HemisFair Arena
Encyclopedia
HemisFair Arena was an indoor arena, located in San Antonio, Texas
, United States
.
It was home to the NBA
's San Antonio Spurs
, from 1973
to 1993
and the San Antonio Force
, of the AFL, during the 1992
season, their only year of existence.
The Houston Rockets
also played home games at the arena during the 1972-73 NBA season
.
. The facility was located near the Tower of the Americas
, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio, Texas and H. A. Lott, Inc. of Houston, Texas.
. The San Antonio Spurs played their first ever game at the arena at 10 October 1973 which they lost to the San Diego Conquistadors
121-106 in front of a 5,879 crowd. As Spurs games began regularly selling out, the roof of arena was literally raised and lifted during the summer of 1977, adding an upper deck at the facility and allowing for a capacity of over 16,057. While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck. Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA.
in 1993. The last Spurs game to ever take place at HemisFair took place on May 20, 1993 when the Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns
in the second round of the NBA playoffs
. The last ticketed event to be held at the facility was a 1995 Van Halen concert. The last event to ever be held at the HemisFair Arena was a graduation for a local high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, on May 30, 1995.
The site is now the location of an expansion to the adjacent Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
It was home to the NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
's San Antonio Spurs
San Antonio Spurs
The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio, Texas. They are part of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association ....
, from 1973
1973-74 NBA season
The 1973–74 NBA season was the 28th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the Boston Celtics winning the NBA Championship, beating the Milwaukee Bucks 4 games to 3 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
to 1993
1992-93 NBA season
-Statistics leaders:-Yearly awards:*Most Valuable Player: Charles Barkley, Phoenix Suns*Rookie of the Year: Shaquille O'Neal, Orlando Magic*Defensive Player of the Year: Hakeem Olajuwon, Houston Rockets...
and the San Antonio Force
San Antonio Force
The San Antonio Force was an Arena Football League team that competed in the 1992 season only. They played their home games at HemisFair Arena, then the home of the San Antonio Spurs...
, of the AFL, during the 1992
1992 Arena Football League season
The 1992 Arena Football League season was the 6th season of the Arena Football League. The league champions were the Detroit Drive, who defeated the Orlando Predators in ArenaBowl VI....
season, their only year of existence.
The Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
also played home games at the arena during the 1972-73 NBA season
1972-73 NBA season
The 1972–73 NBA season was the 27th season of the National Basketball Association. The season ended with the New York Knicks winning the NBA Championship, beating the Los Angeles Lakers 4 games to 1 in the NBA Finals.- Notable occurrences :...
.
Construction
The arena was originally built as part of the 1968 HemisFairHemisFair '68
HemisFair '68 was the first officially designated world's fair held in the southwestern United States. San Antonio, Texas hosted the fair from April 6 through October 6, 1968. More than thirty nations hosted pavilions at the fair. The fair was held in conjunction with the 250th anniversary of the...
. The facility was located near the Tower of the Americas
Tower of the Americas
Tower of the Americas is a 750-foot observation tower/restaurant in San Antonio, Texas. The tower was designed by San Antonio architect O'Neil Ford and was built as the theme structure of the 1968 World's Fair, HemisFair '68....
, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio, Texas and H. A. Lott, Inc. of Houston, Texas.
As home of the San Antonio Spurs
The arena initially held 10,146 fans for basketballBasketball
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...
. The San Antonio Spurs played their first ever game at the arena at 10 October 1973 which they lost to the San Diego Conquistadors
San Diego Conquistadors
The San Diego Conquistadors, nicknamed the "Q's", were an American Basketball Association team based in San Diego, California. They were the only expansion team in the history of the ABA. The team played from 1972 to 1975. They were replaced in the ABA by the San Diego Sails.-San Diego...
121-106 in front of a 5,879 crowd. As Spurs games began regularly selling out, the roof of arena was literally raised and lifted during the summer of 1977, adding an upper deck at the facility and allowing for a capacity of over 16,057. While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck. Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA.
Final events
HemisFair Arena was torn down in 1995, two years after the Spurs moved to the AlamodomeAlamodome
The Alamodome is a domed 65,000 seat, multi-purpose facility that is primarily used as a football/basketball stadium and convention center in San Antonio, Texas, U.S...
in 1993. The last Spurs game to ever take place at HemisFair took place on May 20, 1993 when the Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns
The Phoenix Suns are a professional basketball team based in Phoenix, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association and the only team in their division not to be based in California. Their home arena since 1992 has been the US...
in the second round of the NBA playoffs
1993 NBA Playoffs
The 1993 NBA Playoffs was the postseason tournament of the National Basketball Association's 1992-1993 season. The tournament concluded with the Eastern Conference champion Chicago Bulls winning their third consecutive championship by defeating the Western Conference champion Phoenix Suns four...
. The last ticketed event to be held at the facility was a 1995 Van Halen concert. The last event to ever be held at the HemisFair Arena was a graduation for a local high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, on May 30, 1995.
The site is now the location of an expansion to the adjacent Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.