Von Braun Center facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Von Braun Center |
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Aerial view of complex (c.2016)
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| Address | 700 Monroe St Huntsville, AL 35801-5579 |
| Location | Quigley |
| Owner | City of Huntsville |
| Operator | Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau |
| Opened | March 14, 1975 |
| Renovated | 2010 |
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Construction cost
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$15 million ($98.9 million in 2022 dollars ) |
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Former names
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Huntsville Civic Center (planning/construction) Von Braun Civic Center (1975-97) |
| Banquet/ballroom | 6,700 (South Hall) 1,365 (East Hall) 1,200 (North Hall) |
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Theatre seating
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6,000 (Propst Arena) 1,955 (Smith Concert Hall) 502 (The Playhouse) |
| Enclosed space | |
| • Total space | 368,938 square feet (34,275.5 m2) |
| • Exhibit hall floor | 148,884 square feet (13,831.8 m2) |
| • Breakout/meeting | 15,342 square feet (1,425.3 m2) |
| • Ballroom | 16,280 square feet (1,512 m2) |
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Building details
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| General information | |
| Current tenants | Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (NCAA) (1979–present) Huntsville Lasers (GBA) (1991–92) Huntsville Blast (ECHL) (1993–94) Huntsville Channel Cats (SHL/CHL/SEHL) (1995–2000, 2003–04) Huntsville Fire (EISL) (1997–98) Tennessee Valley Vipers (af2) (2000–04, 2006–09) Huntsville Flight (NBDL) (2001–05) Huntsville Havoc (SPHL) (2004–present) Tennessee Valley Raptors (UIF) (2005) Alabama Vipers (AFL) (2010) Alabama Hammers (SIFL/PIFL) (2011–15) |
| Groundbreaking | February 23, 1973 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Booz-Allen-Hamilton |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Matheny Goldmon |
| Structural engineer | Hodnett Hurst Engineers, Inc. and Geiger Engineers |
| Services engineer | Peter Basso Associates |
| Civil engineer | CRS Engineering, Inc. |
| Other designers | AVANT ACOUSTICS LLC and Peerbolte Creative LLC |
| Main contractor | VCC |
The Von Braun Center (VBC) is a huge building in Huntsville, Alabama. It has an arena, meeting rooms, and spaces for shows. It used to be called the Von Braun Civic Center until 1997. The arena can hold up to 10,000 people. The VBC first opened in 1975 and has been made bigger many times since then.
Besides the main arena, the VBC has several exhibit halls. It also has a concert hall, a playhouse, and many other areas. These spaces are used for meetings and different kinds of shows.
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History of the VBC
The VBC is named after Wernher von Braun. He was a German-American rocket scientist. After World War II, he came to the United States Army's Redstone Arsenal. He and his team helped start the United States space program.
Plans for the VBC began in 1965. The first part of the building opened on March 14, 1975. It included the sports arena and an exhibit hall. There was also a concert hall, a playhouse, and a museum space. The arena was built for about 8,000 people. It had scoreboards and a special floor for ice events. The concert hall had rooms for rehearsals and performers.
The VBC grew over time. In 1980, they added more exhibit space. This area is now part of the East Hall. In 1983, bigger kitchens were added for catering events.
In 1987, the North Hall was built. This area was designed for fancy exhibits and banquets. It has soft carpets and nice lighting. There are also many meeting rooms.
A very large exhibit space called South Hall opened in 1997. This was built so the city could host a big bowling event. South Hall is the biggest exhibit area at the VBC. It has a large lobby and an underground parking garage. In 2006, a walkway was added to connect South Hall to a nearby hotel.
The oldest parts of the VBC were updated in 2011. This included new seats in the arena. The lobbies of the arena and concert hall were also rebuilt. The outside of the building got a new look too.
Elvis Presley's Shows
Did you know that Elvis Presley played at the Von Braun Center? He performed five shows there from May 30 to June 1, 1975. This was a big deal because it was the first time Elvis had so many shows in a row outside of Las Vegas.
Sports at the VBC
The VBC is a busy place for sports. It is home to the UAH Chargers ice hockey team. It also hosts the Huntsville Havoc hockey team. They play in the Southern Professional Hockey League.
Many other sports teams have played at the VBC. These include:
- The Huntsville Lasers and Huntsville Flight basketball teams.
- The Huntsville Blast and Huntsville Channel Cats ice hockey teams.
- The Huntsville Fire soccer team.
- The Alabama Vipers and Alabama Hammers arena football teams.
On February 10, 2007, the Huntsville Havoc played the Knoxville Ice Bears. There were 7,083 fans there, which was the biggest crowd ever for a sports event at the VBC!
The VBC has also hosted wrestling events. Total Nonstop Action Wrestling held its first show there. All Elite Wrestling (AEW) also had an episode of AEW Dynamite at the arena in 2020.
Entertainment and Culture
The arena at the VBC has hosted many concerts. Famous rock, pop, and country music artists have performed there.
The VBC Concert Hall is home to the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra. They have been playing there since 1975. The concert hall also hosts shows from the Broadway Theater League.
The playhouse at the VBC is used by local theater groups. These include Theatre Huntsville and the Fantasy Playhouse Children's Theater. It also hosts the Jim Parker Songwriters Series and other community events. The yearly Panoply of the Arts festival happens next to the VBC in Big Spring Park.
The Huntsville Museum of Art was once located at the VBC. It stayed there from the VBC's opening until 1998. Then, the museum moved to a new building nearby. The old museum space is now used for VBC offices.
Recent Updates
On October 23, 2008, it was announced that the VBC Arena would get a big update. This renovation cost $15 million. The arena was renamed the Propst Arena. This was because a family donated $5 million to the city for the project.
More renovations began on February 5, 2010. These updates were for what is now called the Mark C. Smith Concert Hall.
