CHI Health Center Omaha facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

This page is about the arena in Omaha formerly known as CenturyLink Center. For the arena in Bossier City, Louisiana formerly known as CenturyLink Center, see Brookshire Grocery Arena.

Quick facts for kids CHI Health Center Omaha


Former names	Omaha Arena and Convention Center (planning/construction) Qwest Center Omaha (2003–11) CenturyLink Center Omaha (2011–18)
Alternative names	CHI Health Center Omaha Convention Center and Arena
General information
Location	Downtown Omaha
Address	455 North 10th Street Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Coordinates	41°15′47″N 95°55′41″W / 41.263°N 95.928°W / 41.263; -95.928
Named for	CHI Health
Groundbreaking	March 1, 2001; 24 years ago (2001-03-01)
Opened	September 20, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09-20)
Inaugurated	September 12, 2003; 21 years ago (2003-09-12)
Cost	$291 million ($463 million in 2022 dollars )
Owner	City of Omaha
Technical details
Size	1,118,300 square feet (103,890 m²)
Design and construction
Architecture firm	DLR Group
Structural engineer	Thornton-Tomasetti Group
Services engineer	M–E Engineers, Inc.
Main contractor	Kiewit Construction Co.
Other information
Seating capacity	18,320 (basketball) 17,100 (hockey) 18,975 (concert center-stage) 2,693 (Peter Kiewit Grand Ballroom)
Parking	4,500 spaces

The CHI Health Center Omaha is a huge building in Omaha, Nebraska, where exciting events happen! It's both a big arena for sports and concerts, and a convention center for large meetings. It's run by a group called MECA. This amazing place is about 1.1 million square feet, which is like 18 football fields! It has an arena with 18,975 seats, a giant exhibition hall, and lots of meeting rooms.

This complex first opened on September 20, 2003. Back then, it was called Qwest Center Omaha. Later, on July 15, 2011, its name changed to CenturyLink Center Omaha. This happened because CenturyLink bought Qwest. Then, in July 2018, a company called CHI Health bought the rights to name the arena. So, on September 1, 2018, it became the CHI Health Center Omaha. This deal was for 20 years and cost $23.6 million.

The arena is located near the Missouri River. It hosts many fun events like basketball and hockey games, professional wrestling shows, and concerts. It's also where the big company Berkshire Hathaway holds its yearly meeting.

The main team that plays here is the Creighton University men's basketball team. The Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey team also played here until 2015. They then moved to a new place called Baxter Arena.

How the CHI Health Center Was Built
Exciting Events at the Arena
- Olympic Swimming Trials
- Rodeo Events
Building and Upgrades
Who Plays Here?
What Was It Called Before?
Records and Big Moments
Images for kids
See also

How the CHI Health Center Was Built

In 2000, people in Omaha voted to spend $216 million to build a new convention center and arena. Other groups and people gave the rest of the money, making the total cost $291 million. The company DLR Group designed the building.

The arena, first called Qwest Center Omaha, opened in September 2003. It could hold 17,000 people for concerts. For basketball, it held 15,500, and for hockey, 14,700. In 2006, they added about 1,500 more seats in a $5.7 million expansion.

This new center took the place of the Omaha Civic Auditorium as the city's main indoor arena. Another old arena, Ak-Sar-Ben Coliseum, closed in 2002 and was torn down in 2005.

Exciting Events at the Arena

The CHI Health Center has hosted many big events. It has held games for the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament four times: in 2008, 2012, 2015, and 2024. It also hosted the "Sweet Sixteen" and "Elite Eight" games in 2018. The tournament was planned for 2020 but was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The arena also hosted the 2010 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. It has been home to WWE wrestling events, including "Judgment Day 2008." Famous boxer Terence Crawford, who is from Omaha, has had five championship boxing matches here. His first championship fight in Omaha was in 2014, which was the first in Nebraska since 1971!

Every February, the arena hosts the Nebraska School Activities Association state wrestling championships. This tournament moved here in 2006 after being held in Lincoln for 30 years.

Olympic Swimming Trials

The center has hosted the USA Swimming Summer Olympics trials several times: in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2021. These events were shown on TV across the country. The center doesn't have a regular swimming pool. Instead, a team of 200 workers builds huge temporary pools in just two weeks! The Omaha Fire Department helps by pumping millions of gallons of water into them.

In 2008, over 12,000 people watched the swimming trials each night. During the 2008 event, a storm damaged part of the roof. Water poured into the center and onto the pool deck. But the swimming trials still went on as planned!

After each event, the pools are taken apart. They are then moved to other cities to be used permanently. For example, the 2008 pool went to Virginia, and the 2012 pool went to Boston. The 2016 pool was bought by a group in North Dakota for $900,000. The 2021 pool is going to Minneapolis to become part of a new Olympic-level swimming center.

In 2016, the arena also hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.

Rodeo Events

From 2006 to 2009, the Professional Bull Riders held a big event called the Built Ford Tough Series here. They also hosted a Velocity Tour event from 2014 to 2016. The PBR came back in 2021 for their first major event in 12 years.

Building and Upgrades

Construction on the new convention center and arena began in 2001. It was first called the "Omaha Arena and Convention Center." DLR Group was the main design company. The Thornton-Tomasetti Group worked on the building's structure. A local company, Kiewit Corporation, was in charge of building it. The first groundbreaking ceremony was on March 1, 2001. The building was finished in August 2003 and officially opened on September 24, 2003.

In 2006, the arena got an upgrade. They added 1,472 more seats to the upper part of the arena. This project also included new restrooms and food stands. It cost $6 million. The work started in May and finished on September 8, 2006.

In 2009, the center had another big renovation. This $6 million project updated the whole building. It included new carpet, wallpaper, fresh covers for the arena seats, and a brand new scoreboard.

Who Plays Here?

Teams and Events
Creighton Bluejays	Big East	2003–present
River City Rodeo and Stock Show	KASB	2003–present
UNO Mavericks	NCHC	2003–2015
Nebraska State Wrestling Tournament	NSAA	2007–present
United States Olympic Trials	USA-S	2008–2021
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament	NCAA	2008, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2024
NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship		2008, 2020, 2022
NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships		2010
Omaha Supernovas	PVF	2024–present

What Was It Called Before?

Qwest Center Omaha (September 20, 2003–July 14, 2011)
CenturyLink Center Omaha (July 15, 2011–August 31, 2018)
CHI Health Center Omaha (September 1, 2018–present)

Records and Big Moments

Top 10 Largest Home Crowds for Creighton Basketball

Rank	Attendance	Opponent	Result	Date
1	18,964	Providence	W 88–73	March 8, 2014
2	18,859	Georgetown	W 76–63	January 25, 2014
3	18,831	Villanova	L 70–80	December 31, 2016
4	18,797	Villanova	W 101–80	February 16, 2014
5	18,759	Gonzaga	L 92-103	December 1, 2018
6	18,742	Seton Hall	W 72–71	February 23, 2014
7	18,735	Wichita State	L 68–89	February 11, 2012
8	18,613	Wichita State	W 91–79	March 2, 2013
9	18,571	DePaul	W 85-62	January 27, 2024
10	18,525	Marquette	W 67-49	December 31, 2013

On March 8, 2014, the biggest crowd ever for a Creighton University basketball game happened. 18,964 fans watched the Creighton men's team beat Providence. This was a special night for player Doug McDermott, who scored 45 points!

On January 13, 2012, the largest crowd to ever watch a hockey game in Nebraska gathered here. 16,138 fans saw the University of Nebraska at Omaha play against Minnesota-Duluth.

The CHI Health Center also holds several records for college volleyball attendance. The three largest crowds for NCAA tournament volleyball matches were all for Nebraska Cornhuskers games at this venue. The biggest crowd for any volleyball match in the U.S. was on December 19, 2015. 17,561 fans watched the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship game between Nebraska and Texas. This broke a record set just two days earlier, when 17,551 fans watched Nebraska play Kansas. And that game broke a record from 2008, when 17,340 fans watched Penn State and Nebraska play.