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.jpg) The venue in 2020 | |
  Heritage Bank Center Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Heritage Bank Center Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | Riverfront Coliseum (1975–1997) The Crown (1997–1999) Firstar Center (1999–2002) U.S. Bank Arena (2002–2019) |
|---|---|
| Address | 100 Broadway Street |
| Location | Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 39°5′52″N84°30′16″W / 39.09778°N 84.50444°W /39.09778; -84.50444 |
| Owner | Nederlander Entertainment andAnschutz Entertainment Group |
| Operator | Nederlander Entertainment |
| Capacity | Concert: 17,556 Basketball: 17,000 Ice hockey: 14,453 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | November 12, 1973[1] |
| Opened | September 9, 1975 |
| Construction cost | $20 million[2] ($117 million in 2024 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Pattee Architects, Inc.[4] |
| Structural engineer | Clark Engineering Corporation[4] |
| General contractor | Universal Contracting Corp.[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Cincinnati Stingers (WHA) (1975–1979) Cincinnati Bearcats (NCAA) (1976–1987) Cincinnati Kids (MISL) (1978–1979) Cincinnati Tigers (CHL) (1981–1982) Cincinnati Rockers (AFL) (1992–1993) Cincinnati Silverbacks (NPSL) (1997–1998) Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) (1997–2004, 2006–present) Cincinnati Stuff (IBL) (1999–2001) Cincinnati Swarm (AF2) (2003) Cincinnati Marshals (NIFL) (2005–2006) Cincinnati Jungle Kats (AF2) (2007) Cincinnati Slingers (IAL) (2026-Present) | |
| Website | |
| heritagebankcenter | |
Heritage Bank Center is anindoor arena in downtownCincinnati, adjacent toGreat American Ball Park. It was completed in September 1975 and namedRiverfront Coliseum because of its placement next toRiverfront Stadium. In 1997, the facility became known asThe Crown, and in 1999, it changed its name again toFirstar Center afterFirstar Bank assumed naming rights. In 2002, following Firstar's merger withU.S. Bank, the arena took on the nameU.S. Bank Arena and kept that name until 2019.
The arena seats 17,556 people and is the largest indoor arena in theGreater Cincinnati region with 346,100 square feet (32,150 m2) of space. The arena underwent a $14 million renovation project in 1997. The current main tenant is theCincinnati Cyclones of theECHL.
The arena was the home of theCincinnati Stingers of theWorld Hockey Association from 1975 to 1979. Since then, the arena has hosted two minor league hockey teams and various concerts, political rallies, tennis tournaments, figure skating, professional wrestling, traveling circus and rodeo shows, and other events. The facility's longest-serving tenant was theCincinnati Bearcats men's basketball program of theUniversity of Cincinnati, who used the arena from its construction until 1987, when the team moved toCincinnati Gardens and eventually to the on-campusFifth Third Arena.
Until the opening of Fifth Third Arena at the University of Cincinnati andTruist Arena atNorthern Kentucky University, commencement ceremonies for both schools were held at Heritage Bank Center. On occasion, there have been local pushes for the attraction of another major sports franchise to occupy the arena, possibly aNational Basketball Association (NBA) orNational Hockey League (NHL) franchise.[5] TheCincinnati Royals moved to Kansas City – Omaha in 1972, and were the last NBA team to call Cincinnati home. The NBACleveland Cavaliers have played preseason games at Heritage Bank Center.[6]
In August 2019, it was announced thatU.S. Bank would not be renewing its naming rights sponsorship of the arena, which had been in effect since 2002.[7] Kentucky-based Heritage Bank assumed naming rights of the arena on November 4, 2019.[8]
The arena was renovated in 1997 as part of the facility's purchase that year by a group headed by Doug Kirchhofer, owner of theCincinnati Cyclones. The renovation cost $14 million and included new seating, improved concourses and restrooms, expanded concession areas, and a new center-hanging video board. As part of the renovation, the building was renamed "The Crown" and the Cyclones, who then played in theInternational Hockey League, moved from theCincinnati Gardens.[13][14]
A $200 million renovation was proposed in 2015 by arena owners Nederlander Entertainment and AEG Facilities. The renovations would include both upgrades to the seating and expansion to increase capacity to 18,500 seats, additional luxury suites and other premium seating, a new exterior facade, new video boards, and a renovation of the exterior concourse.[15] The push for extensive renovations and upgrades came in 2014 after the city ran a bid for the2016 Republican National Convention, which was unsuccessful due to the lack of adequate hotel rooms and infrastructure in the proximity of the Arena.[16][17]
In 2017, Nederlander Entertainment announced its intention to tear down and replace the arena if a deal could be made with taxpayers, citing inadequate space and dated '70s aesthetics.[18] This plan came after the Arena was awarded to be a site for the2022 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, contingent upon updates to the venue. However, after little progress was made theNCAA decided in late 2019 to move the site of the games toIndianapolis.[19]
TheKentucky Colonels of theAmerican Basketball Association played eight games at the newly opened arena for their 1975–1976 season before the team folded due to theABA–NBA merger following the season.[20]
Cincinnati Bearcats men's basketball utilized Riverfront Coliseum as their home court from 1976 to 1987. During the Bearcats' tenancy the venue hosted the1978 and1983 Metro Conference men's basketball tournament.
Additional conference tournaments hosted here was the finals of the1981 and the entire1992 Midwestern Collegiate Conference men's basketball tournament as well as the2005 and2006 Atlantic 10 men's basketball tournament. In these instances,Xavier served as the host for the conference tournaments.
The2002 and2004 Conference USA men's basketball tournament were also hosted at the venue, in these instances withCincinnati serving as the host for the conference tournaments.
The arena was the site of the Regional of the1979 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and1987 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, as well as a first and second round site for the1988 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and the1992 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. The arena was also host to the1997 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament Final Four.
In the aftermath of the2011 Crosstown Shootout brawl,Cincinnati andXavier agreed to move theCrosstown Shootout to the arena for the next two seasons. After the 2013 game, the Shootout returned to being played on campus.
Heritage Bank Center has hosted dozens of college basketball games as aneutral venue. The colleges which have most frequently played neutral-site games at the venue areXavier (21 games),Cincinnati (15),Kentucky (11),Miami (OH) (9)Louisville (6), andDayton (4).
This table does not include regular season games played by Cincinnati, when the team utilized Riverfront Coliseum as their home court from 1976 to 1987.
| List of college basketball games at the arena | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Home Team | Opponent | Score | Attendance |
| January 17, 1980 | Xavier | Marquette | 62–76 | -- |
| February 20, 1980 | Xavier | No. 10Notre Dame | 72–85 | -- |
| December 13, 1980 | Xavier | Miami (OH) | 73–74 | -- |
| January 10, 1981 | Xavier | Dayton | 72–74 | 3,602 |
| January 26, 1981 | Xavier | Marquette | 59–78 | -- |
| January 28, 1981 | Xavier | Oral Roberts | 73–69 | -- |
| February 14, 1981 | Xavier | Loyola | 90–89 | -- |
| December 30, 1981 | Xavier | Texas | 71–97 | -- |
| January 20, 1982 | Xavier | Marquette | 50–63 | -- |
| January 15, 1983 | Xavier | Evansville | 85–65 | -- |
| February 5, 1983 | Xavier | Saint Louis | 60–79 | -- |
| February 19, 1983 | Xavier | Detroit | 69–61 | -- |
| November 22, 1985 | Miami (OH) | Louisville | 65–81 | -- |
| November 22, 1985 | Dayton | Tulsa | 60–63OT | 10,416 |
| November 24, 1985 | Louisville | Tulsa | 80–74 | -- |
| November 18, 1988 | Xavier | No. 4Louisville | 85–83 | -- |
| December 23, 1991 | Kentucky | Ohio | 73–63 | 15,390 |
| February 8, 1992 | Xavier | Louisville | 73–86 | -- |
| December 17, 1994 | No. 6Kentucky | Texas Tech | 83–68 | 17,153 |
| January 16, 1997 | No. 14Xavier | Tulane | 85–87 | -- |
| January 16, 1997 | No. 4Cincinnati | Temple | 55–70 | -- |
| January 22, 1997 | No. 3Kentucky | Vanderbilt | 58–46 | 17,121 |
| November 23, 1998 | Kentucky | Wright State | 97–75 | 16,845 |
| December 5, 1998 | No. 23Xavier | No. 14Purdue | 57–71 | -- |
| November 29, 1999 | Kentucky | Dayton | 66–68 | 17,232 |
| November 21, 2000 | Kentucky | Jacksonville State | 91–48 | 10,140 |
| November 28, 2001 | No. 13Kentucky | Kent State | 82–68 | 10,352 |
| December 28, 2002 | Miami (OH) | Cincinnati | 66–54 | 14,276 |
| January 4, 2003 | No. 20Kentucky | Ohio | 83–75 | 14,506 |
| December 1, 2003 | No. 10Kentucky | Marshall | 89–76 | 13,913 |
| December 27, 2003 | No. 14Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 83–63 | 14,873 |
| November 23, 2004 | No. 8Kentucky | Ball State | 73–53 | 15,563 |
| December 27, 2004 | No. 22Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 77–53 | 15,486 |
| December 28, 2005 | Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 77–65 | 11,786 |
| December 30, 2005 | No. 19Kentucky | Ohio | 71–63 | 16,043 |
| November 24, 2006 | Dayton | Louisville | 68–64 | 8,250 |
| December 27, 2006 | Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 60–52 | 9,256 |
| December 29, 2006 | Xavier | Illinois | 65–59 | 13,256 |
| January 3, 2007 | Xavier | Kansas State | 76–66 | 12,298 |
| December 29, 2007 | Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 56–50 | -- |
| December 31, 2007 | Xavier | Kansas State | 103–77 | 5,233 |
| December 18, 2008 | Cincinnati | Mississippi State | 75–63 | -- |
| December 18, 2008 | No. 9Louisville | Ole Miss | 77–68 | 5,922 |
| February 4, 2009 | Cincinnati | Notre Dame | 93–83 | 7,692 |
| December 10, 2009 | No. 19Cincinnati | Miami (OH) | 63–59 | 6,280 |
| November 27, 2010 | Cincinnati | Dayton | 68–34 | 6,016 |
| December 29, 2011 | Cincinnati | Oklahoma | 56–55 | 4,439 |
| December 19, 2012 | No. 11Cincinnati | Xavier | 60–45 | 14,528 |
| December 14, 2013 | Xavier | Cincinnati | 64–47 | 10,250 |
| December 16, 2023 | Dayton | Cincinnati | 82–68 | 12,547 |
| December 20, 2024 | No. 19Cincinnati | No. 22Dayton | 66–59 | 15,107 |
Source[21][22][23][24][25][26]
The first tenant of the arena was theCincinnati Stingers franchise, which existed from 1975 to 1979 as an expansion team of theWorld Hockey Association. Despite moderate success, the Stingers did not survive theNHL–WHA merger in 1979 and the team ceased operations. A handful of minor league hockey franchises have called the arena home, with the most successful and longest standing being theCincinnati Cyclones. As of 2020, the Cyclones are the only active tenant of the venue.
The arena has played host to a handful ofcollege hockey events, including the1996 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament Frozen Four, which was won byMichigan. The site also hosted the regional games for the2014,2016, and2017 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament. In each instance,Miami (OH) served as the host for the regional games.
The first entertainment event (opening night) to be staged at the facility was a rock concert byThe Allman Brothers Band and special guestMuddy Waters on theWin, Lose Or Draw Tour on September 9, 1975, attended by 16,721 persons.[27][28]
On June 25, 1977,Elvis Presley gave his second-to-last concert at the Riverfront Coliseum, with 17,140 persons attending.
In 1979, TheBee Gees played two sold-out shows during theirSpirits Having Flown Tour.
On March 28, 2010, singer-songwriterTaylor Swift performed a sold-out show at the venue during herFearless Tour.
Musical duoTwenty One Pilots performed as part of theirBandito Fall Tour on October 22, 2019, then again forThe Icy Tour on August 21, 2022.
On October 24, 2019, Canadian singerCeline Dion performed a show during herCourage World Tour. She had performed at the venue previously when the facility was named "The Crown", as part of herLet's Talk About Love Tour, on September 19, 1998.[29]
On August 24, 2022,My Chemical Romance performed a sold-out show at the venue as part of theirReunion Tour.[30]
Multiple other artists and groups have performed at the venue, includingPaul McCartney,The Eagles,Elton John,gospel music artistRon Kenoly, and several performances ofHandel's Messiah.
On December 3, 1979, 11 teenagers and young adults were killed bycompressive asphyxia, and 26 others were injured, during acrowd crush caused by a rush for the best seats before the start of a sold-out concert by Englishrock bandThe Who.[31][32][33][34][35][36] On that evening, a total of 18,348 ticketed fans were attending, which included 14,770 in general admission seats. The concert was usingfestival seating, where seats were made available on a first-come, first-served basis.[37] When the fans waiting outside the Coliseum could hear the band conducting a late sound-check, they incorrectly presumed that the concert was beginning without them and tried to break through the still-locked venue doors. Some people (at the very front of the crowd) were either trampled underfoot or squeezed to the point of suffocation while standing, as the crowds pushing from behind were unaware that the doors were still closed. Only a few doors were in operation that night, and there were reports that management did not open more doors due to union restrictions and the concern of people gate-crashing the ticket turnstiles.[38][39]
As a result, the remaining concerts scheduled for 1979, namelyBlue Öyster Cult on December 14 andAerosmith on December 21, were canceled,[40] and concert venues across North America switched to reserved seating or changed their rules about festival seating. Cincinnati immediately outlawed festival seating at concerts. After establishment of a crowd control task force by Cincinnati mayorKen Blackwell, the first concert held at the facility after the tragedy wasZZ Top withthe Rockets on March 21, 1980, on ZZ Top'sExpect No Quarter Tour.[41]
On August 4, 2004, the Cincinnati City Council unanimously overturned the ban on festival seating because it placed the city at a disadvantage for booking concerts.[42] Many music acts prefer festival seating because it can allow the most enthusiastic fans to get near the stage and generate excitement for the rest of the crowd. The city had previously made a one-time exception to the ban, allowing festival seating for aBruce Springsteen concert on November 12, 2002. Cincinnati was, for a time, the only city in the United States to outlaw festival seating altogether.
In 1987, the facility hosted theWorld Figure Skating Championships.
The arena hosted two majorprofessional wrestlingpay-per-view events:WCW'sSouled Out in 2000 andWWE'sCyber Sunday in 2006.
UFC 77 was held at the arena on October 20, 2007, and was headlined by local fighterRich Franklin. The UFC returned to the arena for the second time on May 10, 2014, withUFC Fight Night: Brown vs. Silva. TheStrikeforce World Grand Prix: Barnett vs. Kharitonov event was held at the arena on September 10, 2011.[43]
On April 17, 2011, the arena hostedTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling'sLockdown pay-per-view event.
The arena hosted the opening and closing ceremonies to the 2012World Choir Games that were held in Cincinnati.[44][45]
In 2016, the arena hosted the Kellogg's Tour of Gymnastics Champions.[46]
On August 1, 2019, the arena was the location of a rally held by then-PresidentDonald Trump.[47]
The arena hostedAll Elite Wrestling'sTitle Tuesday event on October 18, 2022.[48]
| Preceded by | Davis Cup Final Venue 1981 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the Frozen Four 1996 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host ofLockdown 2011 | Succeeded by |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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