PNC Arena (originally Raleigh Entertainment & Sports Arena and formerly the RBC Center) is an indoor arena, located in Raleigh, North Carolina. The Arena seats 19,722 for basketball, and 18,680 for ice hockey, including 59 suites, 13 loge boxes and 2,000 club seats. The building has three concourses and includes a 300-seat restaurant.
It is home to the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League and the NC State Wolfpack men's basketball team of NCAA Division I. The arena neighbors Carterâ€"Finley Stadium, home of Wolfpack Football; the North Carolina State Fairgrounds; and Dorton Arena (on the Fairgrounds). The arena also hosted the Carolina Cobras of the Arena Football League from 2000 to 2002. It is the fourth-largest arena in the ACC (after the Carrier Dome, KFC Yum Center, and the Dean Smith Center), and the third-largest designed specifically for basketball. Furthermore, it is the eighth-largest arena in the NCAA and the seventh-largest designed for basketball.
History
The idea of a new basketball arena to replace the Wolfpack's longtime home, Reynolds Coliseum, first emerged in the 1980s under the vision of Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano. In 1989, the NCSU Trustees approved plans to build a 23,000 seat arena. The Centennial Authority was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1995 as the governing entity of the arena, then financed by state appropriation, local contributions, and University fundraising. The Centennial Authority refocused the project into a multi-use arena, leading to the 1997 relocation agreement of the Hurricanes (then the Hartford Whalers). Construction began that year and was completed in 1999 with an estimated cost of $158 million, which was largely publicly financed by a Hotel and Restaurant tax. The Hurricanes agreed to pay $60 million of the cost, and the state of North Carolina paid $18 million. As part of the deal, the Hurricanes assumed operational control of the arena.
Known as the Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena (or ESA) from 1999 to 2002, it was renamed the RBC Center after an extended search for a corporate sponsor. RBC Bank, the US division of the Royal Bank of Canada, acquired 20-year naming rights for a reported $80 million. On June 19, 2011, it was announced that PNC Financial Services bought US assets of RBC Bank and acquired the naming rights to the arena pending approval by the regulatory agencies. On December 15, 2011, the Centennial Authority, the landlord of the arena, approved a name change for the facility to PNC Arena. The name change officially took place on March 15, 2012. On a normal hockey day, PNC Arena has more than 400 people on duty for security and concessions.
Raleigh experienced its first NHL game on October 29, 1999, when the Hurricanes hosted the New Jersey Devils on the building's opening night. PNC Arena hosted games of both the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs and Finals, however the Hurricanes lost in the final. On June 19, 2006, the Hurricanes were on home ice for a decisive game seven of the Stanley Cup Final, defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3â€"1 to bring the franchise its first Stanley Cup and North Carolina its first major professional sports championship. The arena hosted the playoffs again in 2009, with the Hurricanes losing in the Eastern Conference Finals. On April 8, 2010, the Hurricanes and the NHL announced the arena would host the 58th National Hockey League All-Star Game on January 30, 2011.
Renovations
A ribbon board was installed in 2003 which encircles the arena bowl. In 2008, the arena renovated its sound system. Clair Brothers Systems installed a combination of JBL line arrays to provide improved audio coverage for all events. In June 2009, video crews installed a new Daktronics HD scoreboard. It replaced the ten-year-old scoreboard that had been in the arena since its opening. The scoreboard is full LED and four-sided with full video displays, whereas the old scoreboard was eight-sided and four of those sides featured alternating static dot-matrix displays (very much outdated for today's standards). In addition, the scoreboard features an octagonal top section with full video capability, along with two rings above and below the main video screens; they are similar to the ribbon board encircling the arena.
In October 2015, architects met with the Centennial Authority to discuss a potential renovation which includes all-new entrances, a new rooftop restaurant and bar, covered tailgating sections, and moving the administrative offices elsewhere in the arena as a result. Project costs have not yet been decided, as the architects were given until May/June 2016 to come up with estimates. The Centennial Authority would have to approve the estimates before official voting on the project could begin.
During the summer of 2016, the ribbon boards were upgraded and a second ribbon board was added to the upper level fascia. Static advertising signs inside the arena were replaced with LED video boards.
Notable Events
In addition to hockey and college basketball, PNC Arena hosts a wide array of concerts, family shows, and other events each year. Past performers include Bruce Springsteen, Cher, Eric Clapton, Taylor Swift, Billy Joel, Justin Timberlake, Big Time Rush, Elton John, Lady Gaga, One Direction, Celine Dion, George Strait, Bon Jovi, Keith Urban, and many other artists. Family shows have included Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, Sesame Street Live, Disney On Ice, and the Harlem Globetrotters.
PNC Arena hosted the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) men's basketball tournament from 1999 to 2008.
The arena was a site for Rounds 1 and 2 of the 2004, 2008, and 2014 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, respectively. Recent controversy in North Carolina due to the Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act House Bill 2, it was planned to host the first and second rounds for the 2016 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament but has since been moved to another location.
List of Concerts and events
- One Tree Hill location shoot for the season 4 episode, "Some You Give Away". The Tree Hill Ravens were playing in the state championship game held at the arena.
References
Notes
- NCSU Athletics. RBC Center Retrieved July 12, 2004 from [1].
- RBC Center: History. Retrieved July 12, 2004 from [2].
- The Hockey News. 59.37 (2006): 6.
- Live Sound: Clair Systems Revamps RBC Center Audio with JBL Loudspeakers. Retrieved May 15, 2009 from [3]
- RBC Center Gets New Scoreboard. Retrieved June 7, 2009 from [4]
External links
- Official site
- PNC Arena - NC State Athletics