 | |
.jpg) | |
 Interactive map of Cow Palace | |
| Former names | California State Livestock Pavilion(1941–1944) |
|---|---|
| Address | 2600 Geneva Avenue |
| Location | Daly City, California, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 37°42′24″N122°25′7″W / 37.70667°N 122.41861°W /37.70667; -122.41861 |
| Public transit |  Sunnydale |
| Owner | California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1-A District Agricultural Association |
| Operator | California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1-A District Agricultural Association |
| Capacity | Basketball: 14,000 Ice hockey: 13,550 Concerts: 16,500 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Opened | April 20, 1941; 84 years ago (1941-04-20) |
| Tenants | |
| San Francisco Seals (WHL) (1961–1966) San Francisco Saints (ABL) (1961–1962) San Francisco Warriors (NBA) (1962–1964, 1966–1971) San Jose Earthquakes (NASL) (1975–1984) San Francisco Shamrocks (PHL) (1977–1978) San Francisco Fog (MISL) (1980–1981) San Jose Sharks (NHL) (1991–1993) San Francisco Spiders (IHL) (1995–1996) San Jose Wolves (AIFA) (2010) San Francisco Bulls (ECHL) (2012–2014) San Francisco Shock (OWL) (2020–2023) | |
| Website | |
| cowpalace | |
TheCow Palace (originally theCalifornia State Livestock Pavilion) is anindoor arena and events center located inDaly City, California, situated on the city's northern border with neighboringSan Francisco. Because the border passes through the property, a portion of the upper parking lot is in San Francisco.
The venue first opened in 1941, and has hosted a range of events such as sports, concerts, conventions, trade shows, and political rallies.
Completed in 1941,[1][2] it hosted theSan Francisco Warriors of theNBA from 1962 to 1964 and again from 1966 to 1971. The Warriors temporarily returned to the Cow Palace to host the1975 NBA Finals as theOakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena was booked for anIce Follies performance. It was the site of both the1956 Republican National Convention and the1964 Republican National Convention. During the 1960s and 1970s, the SF Examiner Games, a world-class indoortrack and field meet, was held annually at the Cow Palace.
The Cow Palace was also an important venue for professional boxing until the early 1980s, having staged regular shows, including ten world title fights and appearances of all-time greats likeJoe Louis,Sugar Ray Robinson, andAlexis Arguello. Additionally it has hosted professional wrestling and the Bay Bombers ofroller derby; the Derby's world championship playoffs were held at the Cow Palace every fall beginning from 1959 through 1973, when the organization was disbanded. From 1956 until 1999, theRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus visited the Cow Palace, joined in later years by what is nowDisney on Ice; both events were later held atOracle Arena, where Disney on Ice still plays since the reorganisation of Feld Entertainment (which owned both).
The arena seats 11,089 forice hockey and 12,953 forbasketball. When the Warriors played there, its basketball capacity was just over 15,000. It has also been the home of the annualGrand National Rodeo, Horse & Stock Show since 1941 (except for a break from 1942 to 1945 due to World War II). The venue hosted the 1960 men's NCAA basketballFinal Four and the1967 NBA All-Star Game.Sesame Street Live has been held at the Cow Palace since the early 1980s, as hasChampions on Ice. In recent years the Cow Palace has been the Bay Area stop for theCirque du Soleil.
The idea for the arena was inspired by the popularity of the livestock pavilion at the 1915Panama–Pacific International Exposition. San Francisco city SupervisorFranck Havenner referred derisively to the project as a "palace for cows" as early as May 1933.[3] A headline writer turned the phrase around, thus "Cow Palace".[4]
The arena opened in April 1941. During World War II, however, the arena was used for processing soldiers bound for thePacific Theater. In the following years, it hosted hockey and basketball games, wrestling and boxing matches, concerts,roller derby and political events, most notably the1956 and1964Republican National Conventions. The arena is still used for theGrand National Rodeo and other events.
In the spring of 2008, State SenatorLeland Yee advanced legislation to allow Daly City to purchase the Cow Palace from the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions in order to develop housing, basic amenities, and possibly a school for the surrounding area.[5][6] However, the legislation was opposed by groups that regularly use the venue and other California citizens outside Daly City.[6]
On September 9, 2008, GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger vetoed this proposed sale of the Cow Palace overflow parking lot.[7] Following the 2008 publicity associated with Leland Yee's failed bill, the Cow Palace board of directors entered exclusive negotiations with Cypress Equities for a 60-year lease to develop the 13-acre (5.3 ha) proposed by Daly City.[8]Due to the lack of progress, this agreement was subsequently terminated and negotiations then commenced with a Marin County-based developer in early 2010.
TheSan Francisco Warriors of theNational Basketball Association called the Cow Palace home from 1962 to 1964 and from 1966 to 1971. From 1964 to 1966, the Warriors played predominantly at theSan Francisco Civic Auditorium. The franchise then moved across the bay to the newOakland Coliseum Arena and changed their name toGolden State Warriors. In 2019, the Warriors moved to theChase Center in San Francisco.
The Warriors lost to theBoston Celtics in the1964 NBA Finals. The1967 NBA Finals between San Francisco and thePhiladelphia 76ers saw three games held at the Cow Palace. The two NBA Finals games hosted by the Warriors in their 1974–75 championship season were also held at the Cow Palace because of other events at the Oakland Coliseum.
In 2010, the Cow Palace once again had a regular sports tenant when theAmerican Indoor Football Association'sSan Jose Wolves kicked off. However, the next year they would move toStockton as the independentStockton Wolves.
On and off between 1975 and 1984, theSan Jose/Golden Bay Earthquakes of theNASL played indoor soccer at the Cow Palace, including hosting the1975 NASL indoor championship game, which they won 8–5 over theTampa Bay Rowdies.[9][10] The 'Quakes spent several seasons playing at theOakland Coliseum Arena before splitting time between the two arenas for the1983–84 NASL Indoor season.
TheMajor Indoor Soccer League came to the Cow Palace for the 1980–81 season, when David Schoenstadt relocated hisDetroit Lightning there, renaming them theSan Francisco Fog. After a dismal season with an 11–29 record and less than five thousand fans per game, Schoenstadt moved the franchise again, this time toKemper Arena inKansas City, Missouri, where the team flourished as theKansas City Comets.
TheSan Francisco Shamrocks (PHL) called the Cow Palace home from 1977 to 1979. They won the championship their first season, but ended up disbanding in January 1979 part way through their second season.
It also hosted theSan Jose Sharks of theNHL from 1991 to 1993 before the completion of their new home, theSan Jose Arena. From 1991 to 1993, the Sharks sold out every game played at the building. It was one of the last buildings to house a smaller than NHL-regulation rink. The NHL had previously rejected the building in 1967 as a home for the expansionCalifornia Seals franchise, who instead played home games out of the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena.
San Jose lost their first game at the Cow Palace to theVancouver Canucks 5–2 on October 5, 1991.Wayne Presley scored the first Sharks goal at the arena. Three nights later, San Jose won their first game in franchise history there, a 4–3 win over theCalgary Flames.
The Sharks' second season in the Cow Palace included a 17-game losing streak and a league record 71 losses. The Sharks ended their run at the Cow Palace at the conclusion of the 1992–93 season with a 3–2 loss to eventual Campbell Conference championLos Angeles on April 10, 1993. The team moved to the newSan Jose Arena (now the SAP Center) to start 1993–94 after going 22–56–4 at their first home.
At the Cow Palace, the Sharks recorded the franchise's first win, shutout (Artūrs Irbe) and hat trick (Rob Gaudreau). The team also introduced their mascot,S.J. Sharkie, on the Cow Palace ice in mid-1992 when he climbed out of the front of aZamboni. He later bungee-jumped from the rafters near the end of the first season.
In 1995, the IHL'sSan Francisco Spiders played their only season at the Cow Palace. Several players who played for the Sharks during their Cow Palace years suited up for the Spiders that year. Due to poor attendance, the team ceased operations at the end of the 1995–96 season.
On September 27, 2011, theECHL formally announced that pro hockey would return to the Cow Palace after a 16-year hiatus with the arrival of theSan Francisco Bulls the following fall. To accommodate the new team its ownership spent $2 million on renovating the team locker rooms, upgrading the concession stands, food improvements and installing new widescreen HD monitors to observe gameplay, installing a new ice system (as the old ammonia-based system that was in place for the Seals, Shamrocks, Sharks & Spiders had since become outdated and illegal) and a new custom-made wraparound LED video scoreboard with its game presentation system and ten sets of Custom Piston speakers from Claire Brothers Audio formerly used by AC/DC. The center hung video board has a 360° view for game presentation and full timekeeping and statistics. The new Colosseo Cube scoreboard – made by Colosseo USA – was custom built in order to agree with some of the weight bearing limitations for the roof. The engineers designed new structural steel beams and had them installed in the rafters to provide the additional support required.[11] The Bulls folded on January 28, 2014, 40 games into their second season.[12]
From 1974 to 1989, the Cow Palace was the site of thePacific Coast Championships, a yearly tournament on the men's professional tennis tour. Some of the biggest names in tennis played there, such asJimmy Connors,John McEnroe andIvan Lendl.[13]
The Palace has also hosted professional wrestling events under various promoters, most notablyRoy Shire, who rancards there from the early 1960s to 1981, oftentimes to sold-out houses headlined byRay Stevens,Pat Patterson and others. After Shire ended operations, other promotions such asWorld Wrestling Federation (WWF) andWorld Championship Wrestling (WCW) moved in. Notable cards included WCW'sSuperBrawl in 1997, 1998, and 2000 andWWE'sNo Way Out in 2004.[14] In 2018, the Cow Palace hostedNew Japan Pro-Wrestling'sG1 Special in San Francisco.[15]
On March 1 and 3, 2023, the Cow Palace hostedAEW Dynamite andAEW Rampage, leading intoAEW Revolution, which was hosted at theChase Center in San Francisco.[16]
The Cow Palace twice hosted the Republican National Convention. Republicans gathered at the Cow Palace for the1956 Republican National Convention to renominateDwight D. Eisenhower for president andRichard Nixon for vice president. The ticket won in a landslide.
The Republicans came back eight years later for the1964 Republican National Convention, at whichBarry Goldwater was nominated for president andWilliam Miller was nominated for vice president. They lost toLyndon Johnson andHubert Humphrey, also in a landslide.
| Group | Date(s) | Concert | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Beatles | August 19, 1964 | The Beatles' 1964 North American tour | The Beatles' 1964 show in the Cow Palace was the first show of the group's 1964 summer tour of the United States and Canada. |
| The Who | November 20, 1973 | The Who Tour 1973 | During the concert, drummerKeith Moon passed out from an overdose of horse tranquilizers. A fan of the band,Scot Halpin, completed the group's set that evening.[17] |
| Grateful Dead | December 31, 1976 | — | Double bill for theGrateful Dead andSantana. The groups recorded a live album during this performance, released asLive at the Cow Palace. |
| Santana | |||
| Kiss | August 16, 1977 | Love Gun Tour | Kiss dedicated "Rock and Roll All Nite" toElvis Presley, who had died that day. |
| Cheap Trick | |||
| Neil Young &Crazy Horse | October 22, 1978 | — | Concert filmRust Never Sleeps filmed there and some of the songs on the albumLive Rust were recorded there. |
| The Runaways | December 31, 1978 | — | Final concert for the group before their break-up in April 1979. Sammy Hagar headlined the show.[18] |
| Sammy Hagar | |||
| Neil Diamond | February 28, 1979–March 1, 1979 | North American Tour 78–79 | Neil Diamond fell on stage and couldn't get up. He underwent a 14-hour surgery to remove a nonmalignant tumor located close to his spine.[citation needed] |
| U2 | June 4, 1986 | Amnesty International:A Conspiracy of Hope Benefit Concert | Sponsored byAmnesty International and headlined byU2 andSting. Other featured performers includedBryan Adams,Jackson Browne,Peter Gabriel,Lou Reed,Joan Baez, andThe Neville Brothers. |
| Sting | |||
| Neil Young | November 26, 1989 | 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake Relief Concert | FeaturingBob Hope,Neil Young,Steve Miller Band,Eddie Money, andCrosby, Stills & Nash. |
| Nirvana | April 9, 1993 | — | Benefit concert forBosnian rape victims, along with several other acts such asthe Breeders andL7.[19] The 1993 concert was one of the few shows Nirvana had played that year where most of the material off their final album,In Utero, were played live and the last time for some older songs, such as "Negative Creep" and "Love Buzz." As of April 2016, a full video of the concert is onYouTube, along with an interview. |
The Cow Palace is officially the 1-A District Agricultural Association, a State agency of the California Department of Food and Agriculture's Division of Fairs and Expositions. It has extensive stable and barn facilities for animal events, which are used for the annualGrand National Rodeo and occasionally for other events. It also used to host events on the now-defunct BRO (Bull Riders Only) tour.
In 1982, the Cow Palace stood in for the Houston Coliseum when the 1962 barbecue welcoming NASA to Houston was recreated for the movieThe Right Stuff.[20] The explosion of the starship USSReliant, used in the movieStar Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, was filmed in the Cow Palace auditorium. The pyrotechnic charge for the shot was suspended over the auditorium floor and the explosion was filmed from below.[21]
On 15 June 2024,Open Sauce, a STEM fair stylized likeMaker Faire, hosted its 2nd convention in the Cow Palace. The event drew over 25,000 attendees and 550 exhibitors.[22] The purpose of Open Sauce was to fill the void left by Maker Faire's original discontinuation in 2019, which has since been revived in 2023 under the same name, but more of a STEM-focused event fair for exhibitors.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the San Francisco Warriors 1962–64 1966–71 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by first arena | Home of the San Jose Sharks 1991–1993 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCAAMen's Division I Basketball Tournament Finals Venue 1960 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the NBA All-Star Game 1967 | Succeeded by |
| |
| Franchise | |
| History | |
| Personnel |
|
| Arenas | |
| Rivalries | |
| Affiliates | |
| Media |
|
| Culture/Lore | |
| |
| Franchise | |
| Arenas | |
| Personnel |
|
| G League affiliate | |
| Retired numbers | |
| NBA championships | |
| Rivalries | |
| Culture and lore | |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
|---|
