American Airlines Center

The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose arena, located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home to the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association, and the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League. The arena is also used for concerts and other live entertainment. It opened in 2001 at a cost of $420 million.

For the arena in Miami, see American Airlines Arena.
American Airlines Center
AAC
The Hangar
The House that Dirk Built
Exterior view, September 2011
American Airlines Center
Location in Texas
American Airlines Center
Location in the United States
Address2500 Victory Avenue
LocationDallas, Texas
Coordinates32°47′26″N 96°48′37″W
Public transit Trinity Railway Express
Dallas Area Rapid Transit:
Green
Orange
at Victory station
OwnerCity of Dallas[1]
OperatorCenter Operating Company, L.P.
(a joint venture between the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars)[2]
CapacityBasketball: 19,200, up to 21,146 with standing room
Ice hockey: 18,532, up to 19,323 with standing room
Concerts: 21,000
Field size840,000 sq ft (78,000 m2)
Construction
Broke groundSeptember 1, 1999
OpenedJuly 17, 2001
Construction cost$420 million
($606 million in 2019 dollars[3])
ArchitectDavid M. Schwarz/Architectural Services, Inc.
HKS, Inc.[4]
Johnson/McKibben Architects, Inc.
Project managerInternational Facilities Group, LLC.[5]
Structural engineerWalter P Moore[6]
Services engineerFlack & Kurtz Inc.[6]
General contractorAustin Commercial[7]/H.J. Russell[8]
Tenants
Dallas Mavericks (NBA) (2001–present)
Dallas Stars (NHL) (2001–present)
Dallas Desperados (AFL) (2002, 2004–2008)
Dallas Vigilantes (AFL) (2010–2011)

History and construction

By 1998, the Dallas Mavericks, then owned by H. Ross Perot, Jr., and the Dallas Stars were indicating their desire for a new arena to replace the aging and undersized Reunion Arena. Dallas taxpayers approved a new hotel tax and rental car tax to pay for a new arena 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.[9][10]

On March 18, 1999, American Airlines announced that it would be acquiring the naming rights for the arena for US$195 million.[11][12] American Airlines is headquartered in Fort Worth and is based at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.

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 August 19, 2001, with the Dallas Sidekicks of the World Indoor Soccer League taking on the San Diego Sockers.[13]

The AAC includes a practice court for the Mavericks, who used it for regular practices until 2017 when a separate facility was built in the Dallas Design District near the arena.

The Mavericks' lease on the AAC runs through to 2031, and once it runs out owner Mark Cuban has considered a new arena to replace the AAC.[14]

Design
Athena Tacha, ground-plan of AT&T Plaza with star fountains, in front of American Airlines Center (2,000 sq ft (190 m2), 40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2), in collaboration with SWA)

Principal design work was carried out by the Driehaus Prize winner and New Classical architect David M. Schwarz of Washington D.C. American Airlines Center was designed 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".

AT&T Plaza

On the south side of the arena AT&T Plaza (also called Victory Plaza) serves as the principal entrance into the facility, designed by artist Athena Tacha in 2000. The plaza provides an open space with fountains flanked by retail and office buildings. With several HD video displays from Daktronics mounted on the side of the arena and office buildings, the plaza is often used for outdoor events and movie showings.[15]

  • American Airlines Center-Mavericks Victory Party for NBA Championship 2011.
  • Inside American Airlines Center prior to a Mavericks game.
  • Inside American Airlines Center during a Stars game.
  • Western entrance of the American Airlines Center before game 3 of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators
  • American Airlines Center during warmups before game 3 of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs between the Dallas Stars and the Nashville Predators

Notable events

Sports
  • After the Dallas Desperados played their first season in the AAC, they moved to nearby Reunion Arena and played there for their second season. For their third season, they moved back to the AAC, where they played until the league folded.
  • The AAC hosted the Big 12 Basketball Tournament in 2003, 2004 & 2006.
  • The PBR hosted a Built Ford Tough Series bull riding event at the AAC, annually, between 2005 & 2009.
  • American Airlines Center, as well as American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida, hosted the 2006 NBA Finals, in which the Miami Heat defeated the Dallas Mavericks in six games. Because American Airlines held the rights to both venues in the NBA Finals, the series was nicknamed by some as the "American Airlines series".[16][17]
  • Hosted the 55th National Hockey League All-Star Game on January 24, 2007.[18]
  • Co-hosted the 2011 NBA Finals (Games 3, 4, and 5) with American Airlines Arena in Miami (the same venues as the 2006 NBA Finals), a rematch of the 2006 championship series against the Miami Heat. It was both teams' second appearance in the NBA Finals, and this time the Mavericks won in 6 games.[16]
  • On Saturday June 18, 2011, it played host to Strikeforce: Overeem vs. Werdum.
  • UFC 103 was held at the Center on September 19, 2009.[19] UFC 171 was hosted at the Center on March 15, 2014.[20] UFC 185 was held at the Center on March 14, 2015.[21] UFC 211 was held at the center on May 13, 2017.[22] UFC 228 was held at the American Airlines Center on the 8th of September 2018.[23]
  • On September 24, 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.[24]
  • American Airlines Center hosted the WWE pay-per-view Great Balls of Fire, which took place July 9, 2017.[25]
  • American Airlines Center hosted the opening round of round-robin matches of New Japan Pro Wrestling's G1 Climax series on July 6, 2019.

The arena also hosted the Junior Gold Championships Opening Ceremony. The Junior Gold championships is an annual bowling tournament every July, for the best youth bowlers in the country and in the world.

Concerts
Main article: List of concerts at the American Airlines Center

In film and TV
  • The AAC was pictured in The Simpsons episode "The Burns and the Bees" as "Dallas Arena".
  • On Tuesday, June 21 and Wednesday, June 22, 2011, it played host to the Dallas audition stages in the first season of the Fox singer search programme The X Factor.

Other events
  • On Monday, September 14, 2015, Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump held a campaign rally in the arena.
  • A rally for President Donald Trump was held Thursday, October 17, 2019 in the arena.[26]

Other information
  • Built on and in the shadows of the former Dallas neighborhood of Little Mexico, the beginnings of the Mexican American population in the Dallas area.
  • 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.
  • In September 2019, a suite leased at the American Airlines Center by Visitdallas for $250,000 a year led to an ethics against Dallas City Council Member Casey Thomas for failing to report tickets he received as gifts[27]

References
  1. "#6 Dallas Mavericks". Forbes.com. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  2. "The Most Trusted Place for Answering Life's Questions". Answers. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  3. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  4. "Experience Places". Hksinc.com. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  5. "American Airlines Center". International Facilities Group, LLC. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  6. "Architects, Contractors, and Subcontractors of Current Big Five Facility Projects". SportsBusiness Journal. July 20, 2000. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  7. "Special Report: What's On Deck?". SportsBusiness Journal. June 30, 2001. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  8. "American Airlines Center". Emporis. Retrieved September 18, 2011.
  9. "Overview". American Airlines Center. March 18, 1999. Archived from the original on January 29, 2014. Retrieved January 23, 2014.
  10. Brick, Michael (May 1, 2002). "COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE - Downtown Dallas Project Mired in Disputes". NYTimes.com. Dallas (Tex). Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  11. "American and the Arena Group Announce Agreement To Name New Dallas Facility American Airlines Center". American Airlines Center. March 18, 1999. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved October 25, 2006.
  12. "Owners Add Upgrades to American Airlines Center". American Airlines Center. Archived from the original on October 18, 2006. Retrieved October 25, 2006.
  13. "2001 Season Opening Night: Dallas Sidekicks 6 San Diego Sockers 5 (OT) at the American Airlines Center". Kicksfan.com. August 19, 2001. Retrieved May 27, 2016.
  15. "Entertainment Venue – American Airlines Center". American Airlines Center. Archived from the original on July 30, 2008. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  16. "2011 NBA Finals: American Airlines Series, The Rematch". Zimbio. May 28, 2011. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  17. Hemlock, Doreen (May 27, 2011). "American Airlines is NBA Finals Winner, with Arenas Bearing its Name in Miami and Dallas". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. Retrieved February 1, 2013.
  18. "Dallas Stars to Host 2007 NHL All-Star Game" (Press release). Dallas Stars. January 23, 2007. Archived from the original on April 27, 2006.
  19. "UFC 103 in Dallas a sellout with 17,428 attendees, $2.4 million estimate gate". MMAjunkie.com. Archived from the original on 2012-06-30. Retrieved September 20, 2009.
  20. Matt Erickson. "UFC 171 heads to American Airlines Center in Dallas on March 15". MMAjunkie.com. Retrieved November 17, 2013.
  21. UFC Press Release (January 20, 2015). "UFC returns to Dallas in March with two title fights". ufc.com. Retrieved January 20, 2015.
  22. Newswire (January 24, 2017). "UFC 211 headed for Dallas, will take place May 13". mmafighting.com. Retrieved January 24, 2017.
  23. Steven Marrocco (2018-07-08). "UFC announces rest of 2018 schedule from September through end of year". mmajunkie.com. Retrieved 2018-07-10.
  24. "2016 Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions takes center stage beginning Sept. 15". usagym.org. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  25. "WWE Great Balls Of Fire PPV Dallas". WWE.
  26. Steve Holland (October 17, 2019). "Trump blasts 'crazy' Nancy Pelosi, Democrats at raucous Dallas rally". Reuters. Retrieved October 17, 2019.
  27. Miller, Steve. "VisitDallas gifts draw ethics complaint against Dallas council member". The Texas Monitor. Retrieved September 11, 2019.
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Reunion Arena		 Home of the Dallas Mavericks
2001 – present		 Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Reunion Arena		 Home of the Dallas Stars
2001 – present		 Succeeded by
current
Preceded by
Xcel Energy Center		 Host of the NHL All-Star Game
2007		 Succeeded by
Philips Arena
Preceded by

Bankers Life Fieldhouse		 NCAA Women's Division I
Basketball Tournament
Finals Venue
2017		 Succeeded by

Nationwide Arena
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