Rose Quarter facts for kids
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| Location | 1 Center Court Portland, Oregon 97227 |
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| Coordinates | 45°31′53.44″N 122°40′0.35″W / 45.5315111°N 122.6667639°W |
| Owner | Paul Allen (Vulcan Sports and Entertainment) City of Portland, Oregon |
| Operator | AEG Facilities |
| Capacity | 19,980 (Moda Center) 12,888 (Coliseum) 6,500 (Theatre of the Clouds) |
| Construction | |
| Opened | November 1960 (Memorial Coliseum) |
| Expanded | 1993–1995 (construction of Rose Garden Arena, (now called the Moda Center) |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill Ellerbe Becket |
The Rose Quarter is a big sports and entertainment area in Portland, Oregon. It covers about 30 acres (12 hectares) and sits on the east side of the Willamette River, right across from downtown Portland. This area is home to two main sports arenas: the Moda Center and the Memorial Coliseum. It's a busy spot for games, concerts, and other fun events!
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What is the Rose Quarter?
The Rose Quarter is more than just arenas. It's a whole district designed for entertainment. Here you'll find two large arenas, a theatre, ticket offices, and four parking garages. There's also a big convention space, several restaurants, and a public area called the Rose Quarter Commons. It's a place where many people gather for different activities.
Moda Center: Home of the Trail Blazers
The Moda Center is a huge arena, about 785,000 square feet (7.3 hectares) in size. It can hold almost 20,000 people! The arena has two main seating areas, an upper and a lower bowl, with special luxury boxes in between. It opened in 1995 and is the current home for the Portland Trail Blazers, Portland's professional basketball team in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Besides basketball, the Moda Center hosts many other events like concerts, circuses, rodeos, and ice shows.
Veterans Memorial Coliseum: The Glass Palace
The Veterans Memorial Coliseum is another large arena in the Rose Quarter. It can seat 12,888 people and was built way back in 1960. This arena was the first home for the Portland Trail Blazers. The Blazers even won their first NBA championship here in 1977! The Coliseum is still used today for Portland Winterhawks hockey games and other events like concerts and shows. People sometimes call it the "Glass Palace" because of its unique glass walls.
Getting to the Rose Quarter: Transportation and Parking
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It's easy to get to the Rose Quarter! Two MAX Light Rail stations serve the area, connecting it to different parts of Portland. Many bus lines also stop nearby. If you're driving, the Rose Quarter has over 2,600 parking spaces in four garages and two outdoor lots. There are also extra parking lots a few blocks away, which are connected by the MAX Light Rail. Parking prices usually range from $8 to $15, depending on the event.
Who Owns and Manages the Rose Quarter?
The Rose Quarter is owned by two groups: Vulcan Sports and Entertainment (VSE) and the City of Portland. VSE is a company owned by Paul Allen, who was a co-founder of Microsoft. VSE owns the Moda Center and the land it sits on. The City of Portland owns the rest of the Rose Quarter property.
VSE is in charge of managing all the properties in the Rose Quarter. They hire another company, AEG Facilities, to operate the arenas and other facilities.
How the Rose Quarter Started
The Rose Quarter officially began in 1993. Before that, the area was mostly just the Memorial Coliseum and its parking lot. To build the new Moda Center (which was first called the Rose Garden Arena), parts of the Coliseum's parking lot were given to a company owned by Paul Allen.
As part of this deal, Allen's company would manage both the new arena and the old Coliseum. This new, combined area was then named the Rose Quarter. The city hoped that building the new arena would bring more development to the area, making it an even more exciting place to visit. Over the years, the ownership and management of the Rose Quarter have changed a few times, but it has remained a key spot for sports and entertainment in Portland.
