Location Des Moines, Iowa Operator Global Spectrum Opened July 12, 2005 Broke ground December 18, 2002 | Owner Polk County Surface Multi-surface Capacity 16,110 | |
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Construction cost $117 million
($143 million in 2016 dollars) Address 233 Center St, Des Moines, IA 50309, USA Similar Iowa Events Center, Xcel Energy Center, Sprint Center, Pepsi Center, BOK Center | ||
Wells Fargo Arena is a 16,980-seat multi-purpose arena in Des Moines, Iowa, United States. Part of the Iowa Events Center, the arena opened on July 12, 2005, at a cost of $117 million. Named for title sponsor Wells Fargo, the arena replaced the aging Veterans Memorial Auditorium as the Des Moines area's primary venue for sporting events and concerts. The first event held at the arena was Tony Hawk's Boom-Boom Huck Jam, on July 14, while its first concert, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, with The Black Crowes, was held on July 18.
Contents
Wells Fargo Arena seats 15,181 for hockey games, 16,110 for basketball games, and as many as 16,980 for concerts. It also features the Principal River's Edge Restaurant, which provides views of the Des Moines River and the Iowa State Capitol. The restaurant opened on October 6, 2005, coinciding with the Iowa Stars' inaugural home game.
The Arena is also connected to the rest of the Iowa Events Center as well as Downtown Des Moines through the city's extensive Skywalk system, providing easy access.
Usage
Wells Fargo Arena is home to the Iowa Energy of the NBA Development League, the Iowa Barnstormers of the Indoor Football League and the Iowa Wild of the American Hockey League. From 2005 until 2009, Wells Fargo Arena served as the home of the American Hockey League's Iowa Chops. The arena is notable for hosting the inaugural game of the reincarnation of the Arena Football League on April 2, 2010, between the Barnstormers and Chicago Rush, televised nationally by NFL Network.
It was the host for the First and Second Round games for the 2008 NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament and served as a regional site 2012 tournament. In 2013, it hosted the NCAA Wrestling Team Championship.
It has hosted the state high school wrestling and basketball tournaments since 2006 and the Big Four Classic, a doubleheader featuring the state's four men's Division I teams, since 2012.
The arena hosted the 2011 NBA D-League Finals, which saw the Iowa Energy win their first title on their home court and set the D-League attendance record with 14,036 fans in the arena for Game 2.
In 2016, the arena hosted first and second round games for the South and East regionals of the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament and the games featured the likes of perennial college basketball powerhouse schools Kansas, Kentucky, Indiana and Connecticut.