 Amway
Center
Orlando, FL
For nearly
two decades the Orlando Magic played at Amway Arena. When it opened
in 1989, it was one of the premier arenas in the NBA. However, since
that time the economic landscape of the NBA changed as nearly every
team moved into a new arena that included luxury suites and club
seats. This led the Magic ownership to pursue the construction of a
new arena for the team. In December 2007 they unveiled plans to
construct a new arena in downtown Orlando along Church and Hughey
Streets. The $480 million arena was financed by the Magic
contributing $50 million, the city paying for the land and
infrastructure, and bonds from Orange County. Amway decided to
continue its partnership with the team and purchased the naming
rights to the new arena in August 2009 for $40 million over 10
years.
The
Orlando Magic will play their first game at Amway Center on October
28, 2010 against the Washington Wizard. It has a larger seating capacity than
the Amway Arena with 18,500
seats. The Amway Center has three seating levels, the lower,
club/suite and upper level. Magic fans can find many amenities
here as it has 56 luxury suites, 10 specialty suites and
four restaurants. Perhaps the most unique feature of the Amway
Center is the main 20,000 square foot entrance to the
arena that features a 151 foot tall
glass tower. It will host the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. |
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