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Written by Media Relations
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Friday, 30 November 2007 |
Washington, D.C. – What was once simply a dream for Abe and Irene Pollin, Verizon Center, a 20,000-seat sports and entertainment facility in downtown Washington, D.C., is celebrating its 10th anniversary. While hosting the greatest names in sports and entertainment, the arena has attracted 24 million patrons in attendance and a staggering $6.2 billion in dramatic redevelopment to the downtown Washington, D.C. area.
“When Irene and I opened the doors to Verizon Center ten years ago, our goals were to provide a world-class sports and entertainment facility in the heart of the nation’s capital, and provide a catalyst for the revitalization of downtown Washington, D.C. ,” says Abe Pollin, Chairman of Washington Sports & Entertainment. “On our tenth anniversary, we can look back and say that we have accomplished both of those goals. Now not only is the building filled with people attending events, but the entire area has become a vibrant economic center. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and we’re excited about continuing to bring the best in sports and entertainment to this city for many years to come.”
Ten years later Verizon Center continues as a shining example for other cities looking to redevelop and revitalize downtown neighborhoods. Recently, with the opening of the new Prudential Center arena in Newark, New Jersey, SportsIllustrated.com referenced Verizon Center as a building to emulate, and the Star Ledger declared that, because of Verizon Center, “the neighborhood along 7th Street NW has evolved from one of the most depressed areas in the nation’s capital into a planner’s dream neighborhood of hotels, restaurants, stores and people on the streets at all hours.”
“Verizon Center has been an incredible catalyst for dynamic, urban revitalization in the District of Columbia,” said Adrian M. Fenty, Mayor of Washington, D.C. “It has become the heartbeat that has pumped life into downtown Washington and brought a renewed sense of pride about everything our great city has to offer.”
Verizon Center has been a top ranked building worldwide since it opened. Leading trade publications such as Billboard Magazine and Venues Today have ranked Verizon Center among the Top 15 grossing venues of comparable size worldwide. Pollstar has also ranked Verizon Center consistently in the Top 25 worldwide according to ticket sales for comparably sized venues.
Measuring the size of an entire city block, the 20,000-seat capacity Verizon Center has undergone a mini-makeover for its tenth anniversary including a new scoreboard, a new concourse color scheme and new directional signage. The brand new high-definition scoreboard, the first of its kind for an arena in the country, features Diamond Vision LED Fascia, corner stat displays and video boards driven by ANC Sports’ patent pending VisionSOFT operating system. Sitting at 14 feet 5 inches high x 25 feet 2 inches wide, the new scoreboard exhibits over 68 billion colors. Over 1,000 feet of linear LED boards were also added to the upper bowl of the arena, as well as 400 feet of LED boards surrounding the lower bowl of the arena with full motion signage. The new concourse color scheme and directional signage is incorporated throughout the main concourses of the arena.
Additional amenities for Verizon Center include a 110 executive and luxury suites, a private Acela Club restaurant overlooking the event floor, a private VIP lounge -Johnnie Walker Coaches Club, an eighty seat Coca-Cola Theatre, Dewar’s 12 Clubhouse, mini-restaurants and concession stands offering a variety of food choices, and the Fan Gear sporting goods team store. Other tenants within the arena include VIDA Fitness/Bang Salon, The Green Turtle sports bar & grille restaurant, McDonald’s, Chipotle and Thrifty Car Rental. Future amenities to be added this season include the members-only executive club – Collaborations by SiloSmashers and Dunkin Donuts. The building is managed by Washington Sports & Entertainment, LP and is home to the NBA’s Washington Wizards, the WNBA’s Washington Mystics, the NHL’s Washington Capitals and the NCAA’s Georgetown Hoyas Men’s Basketball team.
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