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Toyota Center (Kennewick)
Encyclopedia
The Toyota Center is an (approximately 7,715-seat) multi-purpose arena
in Kennewick, Washington
, USA.
The arena opened in 1988 as the Tri-Cities Coliseum (the name was changed in 2004 to the Three Rivers Coliseum to match the Three Rivers Convention Center
, which was built next door in the same year). In early October 2005, a deal was reached between the city of Kennewick, Washington
and Toyota, Toyota would pay $2 million over ten years for naming rights. The city of Kennewick uses that money to do much needed improvements and upgrades to the facility. A smaller facility next door, built by the City of Kennewick in 1998, was named the Toyota Arena as well.
The Toyota Center is home to the Western Hockey League's
Tri-City Americans
hockey
team and the Tri-Cities Fever
of the Indoor Football League
, (the arena during Fever games is known as 'Gesa Field at the Toyota Center'), as well as the former home of the Tri-City Chinook of the Continental Basketball Association
.
It is also used for concerts (capacity seats 7,715), banquets, ice shows, circuses, and trade shows (27,132 square feet of space). The capacity for hockey is about 6,000. Recently, the theatre configuration of the facility has been named 'Windermere Theatre', the licensing company being Windermere Real Estate, a Seattle, Washington-based real estate
company, where the facility now hosts Broadway
shows. The facility also hosted acts such as Alice Cooper
, Rob Zombie
, Slipknot
and Avenged Sevenfold
who to date holds the record for largest attendance for any event held. A concert by Shinedown
was filmed at the Toyota Center, and aired on Palladia with the title Madness from Washington State.
The Toyota Center has also hosted yearly Jehovah's Witnesses
conventions during the month of July
.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...
, USA.
The arena opened in 1988 as the Tri-Cities Coliseum (the name was changed in 2004 to the Three Rivers Coliseum to match the Three Rivers Convention Center
Three Rivers Convention Center
The Three Rivers Convention Center is the convention center for the Tri-Cities of south-eastern Washington, USA. It gets its name from the Snake River, Yakima River, and Columbia River, all of which intersect in the general area of the Tri-Cities. It is located in western Kennewick, just by the...
, which was built next door in the same year). In early October 2005, a deal was reached between the city of Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick, Washington
Kennewick is a city in Benton County in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Washington, near the Hanford nuclear site. It is the most populous of the three cities collectively referred to as the Tri-Cities...
and Toyota, Toyota would pay $2 million over ten years for naming rights. The city of Kennewick uses that money to do much needed improvements and upgrades to the facility. A smaller facility next door, built by the City of Kennewick in 1998, was named the Toyota Arena as well.
The Toyota Center is home to the Western Hockey League's
Western Hockey League
The Western Hockey League is a major junior ice hockey league based in Western Canada and the Northwestern United States. The WHL is one of three leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League as the highest level of junior hockey in Canada...
Tri-City Americans
Tri-City Americans
The Tri-City Americans are a major junior ice hockey team of the Western Hockey League, based in Kennewick, Washington. The team plays its home games at the Toyota Center...
hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team and the Tri-Cities Fever
Tri-Cities Fever
The Tri-Cities Fever are a professional indoor football team in the Indoor Football League. Their first season was in 2005 as an expansion member of the National Indoor Football League. Though they represent the entire Tri-Cities region, they play their home games exclusively at the Toyota Center...
of the Indoor Football League
Indoor Football League
The Indoor Football League began in 1999 as an offshoot of the troubled Professional Indoor Football League. Keary Ecklund, the owner of the Green Bay Bombers and Madison Mad Dogs, left the PIFL after its first, financially-troubled, season to start his own league. Unlike the PIFL, the IFL was an...
, (the arena during Fever games is known as 'Gesa Field at the Toyota Center'), as well as the former home of the Tri-City Chinook of the Continental Basketball Association
Continental Basketball Association
The Continental Basketball Association was a professional men's basketball league in the United States, which has been on hiatus since the 2009 season.- History :...
.
It is also used for concerts (capacity seats 7,715), banquets, ice shows, circuses, and trade shows (27,132 square feet of space). The capacity for hockey is about 6,000. Recently, the theatre configuration of the facility has been named 'Windermere Theatre', the licensing company being Windermere Real Estate, a Seattle, Washington-based real estate
Real estate
In general use, esp. North American, 'real estate' is taken to mean "Property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals, or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this; an item of real property; buildings or...
company, where the facility now hosts Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
shows. The facility also hosted acts such as Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper
Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter and musician whose career spans more than four decades...
, Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie is an American musician, film director, screenwriter and film producer. He founded the heavy metal band White Zombie and has been nominated three times as a solo artist for the Grammy Award for Best Metal Performance.Zombie has also established a career as a film director, creating the...
, Slipknot
Slipknot (band)
Slipknot is an American heavy metal band from Des Moines, Iowa. Formed in 1995, the group was founded by percussionist Shawn Crahan and bassist Paul Gray...
and Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold
Avenged Sevenfold is an American heavy metal band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist M. Shadows, lead guitarist Synyster Gates, rhythm guitarist Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ....
who to date holds the record for largest attendance for any event held. A concert by Shinedown
Shinedown
Shinedown is an American rock band from Jacksonville, Florida, formed in 2001 and founded by members Brent Smith , Brad Stewart , Jasin Todd , and Barry Kerch . A few line-up changes followed, and the band's current line-up consists of Smith and Kerch, the band's only two remaining original...
was filmed at the Toyota Center, and aired on Palladia with the title Madness from Washington State.
The Toyota Center has also hosted yearly Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The religion reports worldwide membership of over 7 million adherents involved in evangelism, convention attendance of over 12 million, and annual...
conventions during the month of July
July
July is the seventh month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian Calendars and one of seven months with the length of 31 days. It is, on average, the warmest month in most of the Northern hemisphere and the coldest month in much of the Southern hemisphere...
.
See also
- Toyota Park (Bridgeview)Toyota Park (Bridgeview)Toyota Park is a soccer-specific stadium located at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview, Illinois. It is the home stadium of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club, members of Major League Soccer . Toyota Park was developed at a cost of around $100 million. The facility opened June 11, 2006...
- Toyota Center (Houston)Toyota Center (Houston)The Toyota Center is an indoor arena located in downtown Houston, Texas. It is named after the Japanese automobile manufacturer Toyota. The arena is home to the Rockets of the National Basketball Association, the principal owners of the building, and the Aeros of the American Hockey League.Rockets...
- Town Toyota Center (Wenatchee)