Cobo Hall
Encyclopedia
Gavin Hamilton memorial arena is a major convention center
situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan
, USA
. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor
of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti
, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present 2400000 sq ft (222,967.3 m²) complex contains 700000 sq ft (65,032.1 m²) of exhibition space. Preliminary construction to update and further expand the center's exhibition space to 866000 sq ft (80,454 m²) began October 1, 2009. Cobo Center, adjacent Joe Louis Arena
with seating capacity
of 21,066 is served by the Detroit People Mover
with its own station
. Cobo Center has a large attached parking garage with direct access to the Lodge Freeway. Cobo Center is located along the Detroit International Riverfront
.
The center is the home of the North American International Auto Show
or NAIAS, which is hosts each January, and Autorama
, which is hosts each March. There are about 5,000 hotel rooms in downtown Detroit with 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of Cobo Center.
(1961-1978), the Michigan Stags
of the WHA
(1974-1975), the Detroit Ambassadors
of the Ontario Hockey League
(1990-1992), the Detroit Dogs of the American Basketball Association (2000-2001), the Detroit Rockers
of the National Professional Soccer League (along with Joe Louis Arena
) from 1990-2001, and the University of Detroit Mercy
men's basketball
team (along with Calihan Hall
). The facility also hosted the 1990-1992 Mid-American Conference
men's basketball tournaments. The arena is currently the home of the Detroit Derby Girls roller derby
league.
On January 6, 1994, Cobo Arena was the site of the infamous assault on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan
. During a practice session for the US Figure Skating
Championships (being held next door at Joe Louis Arena
), Kerrigan was hit in the knee with a collapsible baton by Shane Stant. The assault was planned by rival Tonya Harding
's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and friend Shawn Eckardt.
Cobo Arena regularly served as a concert venue for acts of all genres. Concert albums by Madonna
(Live - The Virgin Tour
), KISS
(Alive! - Including the iconic arena photo on the album's back cover), Bob Seger
(Live Bullet
), Kid Rock
(Live Trucker
) The Tragically Hip
(Live Between Us
), Journey
(Captured
), Yes
(Yesshows
), The J. Geils Band (Blow Your Face Out
), and The Doors
(Live in Detroit
) were all recorded, in whole or in part, in the arena.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Tour on October 3, 2004, featuring performances by The Bright Eyes, R.E.M.
and Bruce Springsteen
& The E Street Band
(with special guest John Fogerty
and a late visit by The Dixie Chicks
).
The arena hosted the returning edition of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
on March 18, 2006.
On October 4, 2008, hip hop
artist Jay-Z
held a free concert, in support for Democratic
presidential nominee Barack Obama
and to encourage younger voters to register by the voter registration
deadline.
On September 25-26, 2009, KISS returned, wanting to play there one last time, before it was supposed to be torn down and expandedhttp://www.kissonline.com/stream/article/display/id/18375. Gene Simmons
stated in a radio interview, on August 21, on Detroit's classic rock station WCSX
, that KISS was planning on performing all the songs from the album Alive!, in order and that the show was to be recorded and released on DVDhttp://www.kissonline.com/news/, but, as of 2011 nothing has been said about the DVD.
signed legislation on July 2, 2009, introduced by Representative Shanelle Jackson (D-Detroit), to allow for a nearly $300 million renovation and expansion of Cobo Center. The legislation created a five-member board, appointed by the governor, the City of Detroit, and Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties to oversee the operation of the center with the city retaining ownership. The project began October 1, 2009. The renovation includes the addition of glass walls to connect the complex with the waterfront. A strategic plan accepted by the board recommends a planned expansion. The project began July 2011 and is expected to be ready for the 2014 North American International Auto Show in January, with the remainder of the project scheduled to be completed by December 2014.
Convention center
A convention center is a large building that is designed to hold a convention, where individuals and groups gather to promote and share common interests. Convention centers typically offer sufficient floor area to accommodate several thousand attendees...
situated along Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It was named for Albert E. Cobo, mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Detroit from 1950 to 1957. Designed by Gino Rossetti
Rossetti Architects
Rossetti Architects is an architectural firm headquartered in Southfield, Michigan The firm is involved in the design of professional sports stadiums, institutions and commercial buildings.- Current projects :...
, opened in 1960. Expanded in 1989, the present 2400000 sq ft (222,967.3 m²) complex contains 700000 sq ft (65,032.1 m²) of exhibition space. Preliminary construction to update and further expand the center's exhibition space to 866000 sq ft (80,454 m²) began October 1, 2009. Cobo Center, adjacent Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
with seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of 21,066 is served by the Detroit People Mover
Detroit People Mover
The Detroit People Mover is a automated people mover system which operates on a single set of tracks, and encircles downtown Detroit, Michigan....
with its own station
Cobo Center (Detroit People Mover)
Cobo Center is a Detroit People Mover station in Downtown Detroit, Michigan. It is located inside the Cobo Hall on the third floor near Congress Street....
. Cobo Center has a large attached parking garage with direct access to the Lodge Freeway. Cobo Center is located along the Detroit International Riverfront
Detroit International Riverfront
The Detroit International Riverfront is an area of Detroit, Michigan that borders the Detroit River. The International Riverfront area extends from the Ambassador Bridge in the west to Belle Isle in the east, extending a total of 5½-miles and encompassing a multitude of parks, restaurants, retail...
.
The center is the home of the North American International Auto Show
North American International Auto Show
The North American International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in Detroit, Michigan at Cobo Center, usually in January. It is among the largest auto shows in North America.-History:...
or NAIAS, which is hosts each January, and Autorama
Autorama
The Detroit Autorama is a large showcase of custom-built cars held each year at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan. It is put on by the Michigan Hot Rod Association and is held every year in March. As of 2006, the show has been in existence for 54 years.-History:...
, which is hosts each March. There are about 5,000 hotel rooms in downtown Detroit with 4,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of Cobo Center.
History
Cobo Center was originally called Cobo Hall. The center's original 12,191-seat indoor Cobo Arena was converted to convention space in the 2012 renovation and expansion. It was the home of the Detroit PistonsDetroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons are a franchise of the National Basketball Association based in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The team's home arena is The Palace of Auburn Hills. It was originally founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana as the Fort Wayne Pistons as a member of the National Basketball League in 1941, where...
(1961-1978), the Michigan Stags
Michigan Stags
The Michigan Stags were a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan that played a portion of the 1974–75 season in the World Hockey Association. On January 18, 1975, the franchise was moved to Baltimore where it was known as the Baltimore Blades. The Stags originated as the Los...
of the WHA
World Hockey Association
The World Hockey Association was a professional ice hockey league that operated in North America from 1972 to 1979. It was the first major competition for the National Hockey League since the collapse of the Western Hockey League in 1926...
(1974-1975), the Detroit Ambassadors
Plymouth Whalers
The Plymouth Whalers are a major junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. They play out of Compuware Arena in Plymouth, Michigan, USA.-History:...
of the Ontario Hockey League
Ontario Hockey League
The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada....
(1990-1992), the Detroit Dogs of the American Basketball Association (2000-2001), the Detroit Rockers
Detroit Rockers
The Detroit Rockers were an indoor soccer team in the National Professional Soccer League from 1990 to 2001. They played in Joe Louis Arena and Cobo Arena in downtown Detroit, Michigan as well as The Palace of Auburn Hills and Compuware Sports Arena in the suburbs...
of the National Professional Soccer League (along with Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
) from 1990-2001, and the University of Detroit Mercy
University of Detroit Mercy
University of Detroit Mercy is a private, Roman Catholic co-educational university in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Mercy. Antoine M. Garibaldi is the president. With origins dating from 1877, it is the largest Roman Catholic university...
men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team (along with Calihan Hall
Calihan Hall
Calihan Hall is an 8,295-seat multi-purpose arena in Detroit, Michigan. It is home to the University of Detroit Mercy Titans basketball te am. The arena opened in 1952. The building was dedicated on May 25, 1952 as the Memorial Building. The first basketball game was played on December 2 of that...
). The facility also hosted the 1990-1992 Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
men's basketball tournaments. The arena is currently the home of the Detroit Derby Girls roller derby
Roller derby
Roller derby is a contact sport played by two teams of five members roller skating in the same direction around a track. Game play consists of a series of short matchups in which both teams designate a scoring player who scores points by lapping members of the opposing team...
league.
On January 6, 1994, Cobo Arena was the site of the infamous assault on figure skater Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Kerrigan
Nancy Ann Kerrigan is a two-time American Olympic figure skating medalist and 1993 U.S. champion.-Early life and skating career:...
. During a practice session for the US Figure Skating
Figure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
Championships (being held next door at Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena
Joe Louis Arena, nicknamed The Joe and JLA is a hockey arena located at 600 Civic Center Drive in Detroit, Michigan. It is the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. Completed in 1979 at a cost of $57 million, Joe Louis Arena is named after boxer and former heavyweight...
), Kerrigan was hit in the knee with a collapsible baton by Shane Stant. The assault was planned by rival Tonya Harding
Tonya Harding
Tonya Maxine Harding is an American figure skating champion. In 1991 she won the U.S. Figure Skating Championships and placed second in the World Championships. She was the second woman, and the first American woman, to complete a triple axel jump in competition...
's ex-husband Jeff Gillooly and friend Shawn Eckardt.
Cobo Arena regularly served as a concert venue for acts of all genres. Concert albums by Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
(Live - The Virgin Tour
Live - The Virgin Tour
Live – The Virgin Tour is the first live music video title by American singer-songwriter Madonna. Released through Warner Music Video on November 13, 1985, it contains the concert footage from The Virgin Tour, filmed at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on May 25, 1985. Director Danny Kleinman, who...
), KISS
KISS (band)
Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,...
(Alive! - Including the iconic arena photo on the album's back cover), Bob Seger
Bob Seger
Robert Clark "Bob" Seger is an American rock and roll singer-songwriter, guitarist and pianist.As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded as Bob Seger and the Last Heard and Bob Seger System throughout the 1960s...
(Live Bullet
Live Bullet
‘Live’ Bullet is a live album by American rock band Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, released in April 1976. It was recorded at Cobo Hall in Detroit, Michigan, during the heyday of that arena's time as an important rock concert venue.-History:...
), Kid Rock
Kid Rock
Robert James "Bob" Ritchie , known by his stage name Kid Rock, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and rapper with five Grammy Awards nominations...
(Live Trucker
Live Trucker
Live Trucker is a live album by Kid Rock released on February 28, 2006. It is composed of songs from his homestands of Clarkston and Detroit's Cobo Hall . The album contained the last two performances of Joe C...
) The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip
The Tragically Hip, often referred to simply as The Hip, is a Canadian rock band from Kingston, Ontario, consisting of Gordon Downie , Paul Langlois , Rob Baker , Gord Sinclair and Johnny Fay . Since their formation in 1983 they have released 12 studio albums, two live albums, and 46 singles...
(Live Between Us
Live Between Us
Live Between Us is the first full-length live album by Canadian rock band The Tragically Hip. It was released in May 1997.The album was recorded in Detroit, Michigan in 1996, during the tour supporting Trouble at the Henhouse....
), Journey
Journey (band)
Journey is an American rock band formed in 1973 in San Francisco by former members of Santana. The band has gone through several phases; its strongest commercial success occurred between the 1978 and 1987, after which it temporarily disbanded...
(Captured
Captured (Journey album)
This album was recorded during the band's "Departure" tour in 1980. Tracks 1-4 were taken from a performance recorded at The Forum in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on August 8, 1980...
), Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
(Yesshows
Yesshows
Yesshows is the second live album by British progressive rock group Yes. Released shortly after the appearance of Drama, Yesshows comprises live performances ranging from the summer of 1976 to the supporting tour for Tormato in 1978...
), The J. Geils Band (Blow Your Face Out
Blow Your Face Out
Blow Your Face Out is the eighth album by American rock band The J. Geils Band, released in 1976.- Recording :The album was recorded at two concerts held in November 1975. The first show was at the Boston Garden in the band's hometown on November 15th...
), and The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
(Live in Detroit
Live in Detroit (The Doors album)
Live in Detroit is a double live album by American rock band The Doors. The tracks were recorded on May 8, 1970 at Cobo Arena in Detroit. It is one of the first releases from the Bright Midnight Archives. The album is spread out over two CDs. It is widely regarded as one of the best and longest...
) were all recorded, in whole or in part, in the arena.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Vote for Change
The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed to encourage people to register and vote...
Tour on October 3, 2004, featuring performances by The Bright Eyes, R.E.M.
R.E.M.
R.E.M. was an American rock band formed in Athens, Georgia, in 1980 by singer Michael Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry. One of the first popular alternative rock bands, R.E.M. gained early attention due to Buck's ringing, arpeggiated guitar style and Stipe's...
and Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
& The E Street Band
E Street Band
The E Street Band has been rock musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972.The band has also recorded with a wide range of other artists including Bob Dylan, Meat Loaf, Bonnie Tyler, Air Supply, Dire Straits, David Bowie, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Tom Morello, Sting, Ian...
(with special guest John Fogerty
John Fogerty
John Cameron Fogerty is an American rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for his time with the swamp rock/roots rock band Creedence Clearwater Revival and as a #1 solo recording artist. Fogerty has a rare distinction of being named on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest...
and a late visit by The Dixie Chicks
Dixie Chicks
The Dixie Chicks are an American country band which has also successfully crossed over into other genres. The band is composed of founding members Martie Erwin Maguire and Emily Erwin Robison, and lead singer Natalie Maines...
).
The arena hosted the returning edition of WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
WWE Saturday Night's Main Event
Saturday Night's Main Event is a professional wrestling television program produced by WWE. It aired occasionally from 1985 to 1992, under the World Wrestling Federation banner on NBC in place of Saturday Night Live. It returned to the air on March 18, 2006, in an 8 EST time slot...
on March 18, 2006.
On October 4, 2008, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
held a free concert, in support for Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
presidential nominee Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
and to encourage younger voters to register by the voter registration
Voter registration
Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
deadline.
On September 25-26, 2009, KISS returned, wanting to play there one last time, before it was supposed to be torn down and expandedhttp://www.kissonline.com/stream/article/display/id/18375. Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons is an Israeli-American entrepreneur, singer-songwriter, actor, and rock bassist. Known as "The Demon", he is the bassist/vocalist of Kiss, a hard rock band he co-founded in the early 1970s.-Early life:...
stated in a radio interview, on August 21, on Detroit's classic rock station WCSX
WCSX
WCSX is a Detroit-based FM radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. WCSX's transmitter is located in suburban Oakland County in Royal Oak Township near the intersection of 8 Mile Rd. and Wyoming Avenue. WCSX transmits its signal from an antenna 951 feet in height with an effective radiated...
, that KISS was planning on performing all the songs from the album Alive!, in order and that the show was to be recorded and released on DVDhttp://www.kissonline.com/news/, but, as of 2011 nothing has been said about the DVD.
Renovation
Governor Jennifer GranholmJennifer Granholm
Jennifer Mulhern Granholm is a Canadian-born American politician, educator, and author who served as Attorney General and 47th Governor of the U.S. state of Michigan. A member of the Democratic Party, Granholm became Michigan's first female governor on January 1, 2003, when she succeeded Governor...
signed legislation on July 2, 2009, introduced by Representative Shanelle Jackson (D-Detroit), to allow for a nearly $300 million renovation and expansion of Cobo Center. The legislation created a five-member board, appointed by the governor, the City of Detroit, and Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties to oversee the operation of the center with the city retaining ownership. The project began October 1, 2009. The renovation includes the addition of glass walls to connect the complex with the waterfront. A strategic plan accepted by the board recommends a planned expansion. The project began July 2011 and is expected to be ready for the 2014 North American International Auto Show in January, with the remainder of the project scheduled to be completed by December 2014.