sport
360 Architecture
Ellerbe Becket[2]
Rafael Architects
Project manager ICON Venue Group[3]
Structural engineer Walter P Moore[4]
Services engineer M-E Engineers, Inc.[5]
General contractor Mortenson Construction
Tenants
Kansas City Command (AFL) (2008, 2011–2012)
Big 12 men's basketball tournament (2008, 2010–present)

T-Mobile Center (formerly Sprint Center) is a multi-purpose arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It is located at the intersection of 14th Street and Grand Boulevard on the east side of the Power & Light District. It has effectively become the city's primary indoor arena, a role previously held by Kemper Arena, which had been built in 1974 a few miles away in the West Bottoms neighborhood.

History

Grand Boulevard entrance in 2008

The arena is owned by the city of Kansas City, Missouri.[6] The final design was selected in August 2005, from the Downtown Arena Design Team, which was a collaboration of the architectural firms Populous, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects, and Ellerbe Becket. The construction manager was M.A. Mortenson Company, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Groundbreaking was on June 24, 2005, and construction was completed on October 11, 2007, at US$276 million[7] (equivalent to $315 million in 2021).

The complete exterior glass façade system, all metal panels for the adjacent buildings and all accessory metal cladding, was custom designed, detailed, and supplied by Overgaard Ltd. Hong Kong to Architectural Wall Systems, the Des Moines, Iowa based glazing contractor who installed the building envelope. In total there are approximately 13,000 square meters (140,000 sq ft) of double insulated glass and 5,000 square meters (54,000 sq ft) of painted aluminum curtain wall panels. There are roughly 200 tons of system profiles and accessories. All of the 2,404 individual glass units on the main building were produced sequentially and completely assembled prior to shipping. The 5 million pounds of rebar was detailed, fabricated, and supplied by The Carter-Waters Corporation of Kansas City. The arena features a work of public art, The Moons, by Chris Doyle, commissioned by the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission (KCMAC). The interior has a 360-degree LED video screen. The arena seats over 19,000 people and has 72 suites. Connected to its north side is the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame.

In early 2006, Anschutz Entertainment Group selected Brenda Tinnen to serve as the facility's general manager. She had previously served as senior vice president of the Staples Center in Los Angeles, and is widely credited with the initial success of the venue and for attracting top tier concert tours. Garth Brooks personally thanked her from the stage for luring him out of semi-retirement to play nine consecutive sold-out shows within a month of the venue opening. She responded by unveiling a "Championship Banner" in the rafters, to commemorate his achievement.

Sprint Center opened on October 10, 2007, inaugurated by an Elton John concert three days later.[8][9]

In April 2020, T-Mobile US became the naming rights partner by completing a merger with Sprint Corporation.[10] On July 9, 2020, Sprint Center was officially renamed to T-Mobile Center.[11] Changes include an entrance specifically for T-Mobile customers, a lounge with tables that can charge smartphones wirelessly, charging stations all over the arena, T-Mobile 5G coverage, and a monument outside saying "Heart KC".[12]

Gallery

Events

Since the arena's construction, various city officials of Kansas City have been in discussions with the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Basketball Association (NBA) about possible expansion or relocation of a professional hockey and/or basketball franchise for the arena; however, neither league has yet approved a team to play in T-Mobile Center.[13][14]

The arena hosted the Big 12 men's basketball tournament in 2008 and in every year since 2010.[15] It hosted the first and second rounds of the 2009 and 2013 NCAA men's tournaments, plus the regional rounds of the 2017 NCAA men's tournament and 2019, and hosted it again in 2023. In 2010 and 2018 the Kansas City regional of the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament was held here.

The arena held Missouri's first UFC event for UFC on Fox: Johnson vs. Reis on April 15, 2017.[16] On April 15, 2023, the UFC returned to the arena for UFC on ESPN: Holloway vs. Allen.[17]

It hosted the former Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League (AFL).

The venue was a regular stop for the Professional Bull Riders (PBR)’s Premier Series for several years. Since 2022, it serves as the home venue of the PBR’s Kansas City Outlaws during the PBR Team Series season in the summer and autumn.

References

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  8. Elton John made Saturday night alright for a concert Kansas City Star, October 13, 2007.
  9. Elton John to open Sprint Center Kansas City Star, July 26, 2007.
  10. T‑Mobile Completes Merger with Sprint to Create the New T‑Mobile T-Mobile USA, April 1, 2020.
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External links

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