Surface Multi-surface Opened October 10, 2007 Phone +1 816-949-7100 | Broke ground June 24, 2005 Capacity 18,972 | |
 | ||
Location 1407 Grand Boulevard
Kansas City, Missouri 64106
United States Owner City of Kansas City (city-government owned) Operator Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) Address 1407 Grand Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64106, USA Similar The Palace of Auburn Hills, BOK Center, Scottrade Center, Rogers Arena, Moda Center Profiles | ||
Sprint center arena
Sprint Center is a large, multi-use indoor arena in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The building is at 14th Street and Grand Boulevard, on the east side of the Power & Light District. The arena's naming rights partner is the telecommunications company Sprint, whose headquarters is in nearby Overland Park, Kansas.
Contents
- Sprint center arena
- Sprint center kansas city
- Details
- Notable concerts
- Possible major league sports
- Other sporting events
- Other events
- Transportation
- References
Sprint Center opened on October 10, 2007, and a concert by Elton John three days later was the arena's first event. The arena seats more than 19,000 people and has 72 suites. Sprint Center has effectively replaced Kemper Arena, which was built in 1974, just a few miles away in the southern portion of the West Bottoms. Additionally, the College Basketball Experience, which includes the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, is connected to and directly north of Sprint Center.
Sprint Center has hosted the Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament in 2008 and every year since 2010. It also hosted the first and second rounds of the 2009 NCAA Men's Tournament and 2013 NCAA Men's Tournament, as well as the regional rounds of the 2017 NCAA Men's Tournament and the 2010 NCAA Women's Tournament. The arena also was the home of the former Kansas City Command of the Arena Football League (AFL).
The city of Kansas City has entered into 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 the NHL nor the NBA have yet to approve a team to play in the Sprint Center.
Sprint center kansas city
Details
Ground was broken for the arena on June 24, 2005, and construction completed on October 11, 2007. The final design, by the Downtown Arena Design Team (a collaboration of the architectural firms Populous, 360 Architecture, Rafael Architects, and Ellerbe Becket), was selected in August 2005. The construction manager responsible for the entire project was M.A. Mortenson Company, based out of Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The complete exterior glass facade 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 m² (139,932 square feet) of double insulated glass and 5,000 m² (53,820 square feet) painted aluminum curtain wall panels. In addition 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 5,000,000 lbs of rebar used in construction was detailed, farbricated and supplied by The Carter-Waters Corporation of Kansas City. The arena also features a work of public art, The Moons, by artist Chris Doyle, commissioned by the Kansas City Municipal Arts Commission (KCMAC).
The Big 12 Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held at Sprint Center in 2008, marking the tournament's return to Kansas City after three years in Dallas and Oklahoma City. After returning to Oklahoma City in 2009, the Sprint Center again hosted the tournament in 2010 and 2011. It is scheduled to be the tournament host site through 2020. Due to Iowa State's recent Big 12 Tournament success, and their fanbase's huge migration to the annual event, the Sprint Center is referred to by Iowa State fans as "Hilton South", after Iowa State's home venue, Hilton Coliseum.
The arena also houses the College Basketball Experience and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, which is at 1301 Grand Boulevard and connected to Sprint Center.
The arena's exterior is made of glass, and the interior has state-of-the-art technology with a 360-degree LED video screen. This facility allows Kansas City to draw most concerts touring the United States. There has been speculation of an NBA or NHL team relocating to Sprint Center, but no definitive plans have been announced.
Sprint Center opened on time and on budget on October 10, 2007 at 10:10 am. A tour lasted from 10:10 am – 10:10 pm for those who wanted to see it to grab a ticket at the box office. The tour consisted of the College Basketball Experience, two open concession stands: "Taco Taco" and "Oak Street Pizza"; a free drink from UMB Bank and other free items: a UMB Bank cup, a UMB Bank frisbee, and a UMB Bank ice scraper. UMB Bank is the only ATM in the new arena because it is a Sprint Center Founding Partner along with Farmland, The University of Kansas Hospital, QuikTrip, and Olevia. There are other Sprint Center Founding Partners: H&R Block, Toyota, American Century Investments, YRC Worldwide, and Time Warner Cable of Kansas City.
Notable concerts
Possible major-league sports
The Kansas City Brigade played at the Sprint Center for one season before the original AFL folded after the 2008 postseason. However, the revamped AFL brought arena football back to the Sprint Center in 2011, with the team playing as the Kansas City Command.
William "Boots" Del Biaggio, III, made an offer to purchase the Nashville Predators of the NHL with the intention of bringing the team to the Sprint Center. However, Del Biaggio has since joined a group of Nashville investors in an effort to keep the Predators in Nashville. In June 2008, Kansas City's hopes to land the Predators took another blow as Del Biaggio ran into legal trouble over a multitude of unpaid loans, culminating in him filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, effectively ending any chance of Del Biaggio moving the Predators to Missouri. On January 10, 2007, it was reported the Los Angeles Clippers have taken an interest in moving to the arena. New York Islanders owner Charles Wang announced the Islanders will play a preseason game September 22, 2009 at the Sprint Center against the Los Angeles Kings. Local media reported anonymous team sources stated the game was a test of the Kansas City market. In 2007, Kansas City and the Sprint Center also attempted to attract relocation of the Pittsburgh Penguins, but the Penguins reached a deal with the City of Pittsburgh to build a new arena, the CONSOL Energy Center (now PPG Paints Arena), and stay in Western Pennsylvania. The Sprint Center had also been looked at as a possible relocation spot for the NBA's New Orleans Hornets and the Sacramento Kings (the latter of which had played in Kansas City) before both teams settled their local issues. As recently as 2015, Kansas City was considered as a potential site for potential National Hockey League expansion, but the consensus among those who had the resources to buy an expansion franchise for the arena was that the NHL's asking price was too high.
Despite losing out on pro teams, the NBA and NHL have held preseason games at Sprint Center. The most recent NHL preseason game, between the St. Louis Blues and Washington Capitals, took place on October 5th, 2016; the most recent NBA preseason game, between the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, took place on the 8th.
Other sporting events
Other events
Transportation
Kansas City International Airport is 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Downtown Kansas City in Platte County, Missouri.
The arena's vicinity is served by four interstate highways:
and four US routes: