FedExForum

Last updated

FedExForum
The Grindhouse
FedExForum logo.svg
FedExForum at night.jpg
FedExForum in 2022
USA Tennessee relief location map.svg
Red pog.svg
FedexForum
Location in Tennessee
Usa edcp relief location map.png
Red pog.svg
FedexForum
Location in the United States
Address191 Beale Street
Location Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Coordinates 35°8′18″N90°3′2″W / 35.13833°N 90.05056°W / 35.13833; -90.05056
Public transit BSicon BRILL.svg Main Street Line at
Dr. M.L. King Jr. Avenue
Owner City of Memphis
Operator Memphis Basketball, LLC
Capacity Basketball: 17,794
Ice hockey: 16,411
Concert: 19,000
Construction
Broke groundJune 20, 2002
OpenedSeptember 6, 2004
Construction costUS$250 million
($403 million in 2023 dollars [1] )
Architect Ellerbe Becket [2]
Looney Ricks Kiss [3]
Jackson Person & Associates, Inc. [3]
Self Tucker Architects Inc. [3]
Project managerPC Sports [4]
Structural engineerABS-EQE Structural Engineers [2]
General contractorM.A. Mortenson Company [2]
Tenants
Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) (2004–present)
Memphis Tigers (NCAA) (2004–present)
Conference USA men's basketball tournament (20052009, 2012)
American Athletic Conference men's basketball tournament (2014, 2019)
Website
fedexforum.com

FedExForum is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Downtown Memphis, Tennessee. It is the home of the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the NCAA Division I men's basketball program of the University of Memphis, both of whom previously played home games at the Memphis Pyramid. The venue also has the capability of hosting ice hockey games, concerts, and family shows.

Contents

The arena officially opened in September 2004 after much debate and also a derecho wind storm on July 22, 2003, that nearly brought down the cranes that were building it near the famed Beale Street. It was built at a cost of US$250 million and is owned by the City of Memphis; naming rights were purchased by one of Memphis's best-known businesses, FedEx, for $92 million. FedExForum was financed using $250 million of public bonds, which were issued by the Memphis Public Building Authority (PBA).

Design

FedExForum during a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game FedExForum 2015.jpg
FedExForum during a Memphis Grizzlies basketball game

FedExForum was designed by architectural firm Ellerbe Becket. Concrete work done with the help of Dowco Construction and Apac. The arena is 805,850 ft2 (75,000 m2) in size, covering 14 acres (57,000 m2). The Arena is round, with a dome. The playing floor is lower than ground level. It is capable of seating 18,119 [5] for basketball and has 1,000 premiere courtside seats. There are 27 courtside suites, 32 club suites, 4 party suites, and 80 club boxes. It also contains a full-sized practice basketball court, visible from the huge lobby. The plans called for a mass transit bus depot, which brought a federal grant of $6 million, but the depot was changed to a premium parking garage, and Memphis had to return the money.

FedExForum's interior was designed to pay tribute to Memphis' musical heritage, with paintings and murals depicting some of the city's most famous artists including Justin Timberlake, Elvis Presley, and B.B. King. Most of the Arena's restaurants are named in conjunction with FedExForum's overall theme of music with Opus Restaurant and the Blue Note Lounge. The two other restaurants are sponsor-driven with the Lexus Lounge just off the Arena Floor and Jack Daniel's Old No. 7 in the Grand Lobby of the Arena.

FedExForum was the first arena to utilize new "see-through" shot clock units which allow spectators seated behind the basket to see the action without having the clocks interfere with their view. The idea came when a fan of the NBA's New Jersey Nets who sat behind the basket at Continental Airlines Arena sent an e-mail to NBA Commissioner David Stern, asking for technology to improve his view, and Daktronics obliged with the innovation at FedExForum in 2004. [6] The NBA approved the unit a year later for full use and has seen the new units installed at Philadelphia's Wells Fargo Center, Spectrum Center, TD Garden, Moda Center, Capital One Arena, State Farm Arena, and Staples Center after the approval. As of the 2011–12 NBA season every NBA arena had implemented the transparent shot clocks, with Pepsi Center, The Palace of Auburn Hills, Oracle Arena, Target Center, and ARCO Arena being the last NBA arenas to install the clocks.

Hosted events

College basketball

On February 23, 2008, FedExForum hosted the college basketball game featuring the No. 1 ranked Memphis Tigers vs. the No. 2 ranked Tennessee Volunteers. The facility also hosted the Conference USA men's basketball tournament from 2005 to 2009. It was the site of the South regional semifinals and finals in the 2009, 2014, and 2017 editions of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, and first- and second-round games of the 2024 tournament. FedExForum was one of the four regional finals in the 2010 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament.

On March 12–15, 2014, the American Athletic Conference hosted their inaugural tournament at the FedExForum. It hosted the tournament again in 2019. [7]

Hockey

On September 21, 2006, the Nashville Predators and the Columbus Blue Jackets played an NHL preseason game at FedExForum, the first ice hockey game ever held at the arena, won by the Predators 8–1. [8]

Boxing, WWE & MMA

On September 25, 2004, FedExForum hosted the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Glen Johnson for the IBF Light heavyweight title. Johnson won the fight with a 9th-round knockout.

FedExForum has hosted three major professional wrestling events. In 2007, World Wrestling Entertainment's Unforgiven took place on September 16, headlined by The Undertaker and Mark Henry, and the PMG Clash of Legends independent show on April 27, featuring Hulk Hogan versus Paul Wight. In 2015, it hosted Fastlane on February 22. The first of five WWE house shows took place on September 19, 2004, shortly after the venue opened. It has hosted seven episodes of WWE Raw and four of WWE SmackDown . One notable instance of WWE at the arena was when Daniel Bryan "occupied" Raw with hundreds of his fans inside the ring and surrounding the ringside area on March 10, 2014. [9]

On December 12, 2009, FedExForum hosted an Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweight title fight, UFC 107: Penn vs. Sanchez

Other events

In August 2010, the Professional Bull Riders' Built Ford Tough Series tour made their first appearance at FedExForum. [10]

On August 4, 2010, FedExForum held the memorial service to Memphis native Lorenzen Wright, a Memphis Tigers alum and former Memphis Grizzlies player.

The Church of God in Christ, Inc. (COGIC) is a Christian organization in the Holiness-Pentecostal tradition. It is the largest Pentecostal denomination in the United States held their annual Convocation at the FedExForum from 2004 to 2007.

The arena hosted Monster Jam for a few years, then in 2019 hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live.

Renovations

Digital upgrades, which included a new scoreboard, were installed in time for the 2017-18 NBA season. Fedexforum with New Scoreboard.jpg
Digital upgrades, which included a new scoreboard, were installed in time for the 2017-18 NBA season.

In order to keep the Grizzlies in Memphis, the City of Memphis has completed normal renovations to FedExForum to keep it up to NBA standards. In 2012, the arena's sound system was replaced [11] and the main basketball court was replaced for the Grizzlies for $200,000, [12] with the Tigers' court being replaced the following year. Three years later, FedExForum completed a renovation for the backstage areas, including a new video room, a renovation of the coaches' offices, and office space for FedExForum employees. [13] In 2017, the Grizzlies announced a $1.8 million renovation to the arena, [14] which includes an HD scoreboard four times the size of the former, new HD displays, new LED lighting, and other additional fan amenities, which were completed in time for the beginning of the 2017-2018 NBA Season.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Target Center</span> Arena in Minnesota, United States

Target Center is a multi-purpose arena located in Minneapolis that opened in 1990. It hosts major family shows, concerts, sporting events, graduations and private events. Target Corporation, founded and headquartered in Minneapolis since 1902, has held the naming rights to the arena since its opening.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moda Center</span> Sports arena in Portland, Oregon

Moda Center, formerly known as the Rose Garden, is the primary indoor sports arena in Portland, Oregon, United States. It is used for basketball, rodeos, circuses, conventions, ice shows, concerts, and dramatic productions. The arena has a capacity of 20,500 spectators when configured for basketball. It is equipped with state-of-the-art acoustics and other amenities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spectrum Center</span> Entertainment and sports venue located in center city Charlotte, North Carolina

Spectrum Center is an indoor arena located in Uptown Charlotte, North Carolina. It is owned by the city of Charlotte and operated by its main tenant, the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The arena seats 19,077 for NBA games but can be expanded to 20,200 for college basketball games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KeyBank Center</span> Multipurpose indoor arena in Buffalo, New York

KeyBank Center is a multipurpose indoor arena located in Buffalo, New York, United States. Originally known as Marine Midland Arena, the venue has since been named HSBC Arena and First Niagara Center. Home to the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League since 1996, is the largest indoor arena in Western New York, seating 19,070. It replaced the Sabres' former home, Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, where the team played from 1970 to 1996. The venue is also home to the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TD Garden</span> Multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, United States

TD Garden is a multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It is located directly above the MBTA's North Station, and replaced the original Boston Garden upon opening in 1995. It is the most visited sports and entertainment arena in New England, as nearly 3.5 million people visit the arena each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amalie Arena</span> Multiuse arena in Tampa, Florida, USA

Amalie Arena is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, United States, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Memphis Pyramid</span> Arena in Tennessee, United States

The Memphis Pyramid, formerly known as the Great American Pyramid and the Pyramid Arena, and colloquially known as the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid, is a pyramid-shaped building located in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, United States, at the bank of the Mississippi River. Built in 1991 as a 20,142-seat arena, the facility was owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County until Shelby County sold its share to Memphis in April 2009. Its structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, which is known for its ancient pyramids. It is 321 feet (98 m) tall and has base sides of 591 feet (180 m); it is by some measures the tenth-tallest pyramid in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas & Mack Center</span> Multi-purpose arena

The Thomas & Mack Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas in Paradise, Nevada. It is home of the UNLV Runnin' Rebels basketball team of the Mountain West Conference.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse</span> Arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, US

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frost Bank Center</span> Arena in San Antonio, Texas, United States

Frost Bank Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena on the east side of San Antonio, Texas, United States. It is the home of the San Antonio Spurs of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bradley Center</span> Former arena in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin

The Bradley Center was a multi-purpose arena located on the northwest corner of North Vel R. Phillips Ave. and West State Streets in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoothie King Center</span> Multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Smoothie King Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is located in the city's Central Business District, adjacent to Caesars Superdome. The arena opened in 1999 as New Orleans Arena and has been home to the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA) since 2002. The New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League played their home games in the arena from 2004 until the team disbanded in 2008. The VooDoo resumed play at the arena in March 2011, until after the 2015 AFL season when the franchise folded.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">State Farm Arena</span> Arena located in Atlanta, Georgia

State Farm Arena is a multi-purpose arena located in Atlanta, Georgia. The arena serves as the home venue for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It also served as home to the Atlanta Thrashers of the National Hockey League from 1999 to 2011, before the team moved to Winnipeg, as well as the Atlanta Dream of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) from 2008 to 2016 and 2019, and the temporary home of Georgia Tech basketball in 2011. It opened in 1999 as Philips Arena at a cost of $213.5 million, replacing the Omni Coliseum. It is owned by the Atlanta Fulton County Recreation Authority and operated by the Hawks, owned by Tony Ressler along with a group of investors including Grant Hill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia)</span> Multi-purpose arena in Pennsylvania, US

Wells Fargo Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Philadelphia. It serves as the home of the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Philadelphia Wings of the National Lacrosse League (NLL). The arena lies at the southwest corner of the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, which includes Lincoln Financial Field, Citizens Bank Park, and Xfinity Live!.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alamodome</span> Multi-purpose domed stadium in San Antonio, Texas, United States

The Alamodome is a 64,000-seat domed indoor multi-purpose stadium in San Antonio, Texas. It is located on the southeastern fringe of downtown San Antonio. The facility opened on May 15, 1993, having been constructed at a cost of $186 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Bank Center</span> Indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.

Heritage Bank Center is an indoor arena in downtown Cincinnati, adjacent to Great American Ball Park. It was completed in September 1975 and named Riverfront Coliseum because of its placement next to Riverfront Stadium. In 1997, the facility became known as The Crown, and in 1999, it changed its name again to Firstar Center after Firstar Bank assumed naming rights. In 2002, following Firstar's merger with U.S. Bank, the arena took on the name U.S. Bank Arena and kept that name until 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fifth Third Arena</span> Multi-purpose arena in Cincinnati, Ohio

Fifth Third Arena is an indoor arena in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1989 and is located on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. It primarily serves as the home venue for the Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams and hosts other events. It is located in the Myrl H. Shoemaker Center, which was also the name of the arena until 2005, when it was named for Cincinnati-based Fifth Third Bank.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erie Insurance Arena</span> Indoor arena in Erie, Pennsylvania

Erie Insurance Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the downtown area of Erie, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and was the former home of the Erie BayHawks of the NBA G League. It was built in 1983 as part of the Erie Civic Center Complex Plaza, which also includes the Warner Theatre and UPMC Park – all of which are administered by the Erie County Convention Center Authority. The arena is named for the Erie Insurance Group, which purchased the naming rights in May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vibrant Arena at The MARK</span> Arena in Illinois, United States

The Vibrant Arena at The MARK, formerly known as The MARK of the Quad Cities, the iWireless Center, and the TaxSlayer Center, is a 12,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in Moline, Illinois. The facility opened in May 1993, under the name The MARK of the Quad Cities with the singer Neil Diamond as the opening act. The facility was renamed as the TaxSlayer Center on October 1, 2017. The arena started using its current name on September 1, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enterprise Center</span> Arena in St. Louis, Missouri, opened 1994

The Enterprise Center is an 18,096-seat arena located in downtown St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Its primary tenant is the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League, but it is also used for other functions, such as NCAA basketball, NCAA hockey, concerts, professional wrestling and more. In a typical year, the facility hosts about 175 events. Industry trade publication Pollstar has previously ranked Enterprise Center among the top ten arenas worldwide in tickets sold to non-team events, but the facility has since fallen into the upper sixties, as of 2017.

References

  1. 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–" . Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 "FedExForum". Ellerbe Becket. Archived from the original on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "FedExForum". Athletic Business. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
  4. "FedExForum". PC Sports. Archived from the original on February 25, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  5. "Memphis Grizzlies". Forbes . 2006. Retrieved February 19, 2014.
  6. "Fans Like NBA's See-Through Shot Clocks". NBC Sports . November 19, 2005. Archived from the original on August 20, 2011. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  7. "FedExForum will host 2019 AAC men's basketball tournament". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved August 2, 2017.
  8. "Predators Blast Columbus Out of FedExForum in NHL Exhibition" . Retrieved March 17, 2018.
  9. Wrestling events at the FedExForum, from WrestlingData.com
  10. "Memphis Invitational Presented by Cooper Tires". Professional Bull Riders. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved September 15, 2011.
  11. "Latest Project:FedEx Forum, Home of the Memphis Grizzlies, Upgrades Its Audio System With HARMAN BSS Audio Soundweb London Processing". Audio Communications Consultants Inc. Archived from the original on August 18, 2017. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  12. "Grizzlies install new main court in FedexForum".
  13. "Grizzlies set to begin construction at FedExForum to enhance Basketball Facilities | Memphis Grizzlies". Memphis Grizzlies. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  14. "Memphis Daily News".
Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Memphis Grizzlies

2004 present
Succeeded by
current
Preceded by Home of the
Memphis Tigers

2004 present
Succeeded by
current