The Palace of Auburn Hills

The Palace of Auburn Hills
Address 6 Championship Drive[1]
Location Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S.[1]
Coordinates 42°41′49″N 83°14′44″W / 42.69694°N 83.24556°W / 42.69694; -83.24556Coordinates: 42°41′49″N 83°14′44″W / 42.69694°N 83.24556°W / 42.69694; -83.24556
Owner Tom Gores[2]
Operator Palace Sports & Entertainment[3]
Capacity Basketball: 22,076[4][5][3]
Ice hockey: 20,804
Concerts: 6,000 to 24,276
Construction
Broke ground June 7, 1986[6]
Opened August 13, 1988[7]
Renovated 2005, 2015
Closed October 12, 2017
Construction cost $90 million[2]
($186 million in 2017 dollars[8])
Architect Rossetti Architects[9]
Project manager Frank Rewold and Sons[10]
Structural engineer McClerg & Associates Inc.[11]
General contractor R.E. Dailey & Company[12]
Tenants
Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1988–2017)
Detroit Vipers (IHL) (1994–2001)
Detroit Safari (CISL) (1994–1997)
Detroit Whalers (OHL) (1995–1996)
Detroit Rockers (NPSL) (1997–2000)
Detroit Shock (WNBA) (1998–2009)
Detroit Fury (AFL) (2001–2004)

The Palace of Auburn Hills, commonly referred to as The Palace, is a defunct multi-purpose arena located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It was the home of the Detroit Pistons of the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Detroit Shock of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Detroit Vipers of the International Hockey League, the Detroit Safari of the Continental Indoor Soccer League, and the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League.

The Palace was one of eight basketball arenas owned by their respective NBA franchises.

Etymology

By the time it closed as an NBA venue, the Palace was one of only two arenas which had not sold its naming rights to a corporate sponsor. The other was Madison Square Garden.

The Pistons court was previously named the "William Davidson Court", in honor of the late owner, prior to the home opener on October 28, 2009; however, Davidson's signature, along with the retired numbers, were removed from the hardwood when Tom Gores took over ownership of the Palace, and were re-retired instead atop the Palace rafters as replacement banners.

History

The interior of the Palace of Auburn Hills during a Detroit Pistons basketball game in January 2006.

Background

From 1957 to 1978, the Pistons competed in Detroit's Olympia Stadium, Memorial Building, and Cobo Arena. In 1978, owner Bill Davidson elected not to share the new Joe Louis Arena with the Detroit Red Wings, and instead chose to relocate the team to the Pontiac Silverdome, a venue constructed for football, where they remained for the next decade.[9] While the Silverdome could accommodate massive crowds, it offered substandard sight lines for basketball viewing. In late 1985, a group led by Davidson decided to build a new arena in Auburn Hills. Groundbreaking for the arena took place in June 1986.[7] Using entirely private funding, The Palace cost a relatively low price of $90 million.[2][9] The Davidson family held a controlling interest in the arena until Tom Gores bought it as part of his purchase of the Pistons in 2011.[2]

Construction

Then-Pistons owner William Davidson and two developers privately financed the $90 million construction of The Palace, and did not require public funds.[2]

The Palace was built with 180 luxury suites, considered an exorbitant number when it opened, but it has consistently managed to lease virtually all of them. In December 2005, the Palace added five underground luxury suites, each containing 450 square feet (42 m2) of space and renting for $450,000 per year. Eight more luxury suites, also located below arena level, were opened in February 2006. They range in size from 800 to 1,200 square feet (74 to 111 m2) and rent for $350,000 annually.[13] The architectural design of the Palace, including its multiple tiers of luxury suites, has been used as the basis for many other professional sports arenas in North America since its construction, including the Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, also designed by Rossetti Associates.[14]

Basketball

The Palace opened in 1988.[7] When one of The Palace's basketball occupants won a championship, the number on its address changed. Its current address is 6 Championship Drive, reflecting the Pistons' three NBA titles and the Detroit Shock's three WNBA titles (the Detroit Vipers' 1997 Turner Cup championship has not been officially recognized in the arena's address; the address also remained unchanged despite the Shock's move to Tulsa, Oklahoma in 2010; they moved to Dallas, Texas in 2016, and are now known as the Dallas Wings). The original address was 3777 Lapeer Road.

The Palace was widely considered to be the first of the modern-style NBA arenas, and its large number of luxury suites was a major reason for the building boom of new NBA arenas in the 1990s. Although the Palace became one of the oldest arenas in the NBA, its foresighted design contained the amenities that most NBA teams have sought in new arenas built since that time. By contrast, of the other NBA venues that opened in 1988-89, Amway Arena, Charlotte Coliseum, and Miami Arena have been demolished, while the Bradley Center and Sleep Train Arena have been replaced, with the former scheduled to be demolished starting in September 2018. All of these arenas were rendered obsolete by the lack of luxury suites and club seating, lucrative revenue-generating features that made pro sports teams financially successful in order to remain competitive long-term, and also being located in suburban rather than downtown areas (the Palace, however, remained one of the successful suburban arenas).[2][14][15][16]

Nonetheless, Palace Sports & Entertainment (PS&E) had spent $117.5 million in upgrades and renovations to keep the arena updated.[2] A new high definition JumboTron monitor, new LED video monitors, and more than 950 feet (290 m) of ribbon display technology from Daktronics was installed in the mid-2000s.[17]

Malice at the Palace

On November 19, 2004, a fight broke–out between members of the NBA's Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers. As the on-court fight died down, a fan threw a cup of Diet Coke at Pacers forward Ron Artest, who then rushed into the crowd, sparking a melee between players and spectators. The fight resulted in the suspension of nine players, criminal charges against five players, and criminal charges against five spectators. The offending fans were banned from attending games at The Palace. In the aftermath of the fight, the NBA decided to increase the security presence between players and spectators. The fact that the fight took place at The Palace of Auburn Hills led to it becoming colloquially referred to as "Malice at the Palace" and "Basketbrawl".

The Palace was also the site of a brawl between the WNBA's Shock and Sparks on July 21, 2008.

Notable concerts

Aerosmith played the venue 14 times from 1990-2012.[18]

Michael Jackson performed three sold-out shows during his Bad World Tour on October 24-26, 1988.

Pink Floyd performed there on 16 and 17 August 1988 as part of their A Momentary lapse of Reason Tour.

Bon Jovi performed during their Keep The Faith world tour on March 2nd, 1993, their Crush Tour on November 18, 2000 and their Lost Highway Tour on February 20, 2008.

Van Halen performed 3 shows on their For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour on February 21, 1992 and consecutive shows on April 3rd and 4th, 1992. They also performed consecutive shows during their The Balance "Ambulance" Tour on April 15th and 16th, 1995.

Sting performed during his ...Nothing Like the Sun Tour on August 13, 1988, becoming the very first musical act to perform at The Palace.[19]

The Cure performed two consecutive shows, during their Wish Tour on July 18–19, 1992, with The Cranes as their opening act. The shows were recorded and released as a live album, entitled Show.

Grand Funk Railroad performed a benefit show for the nation of Bosnia and Herzegovina in March 1997 during their Reunion Tour. The show also featured Peter Frampton, Alto Reed, Paul Shaffer, and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. The performance was recorded, and released as the double-live Bosnia album in October of that year.

The Palace was the site of an attempt on the life of Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, while he was on tour, with former band mate Robert Plant, during their No Quarter Tour.[20] On March 31, 1995, Lance Alworth Cunningham, a 23-year-old, who thought that Led Zeppelin music contained "satanic messages", tried rushing the stage with a knife. He waited until the song "Kashmir" started and then made his charge for the stage, waving the weapon. The man was tackled by patrons and security about 50 feet from the stage.

Madonna performed two sold–out shows during her Drowned World Tour on August 25–26, 2001. The shows were recorded and broadcast live on HBO and were later released as a DVD, entitled Drowned World Tour 2001.

Future

In October 2016, it was reported that the Pistons' ownership were negotiating a possible relocation to Little Caesars Arena, a new multi-purpose venue located in Midtown Detroit built by Olympia Entertainment to replace Joe Louis Arena as home of the NHL's Detroit Red Wings, as soon as the 2017–18 season.[21][22][23] On November 22, 2016, the team officially announced that the Pistons would play at Little Caesars Arena in 2017.[24][25][26] The final NBA game at The Palace was played on April 10, 2017, with the Pistons losing to the Washington Wizards, 105-101.[27][28] That game ended a 42-year history of professional sports in Oakland County, dating back to the Detroit Lions' first game at the nearby Pontiac Silverdome in 1975.

On August 24, 2017, it was announced that Bob Seger would hold the final concert at the venue on September 23, 2017.[29] The last scheduled event at the venue was the Taste of Auburn Hills on October 12, 2017. Palace Sports & Entertainment entered into a joint venture with Olympia known as 313 Presents to jointly manage entertainment bookings and promotions for Little Caesars Arena and other venues owned by the firms.[30]

The Palace, despite being 29 years old at its closure, is still in top condition as a sporting and concert venue.[31] However, it is located in a northern suburb, relatively far away from the city center, in light of the growing trend of "walkable urbanism" where the Pistons want to grow their fanbase.[32] While there have been no official confirmations as of yet, the Palace is likely to end up demolished, and the site could be redeveloped to accommodate a possible new auto supplier headquarters and research and development parks.[33]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "PALACE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT". Palacenet.com. Retrieved April 26, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Glass, Alana (July 30, 2012). "Tom Gores Puts His Stamp On The Detroit Pistons With Arena Renovations". Forbes.
  3. 1 2 "The Palace of Auburn Hills". Palace Sports & Entertainment; Palace Facts. Archived from the original on June 11, 2016. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
  4. ↑ "The Palace of Auburn Hills". Detroit Pistons.
  5. ↑ "Palace at Auburn Hills". January 8, 2018.
  6. ↑ Haynes, Geoffrey (June 7, 1986). "Pistons Plan to Vacate Silverdome for Auburn Hills". The Argus-Press. Retrieved February 20, 2012.
  7. 1 2 3 Muret, Don (November 3, 2008). "Twenty years in, the Palace still shines". Sports Business Daily. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  8. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 Monarrez, Carlos (April 10, 2017). "The story of the Palace of Auburn Hills: Somehow, it worked". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  10. ↑ Munsey, Paul; Suppes, Cory. "Palace of Auburn Hills". Ballparks.com. Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  11. ↑ http://www.pci.org/view_file.cfm?file=JL-91-JANUARY-FEBRUARY-3.pdf%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
  12. ↑ "The Palace of Auburn Hills". Emporis. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  13. ↑ Lombardo, John (February 28, 2005). "Pistons spend big to land the big spenders". Sports Business Journal. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  14. 1 2 "Last of its kind: Charlotte Coliseum to be demolished Sunday". ESPN. Associated Press.
  15. ↑ "Auburn Hills Information". Stadium Hotel Network. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  16. ↑ Lewis, Mike; Cat Le, Phuong (May 15, 2006). "Nothin' But Profit: Winning no longer key to new NBA". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved February 22, 2017. (Subscription required (help)).
  17. ↑ "PISTONS: The Palace of Auburn Hills Installs Light Emitting Diode Boards in Arena". NBA.
  18. ↑ https://www.setlist.fm/search?query=Aerosmith+Auburn+Hills
  19. ↑ "Sting - Concert information". Retrieved September 22, 2016.
  20. ↑ Hinckley, David (April 5, 1995). "Extra! Extra! Late-breaking News From The World Of Entertainment". New York Daily News.
  21. ↑ Hutchinson, Derick (October 26, 2016). "Detroit Pistons finalizing deal to move downtown, sources say". WDIV-TV News. Graham Media Group. Retrieved October 30, 2016.
  22. ↑ Ellis, Vince (October 26, 2016). "Detroit Pistons hammering out 2 key issues for downtown arena move". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  23. ↑ Ellis, Vince (October 29, 2016). "Tom Gores confirms Pistons 'very close' to move downtown, and soon". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved October 29, 2016.
  24. ↑ "Pistons to Move to Downtown Detroit". Pistons.com. November 22, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  25. ↑ Manzullo, Brian; Gallagher, John; Guillen, Joe (November 22, 2016). "Detroit Pistons moving downtown: 'We want to be all in on Detroit'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  26. ↑ Paul, Tony (November 22, 2016). "'The right move': Pistons returning to Detroit". The Detroit News. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
  27. ↑ Ellis, Vince (April 10, 2017). "Pistons close Palace with 105-101 loss to Wizards". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  28. ↑ Beard, Rod (April 10, 2017). "Pistons' rally falls short in last game at Palace". The Detroit News. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  29. ↑ "Confirmed: Palace of Auburn Hills is closing; Bob Seger to be final event".
  30. ↑ Graham, Adam (October 8, 2017). "Palace, Olympia staffs form new venture, 313 Presents". The Detroit News. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
  31. ↑ "Confirmed: Palace of Auburn Hills is closing; Bob Seger to be final event".
  32. ↑ "How miscalculation, market trends doomed Palace of Auburn Hills".
  33. ↑ "After Pistons move, Palace likely faces rapid redevelopment".
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Pontiac Silverdome		 Home of the Detroit Pistons
1988–2017		 Succeeded by
Little Caesars Arena
Preceded by
none		 Home of the Detroit Shock
1998–2009		 Succeeded by
BOK Center
Preceded by
DeSoto Civic Center		 Host of Slammiversary
2009		 Succeeded by
TNA Impact! Zone
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.