Dunkin Donuts Arena: IXS

The Dunkin' Donuts Center is an indoor arena2,620-seat Alumni Hall.
located in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.It wasThe Dunkin’ Donuts
built in 1972. The Arena actually built as a placeCenter attracts a vast audience of patrons from
for the emerging Providence College men'sall over Southeastern New England. The Arena
basketball program and the high demand forpartners with a wide variety of companies and
tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as fororganizations seeking to interact with audiences.
the then-Providence Reds, who played in theThe New England Steamrollers of the Arena
nearly fifty-year old Rhode Island Auditorium.Football League called the arena home in 1988.
Initially, it was known as the Providence CivicThe Providence Reds hockey team played there
Center. Later on, a naming rights deal wasfor five years starting in 1972. The venue has
reached with Dunkin' Donuts in June 2001. Thelong been a regular stop on WWE tours. It was
Providence Bruins of the American Hockeythe site of WWF King of the Ring tournaments
League and the Providence College Friars men'sfive times and hosted the 1994 Royal Rumble. In
basketball team are the current tenants of this1999 the Dunkin' Donuts Center was home to the
wonderful arena.WWE Backlash Pay-Per-View event. In 2005 this
The Dunkin Donuts Center has become a veryvenue hosted WWE Armageddon on December
important sports place in the USA.It has been the18, 2005 presented by SmackDown! and Xbox
site of many collegiate tournaments, including the360. A number of other professional sporting
inaugural 1980 Big East Conference men'sevents (such as the Harlem Globetrotters), as well
basketball tournament; several ECAC basketballas rock, pop, and opera concerts have occurred
tournaments; NCAA basketball tournament first-there as well.
and second-round games in 1976, 1979, 1980,The Rhode Island Convention Center Authority
1981, 1989, and 1996; the 1978 and 1985purchased the building from the City of
basketball regionals; the inaugural 1985 HockeyProvidence for dollar28.5 million in December of
East Tournament (won by the home team); and2005,. A major reconstruction is underway which
the 1995 and 2000 NCAA Frozen Four ice hockeywill also include an expansion of the arena seating
championships.capacity. The Authority will spend dollar62 million
The University of Rhode Island has also playedon the renovation of the "Dunk" to transform the
home basketball games at Dunkin' Donuts Center.facility into a state-of-the-art arena. Two major
On some special occasions, the PC women'selements of the construction include an expanded
basketball team has played "home" games in thelobby and an enclosed pedestrian bridge between
arena, most notably for games against URI orthe Convention Center and the Dunkin' Donuts
UConn, where demand for tickets would beCenter.
enough to warrant an arena larger than the