Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center
Full name	Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center
Address	310 4th Street
Location	Niagara Falls, New York, U.S.
Coordinates	43.086°N 79.057°W
Type	Multi-purpose arena; Convention center
Genre(s)	Concerts; Sporting events
Capacity	10,000
Construction
Opened	1973
Closed	2002
Architect	Johnson/Burgee Architects

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center was a 10,000-seat multi-purpose arena and convention center in Niagara Falls, New York from 1973 to 2002.

Planning and construction

The venue was built in 1973 as part of an urban renewal project in the city of Niagara Falls. It was built in the center of a main thoroughfare, Falls Street, and blocked traffic to Niagara Falls State Park. It also eliminated Jefferson Avenue and Erie Avenue, two main thoroughfares.

The building was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects in collaboration with Jane Davis Doggett. Its arched design was inspired by the rainbows commonly seen over Niagara Falls, according to architect Philip Johnson. Locals jokingly noted its resemblance to a Quonset hut.

Notable events

Music

Elvis Presley played two shows at the venue in June 1974 and two shows at the venue in July 1975.[1]

Bob Dylan played the venue as part of his Rolling Thunder Revue Tour in November 1975.[2]

Frank Sinatra played the venue in May 1990.[3]

David Bowie played the venue as part of his Sound+Vision Tour in July 1990.[4]

Phish recorded their live album Niagara Falls at the venue in December 1995.

The Notorious B.I.G performed at the venue in June 1996, and was supported by Jay-Z, Junior MAFIA and Mary J. Blige.

Sports

The venue was home to the NCAA's Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball team from 1973-1982 and again from 1988-1996.

The venue hosted the ABC Masters tournament in 1983 and 1987.[5]

World Wrestling Federation (WWF) presented 22 events at the venue between 1984 and 1997, including two tapings of WWF Wrestling Challenge.

In March 1992, a spectator was killed during a USHRA Monster Jam show at the venue when the driver of Bad Medicine became incapacitated and veered his truck into the stands. 82-year-old Lester Gilliam pushed a young boy out of harm's way and was then struck by the vehicle.[6]

UFC 12 was scheduled to take place at the venue in February 1997, but mixed martial arts was banned in New York State the day before the event, forcing its relocation to Dothan, Alabama.

Joe Mesi defeated Jorge Luis Gonzalez in a professional boxing card at the venue in April 2001. Mesi would later defeat Bert Cooper at the venue in July 2001.[7]

Other

The venue was host to Miss USA 1974, Miss USA 1975, and Miss USA 1976.

In 1980, the venue began hosting the city's annual Festival of Lights to commemorate the Christmas season.[8]

Closure

The venue was closed in 2002 and converted into Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel, which remains in operation. The 4.000-seat Niagara Falls Conference Center was opened across the street from the casino in 2004.[9] Niagara Falls, Ontario took over hosting the Festival of Lights in 2004.[10]

References

External links

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center on BoxRec
Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center on Internet Wrestling Database
Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center on setlist.fm
Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center on WrestlingData.com

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[1] ttps://www.setlist.fm/venue/niagara-falls-convention-and-civic-center-niagara-falls-ny-usa-2bd328aa.html

[2] ttps://www.setlist.fm/setlist/bob-dylan/1975/niagara-falls-convention-and-civic-center-niagara-falls-ny-3d795fb.html

[3] ttps://www.setlist.fm/setlist/frank-sinatra/1990/niagara-falls-convention-and-civic-center-niagara-falls-ny-4bd9df86.html

[4] ttps://www.setlist.fm/setlist/david-bowie/1990/niagara-falls-convention-and-civic-center-niagara-falls-ny-5bf4c348.html

[5] ttps://www.bowl.com/Open_Championships/Open_Championships_Home/Past_Results_and_History/

[6] "82-Year-Old Man Is Killed at Truck Show - New York Times". Nytimes.com. 1992-03-09. Retrieved 2012-04-30.

[7] ttps://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/16554

[8] ttps://www.cliftonhill.com/falls_blog/history-winter-festival-lights-niagara-falls-canada/

[9] ttps://esd.ny.gov/usan-niagara-falls-conference-center

[10] ttps://www.cliftonhill.com/falls_blog/history-winter-festival-lights-niagara-falls-canada/

Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball
Venues	Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center (1973–1982 full-time, part-time 1988–1996) Gallagher Center (1949–1973, 1982–present)
Rivalries	Canisius
People	Head coaches
Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21