First National Bank Arena
First National Bank Arena (originally called the Convocation Center until 2017) is a 10,038-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Arkansas State University, and is home to their college basketball team, the Red Wolves.[4]
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| Location | 217 Olympic Drive Jonesboro, Arkansas 72401 |
|---|---|
| Owner | Arkansas State University |
| Operator | Arkansas State University |
| Capacity | 10,038 basketball 10,252-11,209 concerts and events[1] |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1984 |
| Opened | July 11, 1987 |
| Construction cost | $19 million ($51 million in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Wittenberg, Delony & Davidson |
| Structural engineer | Geiger Engineers[3] |
| Tenants | |
| Arkansas State University Red Wolves (NCAA) (1987–present) | |
| Website | |
| www | |
First National Bank Arena has three separate public venues including a 217-seat Auditorium, a banquet/meeting room that can be divided into 3 smaller meeting rooms, and the main arena, which has permanent seating for 10,475. First National Bank Arena hosts hundreds of events each year in these three venues, and well over 100,000 people walk through its doors each year.[citation needed]
History
editThe first event was the Class of 1987 commencement.[5] Throughout the years, First National Bank Arena has been host to many superstars including George Strait, Dolly Parton, Garth Brooks, Alabama, Reba McEntire, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Jason Aldean and Eric Church in the last five years.
WWE held a live Raw event at First National Bank Arena on February 11, 2002. The Sun Belt Conference uses the versatile building to host the Indoor Track & Field Championships every other year. The building is home to Arkansas State University Men's & Women's Basketball as well as Women's Volleyball.
In 2009, the weight room was upgraded. The same thing happened the following year to the locker and media rooms. There are four visitor locker rooms, as well as smaller, official locker rooms throughout the building.
In 2012, the original scoreboard and sound system (from 1987) were replaced with four 25' × 12' HD video boards and a 28-speaker sound system. Also in 2012, an entirely new roof was installed, as well as upgrades to the Administrative Offices and Box Office.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "About Us | First National Bank Arena".
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "David M. Campbell". Geiger Engineers. Retrieved May 6, 2018.
- ^ Building Info Archived 2009-12-31 at the Wayback Machine at astate.edu, URL accessed December 9, 2009. Archived 12/9/09
- ^ "Historic Timeline".
External links
edit35°50′43.52″N 90°40′13.15″W / 35.8454222°N 90.6703194°W
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