Address | 300 N Thomas Street Athens, GA 30601, United States |
---|---|
Coordinates | 33°57′38″N83°22′20″W / 33.960618°N 83.372352°W |
Public transit | Athens Transit at Athens Multimodal Transportation Center |
Operator | The Classic Center Authority |
Capacity | 2,000 |
Opened | 1995 |
Tenants | |
UGA Ice Dawgs hockey (SECHC) (2014–present) Peach State Cats (AAL) (2019) | |
Website | |
www.ClassicCenter.com |
The Classic Center is a convention center in Athens, Georgia, United States. It was opened in 1995. Located within is Akins Ford Arena at The Classic Center, a large event hall that also serves as a 2,000-seat arena. The arena is home to the UGA Ice Dawgs hockey team and formerly the Peach State Cats arena football team. The Classic Center also contains a 2,122-seat theatre.
In 1987, the Civic Center Study Committee was created to determine the ideal public assembly facility for the Athens community. The committee determined that a facility with an 18,000 square-foot ballroom, 28,000 square-foot exhibit hall, and a 2,000-seat theatre was the best option. The facility was designed over the next few years, and construction began in 1994. The first phase opened in 1995, and the theatre opened the following year. [1]
In October, 2013, upgrades were approved for the Grand Hall, adding arena-style seating and an ice rink system. The UGA Ice Dawgs hockey team began playing their home games there starting with the 2014–15 season. [2] The Grand Hall was referred to as the Classic Center Arena, before being renamed Akins Ford Arena at The Classic Center, after the naming rights were sold to Akins Ford of Winder, Georgia in 2015.
In 2018, it was announced that the American Arena League's Peach State Cats arena football team would be moving to Akins Ford Arena at The Classic Center for the 2019 season. [3]
In January 2019, the Classic Center Authority announced their intent to construct the new Classic Center Arena adjacent to the existing site. [4] The new proposed arena is estimated to cost $88.88 million USD (2019) of which $33 million will be funded by the approved 2020 SPLOST Budget. [5] The arena will be connected to the existing Classic Center, the Multimodal Transportation Center and the downtown district via a new elevated walkway. The arena will have a permanent seating capacity of 5,500 [6] and will be expandable up to 7,500 seats for concerts. Construction began on the Classic Center Arena in the spring of 2022 and is set to be completed by 2024. The hotel that was originally planned as a part of the Classic Center Arena was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, The Classic Center Authority has presented a grand vision for the redevelopment of the entire district including a hotel, retirement community, office space, a new judicial center, and a multi-level parkade. [6]
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a secondary arena for Cleveland State Vikings men's and women's basketball.
Uga is the official live mascot of the University of Georgia Bulldogs. Since Uga I's introduction in 1956, every Uga has been owned by the Sonny Seiler family of Savannah, Georgia.
The Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex is a multi-use municipally-owned facility in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. The complex is located on East Avenue, near the Ottawa Street interchange on the Conestoga Parkway. The complex includes "The Kitchener Memorial Audiorium" with the Dom Cardillo Arena, two smaller community arenas the Kinsmen Arena and Kiwanis Arena, the Jack Couch Stadium baseball park, Centennial Stadium and a skatepark outside the stadium.
Yost Ice Arena, formerly the Fielding H. Yost Field House, is an indoor ice hockey arena located on the campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. It is the home of the Michigan men's ice hockey team.
The Von Braun Center is an entertainment complex, with a maximum arena seating capacity of 9,000, located in Huntsville, Alabama. The original facility debuted in 1975 and has undergone several significant expansions since its opening. In addition to the arena, the VBC complex features multiple exhibit halls, a concert hall, a playhouse, a music venue, and several additional facilities for meetings and exhibitions.
Vincent Joseph Dooley was an American college football coach. He was the head coach of the Georgia Bulldogs from 1964 to 1988, as well as the University of Georgia's (UGA) athletic director from 1979 to 2004. During his 25-year head coaching career, Dooley compiled a 201–77–10 record. His teams won six Southeastern Conference (SEC) titles and the 1980 national championship. After the 1980 season, Dooley was recognized as college football's "Coach of the Year" by several organizations.
The Santander Arena is a 7,160-seat multi-purpose arena, in Reading, Pennsylvania. It was built in 2001. The arena sits on the former site of the Astor Theater; one of several grand movie and theater palaces built in Reading in the early 20th century. Closed in 1975, the theater sat vacant for over two decades. In 1998, the Astor was demolished to make room for the Santander Arena. Early in construction, steps were taken to retain mementos of the Astor, including its ornate Art Deco chandelier and gates. These are on display and in use inside the arena corridors, allowing insight into the ambience of the former movie house.
Berglund Center is a 10,500-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971 and is currently the home of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the SPHL. The arena also hosts Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College men's ice hockey games, as well as regular concerts and other large indoor events. The arena is also the home of the annual boys basketball games between Roanoke's two city high schools, Patrick Henry High School and William Fleming High School.
Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center complex located in Duluth, Minnesota. It has been home to the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldog men's hockey team since 1966. The DECC is located on the waterfront near Duluth's famous Aerial Lift Bridge.
Peaks Ice Arena is an indoor ice hockey and figure skating arena in Provo, Utah, located 43 miles (69 km) south of Salt Lake City. Along with the Maverik Center in West Valley City, it was built as an ice hockey and figure skating practice venue for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It currently serves as the home of the Utah Valley University men’s ice hockey team, Peaks Youth Hockey Association, several high school teams, the Peaks Figure Skating Club, and a Learn-to-Skate USA program for beginning skaters of all ages.
Five Flags Center is a multi-purpose facility in downtown Dubuque, Iowa. It is named for the five flags that have flown over Dubuque; the Fleur de Lis of France (1673–1763), the Royal Flag of Spain (1763–1803), the Union Jack of Great Britain, the French Republic Flag of Napoleon (1803) & America's Stars and Stripes (1803–Present).
Comerica Center is a multi-purpose arena in Frisco, Texas. It is the home of the Texas Legends of the NBA G League and the Frisco Fighters of the Indoor Football League, as well as the executive offices and practice facility of the National Hockey League's Dallas Stars. The arena is also used for concerts and other live entertainment events. It seats between 5,000 and 7,000 people and has a 2,100-vehicle parking garage.
The Soldotna Regional Sports Complex is a 2,000-seat multipurpose arena located in Soldotna, Alaska. The arena opened in 1983. In the winter months, the facility is home to several central Kenai Peninsula high school hockey teams, fighting competitions and the soldotna figure skating team while in the summer the facility hosts numerous local home builders, sports recreation and trading, car, and snowmachine shows, among other events.
Swonder Ice Arena is an arena and recreational sport facility in Evansville, Indiana. It features two NHL size sheets of ice for hockey, figure skating, and open skating. One sheet of ice is open all year. Sound and light, designed with the technology used at the 2002 Olympics, are in use when the skaters skate. Leagues for hockey from beginner to adult also take place year round. On the second level there is a 10,000-square-foot workout facility with a running/walking track.
Ossian C. Bird Arena is an ice arena and recreational sport facility located in Athens, Ohio and owned and operated by Ohio University. The arena serves as the home for Ohio University ACHA Men's college ice hockey teams that compete in the American Collegiate Hockey Association at the Division I level as a member of the Central States Collegiate Hockey League and at the Division II level as a member of the Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League. The Division II team won the 2018 TSCHL Tournament Championship. Bird Arena is also home to the Ohio University Synchronized Skating Team who compete in the Open Collegiate division of synchronized skating.
Sports in New York's Capital District are very popular, and there is a rich history of professional teams and college athletics.
The Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, also known as the Brooks Center, is a 5,159-seat hockey arena in St. Cloud, Minnesota. It is home to the St. Cloud State University Huskies men's & women's ice hockey teams, and the Saint John's University Johnnies ice hockey team. The main rink is named for the late university President Brendan J. McDonald, who advocated the team's move to Division I hockey. The arena consists of a lower and upper deck on the sides the ice. The west end features a few seats, while east contains no seating.
The Raising Cane's River Center Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in the United States. The arena can be combined with the exhibition hall to create more than 100,000 square feet of contiguous convention or exhibit space. The arena which opened in 1977 presents concerts, sporting events, theater events, trade shows, and family shows, with seating for up to 10,400 for concerts, 8,900 for sporting events and 4,500 for theatre events. Besides sporting events, the arena hosts the annual Louisiana Senior Beta Club Convention.
The Peach State Cats are a professional indoor football team based in Suwanee, Georgia. They originally announced to play home games at Dalton Convention Center in Dalton, Georgia, for the 2018 season but were eventually made a travel-only team. They moved to Classic Center in Athens, Georgia, the following season.
Classic Center Arena is an indoor arena under-construction in Athens, Georgia. It is part of the Classic Center complex and is intended as an upgrade to the 440 Pavilion, a much smaller 2,000-seat arena. It will become the new home of the UGA Ice Dawgs of the College Hockey South conference and on March 28, 2024, it was announced it would be home to an FPHL expansion team. It will have a capacity of 8,500. Opening is planned for Spring 2024. It is owned by the Unified Government of Athens Clarke County.