Albany Civic Center facts for kids
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Albany Civic Center as seen from Front Street.
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| Full name | Albany James H. Gray Sr. Civic Center |
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| Location | 100 West Oglethorpe Boulevard Albany, Georgia 31701-6808 |
| Owner | City of Albany, Georgia |
| Operator | Spectra Venue Management |
| Capacity | 10,712 (concerts) 9,082 (Sesame Street Live) 8,436 (basketball) 7,782 (rodeo) 6,570 (Disney on Ice) 7,200 (arena football) |
| Opened | February 1983 |
| Tenants | |
| Albany Sharp Shooters (GBA) (1991–1992) South Georgia Blues (GBA) (1992) Albany State Golden Rams (SIAC) (1994–1995) South Georgia Wildcats (AF2) (2005–2009) Albany Panthers (SIFL/PIFL) (2010–2013) Albany Shockwave (ABA) (2012–2013) Georgia Firebirds (AIF/NAL) (2016–2017) Albany Aces (NISL) (2024) |
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The Albany James H. Gray Sr. Civic Center, often called the Albany Civic Center, is a large building in Albany, Georgia. It's a place where many different events happen. You can find it in downtown Albany, right by the Flint River.
This center opened in 1983 and is the only one of its kind in Southwest Georgia. It can hold up to 10,711 people for concerts. This makes it the biggest indoor arena in Georgia, outside of the Atlanta area. It's the third largest in the whole state.
Contents
The Story of the Albany Civic Center
How the Center Helped Downtown Albany
In 1976, a new shopping mall opened in Albany. Many stores in downtown Albany then closed their doors. This made the downtown area less busy. Mayor James H. Gray Sr. wanted to bring life back to downtown. He led a big effort to make the area exciting again. The Albany Civic Center was a key part of his plan.
The arena was later named after Mayor Gray. This happened after he passed away in 1986, just three years after the center opened.
Surviving a Big Flood
In July 1994, the Flint River flooded very badly. The water rose 23 feet above its normal level. The Albany Civic Center almost flooded, but it was saved. Most of the parking areas around the center were underwater. All four bridges across the Flint River in Albany had to close. People had to drive 100 miles out of their way to get from one side of the city to the other.
What You Can Do at the Civic Center
Space for Events and Meetings
The Albany Civic Center was built to be both an arena and a convention center. This means it has a lot of space for different activities. It has 46,000 square feet for exhibits. There are also 6,000 square feet of meeting rooms.
Seating for Every Event
The center can change its seating to fit different events.
- For ice skating shows like Disney on Ice, it seats 6,570 people.
- For rodeo events, it can hold 7,782 people.
- For basketball games, there are 8,436 seats.
- Boxing and wrestling events can have 9,013 people watching.
- For concerts, the seating can range from 5,728 to 10,711 people. This depends on how the stage is set up.
Today, the Civic Center is part of the Flint River Entertainment Complex. This group of venues in downtown Albany also includes the Albany Municipal Auditorium and the Veterans Park Amphitheater.
Teams and Events from the Past
Sports Teams That Played Here
The Albany Civic Center has been home to many sports teams.
- The Georgia Firebirds played indoor football here in 2016 and 2017.
- The Albany Panthers played indoor football from 2010 to 2013.
- The South Georgia Wildcats also played indoor football from 2005 to 2009.
- Basketball teams like the Albany Shockwave and the Albany State University Golden Rams played here. The Golden Rams used the center after the 1994 flood damaged their own facilities.
- The Albany Sharp Shooters and South Georgia Blues also played basketball here.
Other Exciting Events
From 1987 to 1992, the Civic Center hosted the SEC women's basketball tournament. This was a big event for college basketball fans.
The center has also hosted many professional wrestling shows. These included events from the National Wrestling Alliance and World Championship Wrestling. Famous shows like Clash of the Champions III: Fall Brawl and SuperBrawl IV happened here.
The music video for the song "Mary, Mary" by Run-DMC was filmed at the Albany Civic Center in 1988.
