AMERICAN AIRLINES CENTER

The 'American Airlines Center' is an arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood near downtown Dallas, Texas that is used for hockey games, basketball games, football games and concerts.
The American Airlines Center is home to the following sports teams:

★ Dallas Stars (NHL)

★ Dallas Mavericks (NBA)

★ Dallas Desperados (Arena Football League)

Contents

History

Architecture

Other notes

References

See also

External links

History

By 1998, the Dallas Mavericks, owned by Mark Cuban, and the Dallas Stars were indicating their desire for a new facility to replace the dated Reunion Arena. Dallas taxpayers approved a new hotel tax and rental car tax to pay for a new facility to cover a portion of the funding, with the two benefiting teams, the Mavericks and the Stars, picking up the remaining costs, including cost overruns. The new arena was to be built just north of Woodall Rodgers Freeway near Interstate 35E on the site of an old power plant.
On 18 March 1999, American Airlines announced that it would be acquiring the naming rights for the arena for US$195 million.^[1][2] American Airlines is headquartered in Dallas and is based at DFW Airport.
On 27 July 2001, the facility opened with the largest ribbon cutting ceremony ever, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The first event occurred the next day with an Eagles concert. On the next night, the arena hosted the last show of Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames tour. The first sporting event took place on 19 August 2001 with the Dallas Sidekicks of the World Indoor Soccer League taking on the San Diego Sockers.

Architecture

The American Airlines Center is meant to be the heart of a new urban, commercial area designed to reinvigorate the city of Dallas called Victory Park. The facility itself features a conservative, traditional design with sweeping brick façades and smooth arches, and has been graced with a number of awards (below). The interior includes retractable seating, public art and a state-of-the-art technological arena. Because of the Quonset hut-like appearance of its roof and the fact that American Airlines holds the naming rights some fans have come to refer to it as "The Hangar." Others just call it the AAC (pronounced "A-A-C," "double A−C," or the more widespread "aaahck").
American Airlines Center - Awards 2001-Present
Top Dog Venue of the Year, 2003
Tour Guide Magazine
"Voice of the Fan" Program, 2002 & 2003
Top ranking facility in most customer services and design related categories.
Best Sports Venue, 2002 & 2003
Dallas Observer
Facility of Merit, 2002
Athletic Business
QUOIN Award, 2002
Associated General Contractors of America/Dallas/Fort Worth Chapter
Engineering Excellence Award, 2002
American Council of Engineering Companies
Real Estate Deals Award, 2002
Dallas Business Journal
Project of the Year Award, 2002
Masonry Construction
Record for Longest Ribbon and Largest Ribbon Cutting, 2001
Gunniess Book of World Records
Best New Major Concert Venue for 2001
Pollstar Magazine
Phoenix Award, 2001
United States EPA
Golden Trowel Award of Excellence, 2001
United Masonry Contractors Association
International Excellence in Masonry Award, 2001
Masonry Contractors Association of America
Mega Project Over $100 Million, 2001
Associated Builders and Contractors
Best of 2001 Judges Award, 2001
F.W. Dodge
Outstanding Project Team of the Year, 2001
American Subcontractor Association
Outstanding Project Over $25 Million, 2001
American Subcontractor Association
Minority Business Development Agency Outstanding Corporate Award for its M/WBE achievements, 2000 & 2001
City of Dallas Senior Affairs Commission and Friends of Senior Affairs has recognized Center Operating Co. with the 2003 Employer of the Year award, which will bepresented at MayFair 2003, the City's Fourteenth Annual event for Older Americans Month

Other notes

★ Hosted the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game on January 24, 2007.

★ The American Airlines Center is not to be confused with the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami.

★ The American Airlines Center as well as the AmericanAirlines Arena in Miami, Florida hosted the 2006 NBA Finals, in which the Dallas Mavericks played the Miami Heat. Because of this, the series was nicknamed by some as the American Airlines series.

★ A few weeks after the first event, it was found that the glass installed in the bathrooms was not the same as what was originally intended. Many who drove by the arena complained they had a clear view into the restrooms. The glass was quickly changed to the correct type the next week.

★ Hosted WWE Survivor Series 2003 and Saturday Night's Main Event on July 15, 2006. It also hosted WWE Homcoming on October 3, 2005, and is the regular host for WWE shows in the DFW area.

★ After the Dallas Desperados played their first season in the American Airlines Center, they moved to Reunion Arena and played there in their second season. After their second season, they moved back to the American Airlines Center where they currently reside.

★ The Center hosted the Big 12 Basketball Tournament in 2003, 2004, and 2006.

★ During 2007 the Mavericks, Stars and, Desperados all lost in the first round of the playoffs, thereby creating the nickname "The One and Done Center" for the American Airlines Center.

References

1. American Airlines Center - "American and the Arena Group Announce Agreement To Name New Dallas Facility American Airlines Center." Retrieved 25 October 2006.
2. American Airlines Center - "Owners Add Upgrades to American Airlines Center." Retrieved 25 October 2006.

See also

★ List of buildings and structures in Dallas, Texas

External links

★ The American Airlines Center