Climate Pledge Arena facts for kids
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“The Greenhouse”
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West entrance (First Ave N.) in 2008
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 Climate Pledge Arena
Location in Washington (state)
Climate Pledge Arena
Location in the United States
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| Full name | Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center |
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| Former names | Washington State Pavilion (1962) Washington State Coliseum (1962–1964) Seattle Center Coliseum (1964–1995) KeyArena at Seattle Center (1995–2018) |
| Address | 305 Harrison St |
| Location | Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 47°37′19″N 122°21′14″W / 47.622°N 122.354°W |
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| Owner | City of Seattle |
| Operator | Oak View Group |
| Capacity | After 2021 renovation: Basketball: 18,100 Ice hockey: 17,100 Concerts: 17,200 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 12, 1960 |
| Opened | April 21, 1962 |
| Renovated | 1964, 1994–1995, 2018–2021 |
| Construction cost | US$7 million (1962) ($69.2 million in 2022 dollars ) $74.5 million (1995) ($147 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | Paul A. Thiry (1962) NBBJ (1995) Populous (2021) |
| Project manager | CAA ICON (2021) |
| Structural engineer | Peter H. Hostmark and Associates (1962) Skilling Ward Magnusson Barkshire (1995) Thornton Tomasetti (2021) |
| General contractor | Howard S. Wright Construction (1962) PCL Construction (1995) Mortenson Construction (2021) |
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| Seattle Redhawks (NCAA) 1964–1980, 2008–2018, 2021– Seattle Totems (WHL/CHL) 1964–1975 Seattle SuperSonics (NBA) 1967–1978, 1985–2008 Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) 1989–2008 Seattle SeaDogs (CISL) 1996–1997 Washington Huskies (NCAA) 1999–2000 Seattle Storm (WNBA) 2000–2018, 2022– Rat City Roller Derby (WFTDA) 2009–2018, 2021– Seattle Kraken (NHL) 2021– |
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Century 21–Washington State Coliseum
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| Area | approx. 6.8 acres (2.8 ha) |
| Architectural style | Modern |
| NRHP reference No. | 100002406 |
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| Added to NRHP | May 10, 2018 |
Climate Pledge Arena is a large sports and entertainment building in Seattle, Washington, USA. It's located north of downtown Seattle in the Seattle Center, which was the site of the 1962 World's Fair. The arena was first built for the World's Fair and later bought by the city of Seattle. It hosts concerts, ice shows, circuses, and sports events.
The arena recently had a huge upgrade that cost about $900 million. It reopened in 2021. It can now hold 17,100 people for ice hockey and 18,100 for basketball.
Before its big renovation in 2018, the arena was home to the Seattle Storm (a women's basketball team), the Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team, and the Rat City Roller Derby league. It also hosted the Pac-12 Conference's women's basketball tournament.
Now, the arena is the home of the Seattle Kraken, a new NHL (ice hockey) team that started playing in 2021. The Storm and the Redhawks also returned to play their games here.
The arena is famous for being the longtime home of the Seattle SuperSonics, a former NBA (basketball) team. The Sonics played there from 1967 to 1978, and again from 1985 to 2008. The building was called the Seattle Center Coliseum for many years.
After a big renovation in 1995, it was renamed KeyArena when KeyCorp bought the naming rights. The SuperSonics left Seattle in 2008. The arena also hosted minor league hockey teams like the Seattle Totems and the Seattle Thunderbirds.
In 2020, Amazon bought the naming rights. They named it Climate Pledge Arena to bring attention to climate change. Amazon also announced that it would be the first zero-carbon arena in the world. This means it uses only clean, renewable energy, not fossil fuels like natural gas.
Contents
Arena History: From World's Fair to Today
Early Days: Seattle Center Coliseum
The arena first opened in 1962 as the Washington State Pavilion for the Century 21 Exposition, also known as the World's Fair. It was designed by architect Paul Thiry. After the fair, the city of Seattle bought the Pavilion for $2.9 million.
It was then turned into the Washington State Coliseum and became a main part of the new Seattle Center. The Seattle University men's basketball team was the first major team to play there. In 1964, it was renamed the Seattle Center Coliseum. The Seattle Totems hockey team also moved in that year.
The Coliseum became home to the Seattle SuperSonics basketball team in 1967. They played there for most of their time in Seattle.
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The Coliseum hosted two NBA Finals in 1978 and 1979, both between the SuperSonics and the Washington Bullets. The Bullets won in 1978. But the Sonics won in 1979, bringing Seattle its only NBA championship.
For a few years, the Sonics played some games at the Kingdome, a larger stadium. But they returned to the Coliseum full-time in 1985. The arena also hosted the NBA All-Star Game in 1974. In 1987, it hosted the NBA All-Star Saturday events, where Michael Jordan won the slam-dunk contest.
The arena has also hosted many famous concerts. The Beatles performed there twice, in 1964 and 1966. Their 1966 show was their last indoor concert ever. Metallica also played one of their first big arena concerts there in 1989.
In 1986, a basketball game between the Sonics and the Phoenix Suns had to be stopped because rain leaked from the roof onto the court! Players were slipping, so the game was paused and finished the next night.
KeyArena: A Major Renovation
By the early 1990s, the Coliseum was getting old. Seattle's mayor, Norm Rice, worried that the city would lose concerts and the Sonics team to newer arenas in other cities. So, a plan was made to renovate the Coliseum.
The idea was to dig the floor deeper to add more seats. The famous roof structure could be kept, which saved money and made the building strong against earthquakes. The old roof was replaced with a new one that kept its well-known shape.
The renovation cost about $74.5 million. It included new concession stands, sports clubs, and luxury suites. The goal was for the arena to pay for itself through ticket sales, food, and other income.
The Coliseum was closed for a year for the renovation, from 1994 to 1995. During this time, the SuperSonics played their home games at the Tacoma Dome.
On April 11, 1995, the city sold the naming rights to KeyCorp, a bank. The Coliseum was then renamed KeyArena. The renovated arena opened on October 26, 1995.
The first regular season game for the SuperSonics at the new KeyArena was on November 4, 1995. The arena hosted the 1996 NBA Finals in its first year, where the SuperSonics lost to the Chicago Bulls. The last SuperSonics game played there was on April 13, 2008.
Many other events took place at KeyArena. U2 performed sold-out concerts there in 2005. Depeche Mode played there six times. The arena also hosted WWE wrestling events and the Professional Bull Riders.
From 2014, the arena hosted The International Dota 2 eSports tournaments, which are huge video game competitions with millions of dollars in prizes. KeyArena also hosted early rounds of the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 1999 and 2015.
Seating Capacity Over Time
When it first opened, the arena could hold 13,200 people for basketball and 12,250 for ice hockey. Over the years, small changes were made to add more seats.
After the big renovation in 1995, the arena could seat 17,072 for basketball and 15,177 for ice hockey. However, for hockey, some seats had a bad view, so the actual usable capacity was lower.
The newest renovation, completed in 2021, has made the arena even bigger and better. It now seats 18,100 for basketball, 17,100 for ice hockey, and 17,200 for concerts.
The seating capacity for basketball and hockey are as follows:
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Climate Pledge Arena: A New Beginning
In 2016, Seattle leaders decided to upgrade KeyArena to attract new sports teams, like an NHL hockey team. Two groups offered plans to rebuild the arena. The Oak View Group (OVG) was chosen. Their plan was to lower the arena's floor by 15 feet while keeping the famous roof.
The arena's outside, including its roof, was made a city landmark in 2017. This means it's a special historical building. It was also added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.
In December 2017, the city approved OVG's plan to rebuild the arena. The arena closed in October 2018 for two years of construction. The WNBA's Seattle Storm team played their games at other venues during this time.
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On September 25, 2018, the Seattle City Council approved the $700 million renovation. Soon after, the NHL approved a new hockey team for Seattle, the Seattle Kraken. The renovation work began on December 5, 2018. The total cost of the project grew to between $825 and $850 million.
When the arena closed, its name changed from KeyArena to Seattle Center Arena for the construction period. In June 2020, Amazon bought the naming rights. They named it Climate Pledge Arena. Amazon's CEO, Jeff Bezos, chose this name to encourage action on climate change.
Climate Pledge Arena is designed to be the world's first zero-carbon arena. This means it uses only renewable energy sources, like solar power, to run everything. It does not use natural gas, which is a common fuel for other arenas.
Getting There: Transportation
Climate Pledge Arena is in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood. You can get there using King County Metro buses from many areas, including Queen Anne Hill and Downtown Seattle. The RapidRide D Line offers frequent bus service.
The Seattle Center Monorail also goes to the arena. It connects the arena to Westlake Center and the Westlake tunnel station downtown. The monorail runs more often during events.
The arena has three public parking garages nearby, with space for almost 3,000 cars. There are also other parking lots and street parking in the area. The arena is close to major roads like Interstate 5 and State Route 99.
In the future, a Link light rail train station is planned to serve the Seattle Center and Climate Pledge Arena. This is expected to open around 2035.
Gallery
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KeyArena's former main entrance.
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KeyArena's former main entrance.
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Interior of KeyArena when it served as the home of the Seattle SuperSonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder).
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Panorama of the former interior of KeyArena.
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KeyArena's former ice hockey seating configuration.
Images for kids
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The structure under construction in 1961
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Key Arena in 2008
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Arena under renovation in August 2019
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Interior view of Climate Pledge Arena in its hockey configuration
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See also
In Spanish: Climate Pledge Arena para niños
