Idaho Central Arena
Idaho Central Arena (originally Bank of America Centre, formerly Qwest Arena and CenturyLink Arena) is a multi-purpose arena in the western United States, located in Boise, Idaho. Its seating capacity is 5,002 for ice hockey, 5,300 for basketball, 5,732 for end-stage concerts, 6,400 for boxing, and up to 6,800 for center-stage concerts. With 4,508 permanent seats, it was built for $50 million. In downtown Boise, its street level elevation is approximately 2,700 feet (825 m) above sea level.
 The Grove Plaza at north entrance, October 2019 | |
| |
| Full name | Idaho Central Arena |
|---|---|
| Former names | Bank of America Centre (1997–2005) Qwest Arena (2005–2011)[1] CenturyLink Arena (2011–2020) |
| Location | 233 S. Capitol Boulevard Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 43.614°N 116.204°W |
| Owner | Block 22 LLC |
| Operator | Block 22 LLC |
| Capacity | Ice hockey: 5,002 Basketball: 5,732 Concerts: 6,800 Boxing: 6,400 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 21, 1996[2] |
| Opened | September 24, 1997[3] 24 years ago |
| Construction cost | $50 million ($79.6 million in 2019[4]) |
| Architect | HNTB[5] |
| Structural engineer | Cary Kopczynski & Company[6] |
| Services engineer | Engineering Incorporated[7] |
| General contractor | PCL/McAlvain[8][9] |
| Tenants | |
| Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) (1997–present) Idaho/Boise Stallions (IPFL) (2000–2001) Idaho Stampede (NBA D-League) (2005–2016) Boise Burn (AF2) (2007–2009) Treasure Valley Rollergirls (WFTDA) (2008–present) | |
| Website | |
| centurylinkarenaboise | |
Opened 24 years ago, it has been the home arena of the Idaho Steelheads of the ECHL since 1997. Other tenants include the Boise Stallions of the Indoor Professional Football League in 2000 and 2001, the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League from 2005 to 2016, and the Boise Burn of the af2 from 2007 to 2009.
Originally the Bank of America Centre, it became Qwest Arena in 2005.[1] With CenturyLink's takeover of Qwest Communications in 2011, the venue was renamed on August 18 that same year.[10] On September 16, 2020, Idaho Central Credit Union purchased the naming rights, giving the building its current title.[11]
Features
The arena features 39 corporate suites, 1,100 Club Premiere seats, standing room space for 200, The Zone restaurant (overlooking the arena), as well as a Blimpie franchise among the nine concession stands. The arena is physically connected to the Grove Hotel at the corner of Front Street and Capitol Boulevard; the main entrance is from the Grove Plaza. There are two scoreboards and a Daktronics ProStar videoboard.
The Grove Hotel has 36,000 square feet (3,340 m2) of meeting and convention space in addition to the 22,247 square feet (2,067 m2) of arena floor space.
Events
Idaho Central Arena hosted the 2006 CBA All-Star Game (while the Idaho Stampede were still part of the CBA) and the 2007 ECHL All-Star Game.
Other events hosted in the facility include concerts, trade shows, conventions, ice shows and various other sporting events, including professional wrestling, MMA, and the Treasure Valley Rollergirls roller derby squad.
On July 14, 2018, the arena was host to UFC Fight Night 133, the MMA promotion's first event held in Idaho.
Idaho Central Arena has hosted two NBA D-League Showcases in 2008 and 2010. Each Showcase had all NBA D-League teams play for 4 days, and showed their talent in front of National TV (NBA TV) and had scouts all around the country.
On September 18, 2017, the Big Sky Conference announced that its men's and women's basketball tournaments would move to Idaho Central Arena for three years, starting in 2019. The previous three years (2016–18) were held in Reno, Nevada.
Concerts
Many artists and bands have performed at the venue, including Judas Priest, Godsmack, Five Finger Death Punch, Shinedown, Skillet, Luke Bryan, Yes, Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, and Rise Against.
References
- Patrick, Jay (May 12, 2011). "New name, branding coming for Qwest Arena". Idaho Business Review. (Boise). Retrieved September 29, 2017.
- "Boise Builds Hotel, Sports Arena". Hotel & Motel Management. 211 (1): 30. January 22, 1996. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- "Sharks Bow to Kings". Lodi News-Sentinel. September 25, 1997. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- "Bank of America Centre". Keith Henrickson. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- "Boise Grove". Cary Kopczynski & Company. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- "Robert D. Tikker - Experience" (PDF). Tikker Engineering. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 12, 2004. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
- "The Grove Hotel and Bank of America Centre". PCL Construction. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- "Grove Hotel and Events Center". McAlvain Construction. Retrieved February 13, 2015.
- "Qwest Arena becomes CenturyLink Arena Boise". Idaho Steelheards. August 18, 2011. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved August 18, 2011.
- "CenturyLink no more: Downtown arena gets new name". BoiseDev. 2020-09-17. Retrieved 2020-09-18.