Capital One Arena is an indoor arena in Washington, D.C. Located in the Chinatown section of the larger Penn Quarter neighborhood, the arena sits atop the Gallery Place rapid transit station of the Washington Metro. The arena was opened on December 2, 1997, as MCI Center but renamed to Verizon Center in 2006 when MCI was acquired by Verizon Communications and changed again to its current name in 2017.
The development of the arena has contributed to the gentrification of the surrounding area, the displacement of most of its Asian-American residents (the local Chinese-American population, which numbered over 3,000 before the arena's construction, was a mere 300 in 2023), and the replacement of most of the small businesses and restaurants that served the Asian-American community by national chains.[8][9][10][11]
History
The block where the arena was built, between 6th and 7th and F and G Streets, historically held a mix of residences and small businesses.[12] By the 1960s, it was suffering from urban decay, like much of the eastern end of Downtown Washington.[12] In 1973, while the Gallery Place Metro station was being developed below it, the District government bought the land in hopes of redeveloping it.[13] Capital Landmark Associates was selected in 1979 to develop the site with a planned mixed-use complex including retail, offices, apartments, and a hotel.[13] Most of the remaining buildings on the site were demolished in 1985.[12] The project languished for many years but never materialized, and was finally canceled in 1992.[12]
Before the arena's opening, the Capitals and the Wizards (then known as the Washington Bullets) played at USAir Arena in the Washington suburb of Landover, Maryland. The teams experienced subpar attendance because the location was inconvenient for both Washington and Baltimore residents, and their arena, though only 20 years old, was not up to the standards of other NBA and NHL venues.[14][15][16] In December 1993, Abe Pollin, the owner of both teams, began studying options to move the teams to a new arena to be built with public financing, with possible locations including Baltimore, downtown Washington, and Laurel, Maryland.[17][18]
The arena in January 2006, then known as MCI Center
A group of Washington business leaders brokered a deal between Pollin and the District government to build an arena at the Gallery Place site, with the District paying for the $150 million project, which was envisioned to have shopping, food, and exhibitors for daily use even when there was no arena event.[19][20][21] The D.C. Council approved a special tax on businesses to finance the deal.[21] However, a competing proposal soon emerged, when Robert Johnson, head of Black Entertainment Television, offered to build the arena with mostly private financing.[22] With the arena deal facing criticism amid the District's budget crisis, Pollin eventually agreed to privately fund the construction of the building, which ultimately came to $200 million[23][24] (US$365million in 2023 dollars[3]). The District would pay for other costs, including purchasing the portion of the land it did not already own, preparing the site, and expanding the Metro station; these eventually amounted to $79 million[24][25] (US$138million in 2023 dollars[3]). The District leased the land to Pollin at a below-market rate of $300,000 per year.[26][27]
A naming rights deal was struck with MCI Communications to name the arena as the MCI Center.[28] The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held in October 1995.[29] On December 2, 1997, the arena held its first event, a game between the Wizards and the Seattle SuperSonics, with President Bill Clinton in attendance.[30] The arena had a 25,000-square-foot (2,300m2)Discovery Channel Store from 1998 to 2001[31] and the MCI National Sports Gallery, an interactive sports museum with interactive games, memorabilia, and the American Sportscasters Hall of Fame inside from 1998 to 2000 or 2001 which was repurposed for office space. Clinton toured the gallery before the game, playing the museum games.[32][33][34] A block of F Street NW between 6th and 7th Street NW outside the arena was declared Fun Street, complete with signage.[35][36] This block later was declared Abe Pollin Way in 2007.[37] The arena was noted for building spectator seats vertically rather than out, creating better views for all attending albeit with limited leg room in the upper levels, as well as spacious quarters for players and coaches with advanced competitive research technology.[38] The arena concourse featured multimedia arenaNet stations where fans could check scores, watch highlights, and send digital postcards over email.[39][40] These replaced an abandoned idea to have smart seats with televisions and technology that was scrapped due to technological challenges.[41] Arena technology was powered by a virtual LAN software and switching technology called ArenaNET from Cabletron Systems.[42]
In 1999, a group led by technology executive Ted Leonsis bought a 36% stake in Pollin's holdings, including the MCI Center, as well as full ownership of the Capitals.[43][44] The Leonsis group increased its stake to 44% in 2000.[44]
Capital One Arena, then the Verizon Center, in August 2008
In January 2006, Verizon Communications purchased MCI and the arena's name was changed accordingly to Verizon Center.[8] VIDA Fitness opened its first location in the arena that same year.[45] The following year, in 2007, the "first true indoor high-definition LEDscoreboard" was installed in the arena.[46][47] In May 2024, VIDA Fitness announced that they would close their Gallery Place location.[48] Gallery Place, a 14-screen movie theater, opened at Capital One Arena in 2004.
In June 2010, following Pollin's death in November 2009, the Leonsis group, newly organized as Monumental Sports & Entertainment, bought out Pollin's interests, gaining full ownership of the arena and the Wizards.[49]
A report emerged in May 2015 that Verizon would not renew its naming rights to the Verizon Center when its agreement with Monumental was to end in 2018.[50][51] In the same week, it was announced that Etihad Airways signed a deal to become the official airline of the arena, sparking speculation that Etihad might be the leading contender to assume naming rights in 2017.[52] However, on August 9, 2017, it was announced that the bank Capital One had purchased the rights, renaming the venue Capital One Arena.[53][54][55] In October 2024, it was revealed that Etihad Airways is no longer the official airline for Capital One Arena as United Airlines (which operates a hub at Dulles International Airport) was chosen as the new official airline.[56]
Interior during a Capitals game in February 2023. The overhead video board was installed in 2019 as part of the largest renovation in arena history.
In 2019 and 2020, Monumental Sports undertook a $30 million renovation of the stadium. This included completely replacing the arena's seating, improving the concourse, and altering many of the arena's dining options. A new, larger overhead video board was also added as well as a new SkyRing video screen that goes around the top of the arena.[57][58]
In July 2020, bookmaker William Hill opened a sportsbook at the arena, following the 2018 legalization of sports betting in Washington.[59] It was the first brick-and-mortar sportsbook in the District, and the first to open at a professional sports venue in the United States.[59]
On June 23, 2023, The Washington Post reported that Monumental Sports was considering moving the Capitals and Wizards to a new arena in the National Landing area of Arlington in Northern Virginia if the Washington, D.C. government did not invest in upgrades to the arena and surrounding area. Despite this, the article outlined that the city intended on continuing its dialogue with the company to keep both teams in Capital One Arena.[60] Monumental later pivoted to a part of the National Landing area lying in a different Northern Virginia jurisdiction, announcing on December 13, 2023, that it planned to build the new arena in the Potomac Yard area of Alexandria.[61] Under the revised plan, Capital One Arena would have remained in use as a concert and event venue during the NBA and NHL seasons, and also become the permanent home of Monumental's Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team, the Washington Mystics.[62] In March 2024, after officials in Alexandria announced that the $2 billion entertainment and sports complex plans were scrapped, Washington, D.C. mayor Muriel Bowser announced that she had signed a deal with both teams' majority owner, Ted Leonsis, to keep the Capitals and Wizards in the District "at least until 2050."[63] The deal will see a massive renovation to the arena which will be completed by 2028 in six phases, changing the exterior and interior that will include new technology and improved fan experiences.[64]
Students from Middletown High School in Ohio march at an indoor Presidential Inauguration parade event in Washington on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
Capital One Arena is in the early stages of a multi-year $850 million renovation that will completely alter the exterior and parts of the interior of the arena. $515 million is coming from the District of Columbia government, while the rest is being paid for by Monumental Sports and Entertainment, which owns the teams. The renovation is expected to be completed in time for the start of the 2027-2028 NHL and NBA seasons.[65]
The arena has been home to the Capitals NHL team since its opening. As a result, numerous memorable moments in franchise history have occurred in the arena. The arena hosted games three and four of the 1998 Stanley Cup Finals, when the Capitals lost to the Detroit Red Wings in four games. The Red Wings hoisted the namesake Stanley Cup in the arena on June 16, 1998, after winning game four by a score of 4–1. On April 5, 2008, the Capitals won the Southeast Division in the last game of the regular season, after beating the Florida Panthers 3–1. Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference semifinals between the Capitals and the Pittsburgh Penguins, played on May 4, 2009, saw dueling hat tricks from Ovechkin and rival Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins, culminating in a 4–3 victory for Washington thanks to an additional goal from David Steckel.[67] The arena also hosted games three and four of the 2018 Stanley Cup Finals. The Capitals won both games and then went on to win game five in Las Vegas to capture the Stanley Cup for the first major sports championship for a Washington, D.C. team since the 1991 Washington Redskins. The Capitals had their Stanley Cup banner installation ceremony in the arena before their first game of the next season, which took place on October 3, 2018.
The JMU vs UVA non-varsity club teams played a 60 min thrilling rink-of-dreams-style match shortly after Washington's win against New York UVA Took JMU 6–4.
The inaugural 2024 Capital Hockey Classic is scheduled to take place on December 12, 2024, This event marks the first full-fledged college hockey event since the 2009 D1 Finals. It will feature military and club collegiate ice hockey teams, showcasing talent and competition.
The Capital Hockey Classic aims to capture attention, especially since it occurs just two days before the Army-Navy game at the nearby Commanders Field. The event will include two matches: the first game will feature Army vs Navy Club hockey At 5PM, followed by the Army Black Knights vs. the Penn State Nittany Lions.D1 Match At 7PM
Basketball
A ticket from a 2006 game at the then-MCI Center between the Wizards and Detroit Pistons
In 2017, the Washington Valor began play at the arena for their inaugural season in the Arena Football League.[73] The Valor folded in 2019 and the arena has not hosted an Arena League game since.
On October 2, 2019, Capital One Arena hosted the series premiere of AEW Dynamite, the first weekly television series of All Elite Wrestling (AEW).[76]
Criticism
Gentrification
When the arena opened, there was concern that it would lead to the displacement of Chinese businesses and culture in the area that is the city's Chinatown.[77] The surrounding area has indeed been dramatically gentrified, and most of the Chinese residents and businesses who lived and operated in the neighborhood when the arena first opened have been displaced because of the spike in real estate prices.[78] 2011 estimates hold that the number of Chinese in the neighborhood is down to around 400 to 500.[78] The Chinese-owned restaurants and businesses in the Chinatown area are largely gone and there has not been a full-service Chinese grocery in the neighborhood since 2005.[78]
In December 2007, then-Capitals captain Chris Clark stated that he believed the arena had the worst ice in the NHL. "There's a lot of ruts in the ice. It's soft. It's wet half the time. I could see a lot of injuries coming from the ice there. It could cost [players] their jobs... Even guys on other teams say the same thing. When we're facing off, they say, 'How do you guys play on this?'" Capitals owner Ted Leonsis addressed this criticism directly.[80] The ice quality issue has been persistent both since the opening of the facility and with the Capitals franchise in general.[81] Since Leonsis' acquisition of the facility, the quality of the ice has improved[according to whom?] and number of complaints has noticeably decreased. During playoff games, the arena installs additional portable refrigeration units outside the arena to aid the ice conditions during the warm and humid summer months.[82]
The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Capital One Arena, in the Chinatown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. an arena they share with the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL) and the Georgetown University men's basketball team. The team is owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team is owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment, and initially played its home games at the Capital Centre in Landover, Maryland, before moving to the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., in 1997.
The Washington Mystics are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Mystics compete in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) as a member of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded prior to the 1998 season, and is owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which also owns the Mystics' NBA counterpart, the Washington Wizards. The team plays in the Entertainment and Sports Arena in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Washington DC. Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder of BET and ex-wife of Charlotte Sting owner Robert L. Johnson, is the managing partner.
The Washington Commandos were an arena football team based in Fairfax, Virginia. The Commandos were founded in 1987 and were an inaugural member of the Arena Football League (AFL), and were based in Landover, Maryland. After not playing during the 1988 season, the team returned for the 1989 season as the Maryland Commandos. Following the 1989 season, the Commandos moved to Fairfax, Virginia, where they once again became known as the Washington Commandos. The team never achieved much success at either of its locations, winning four games in three seasons, including a winless 1989 season.
The Capital Centre was an indoor arena in the eastern United States, located in Landover, Maryland, a suburb east of Washington, D.C. The seating capacity was 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey.
EagleBank Arena is a 10,000-seat arena in the eastern United States, on the campus of George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia, a suburb southwest of Washington, D.C.
McDonough Gymnasium, sometimes referred to as McDonough Arena when hosting a sports or entertainment event, is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Officially known as McDonough Memorial Gymnasium, it opened in 1951 and can hold 2,200 spectators for sports events.
Abraham J. Pollin was the owner of a number of professional sports teams including the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League (NHL), the Washington Mystics in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), and the Baltimore / Washington Bullets / Wizards in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Pollin was the longest-tenured owner of an NBA team, holding the Packers / Zephyrs / Bullets / Wizards franchise for 46 years.
Susan O'Malley is an American sports executive. In 1991, she became president of the Washington Bullets team, a member of the National Basketball Association (NBA); then 29 years old, she was the first female president of an NBA franchise, and one of the first women to hold the top front-office position for a major league sports team in North America.
Washington, D.C., has major league sports teams, popular college sports teams, and a variety of other team and individual sports. The Washington metropolitan area is also home to several major sports venues including Capital One Arena, RFK Stadium, Northwest Stadium, Audi Field, and Nationals Park.
Theodore John Leonsis is an American businessman. He is a former senior executive with America Online (AOL) and the founder, chairman, and CEO of Monumental Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NHL's Washington Capitals, the NBA's Washington Wizards, the WNBA's Washington Mystics, and Monumental Sports Network.
Monumental Sports Network, formerly NBC Sports Washington, is an American regional sports network owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., the channel broadcasts regional coverage of sports events throughout the Mid-Atlantic, with a focus on professional sports teams based in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., as well as sports news and entertainment programming.
MedStar Capitals Iceplex is the practice arena of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. The highest ice rink above street-level in the United States, it is located on the eighth floor atop the parking garage adjoining the Ballston Quarter in the Ballston neighborhood of Arlington County, Virginia.
Monumental Sports & Entertainment (MSE) is an American sports and venue management company founded by Ted Leonsis in June 2010. Monumental owns and operates the NHL team Washington Capitals, the NBA team Washington Wizards, the WNBA team Washington Mystics, the NBA G League team Capital City Go-Go and the NBA 2K League team Wizards District Gaming. Other properties owned include Monumental Sports Network, Capital One Arena, EagleBank Arena, and the defunct Arena Football League (AFL) teams Washington Valor and Baltimore Brigade. Monumental is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Washington Valor were a professional arena football team based in Washington, D.C. that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Capital One Arena. The Valor were owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
The Baltimore Brigade was a professional arena football team based in Baltimore, Maryland, that played in the Arena Football League (AFL) from 2017 to 2019. The team's home arena was the Royal Farms Arena. The franchise was owned by Ted Leonsis through Monumental Sports & Entertainment. After the 2019 season, the entire league ceased operations.
The 2017 Arena Football League season was the 30th season in the history of the Arena Football League (AFL). Prior to the start of the season, the league contracted to five teams. Due to this, for the first time since 1991, the league was not divided into conferences or divisions. The 14-game regular season began on April 7, 2017, when the two new teams, the Baltimore Brigade and the Washington Valor, faced off in the Verizon Center, and ended on August 5, 2017, when the Tampa Bay Storm lost against the Philadelphia Soul.
The Capital City Go-Go are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Washington, D.C., and are affiliated with the Washington Wizards. The Go-Go play their home games at the St. Elizabeths East Entertainment and Sports Arena. The team is owned by Monumental Sports & Entertainment.
Irene Sue Pollin was an American sports executive and philanthropist.
↑ Boswell, Thomas (December 4, 1993). "It's not pretty, but it does the job". The Daily Oklahoman. Washington Post. Retrieved September 5, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
↑ Dinan, Stephen and Mizejewski, Gerald (December 3, 1997). "First night in a new home". The Washington Times. Retrieved September 5, 2023– via NewsBank.
Formerly the Chicago Packers (1961–1962), Chicago Zephyrs (1962–1963), Baltimore Bullets (1963–1973), Capital Bullets (1973–1974), and Washington Bullets (1974–1997)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
Washington Metro 
at Gallery Place 
