"The Dow" | |
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  Dow Event Center Location within Michigan Show map of Michigan Dow Event Center Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names | The Saginaw County Event Center Saginaw Civic Center |
|---|---|
| Location | 303 Johnson Street Saginaw, Michigan 48607-1213 |
| Owner | Saginaw County |
| Operator | SMG |
| Capacity | Concerts: 7,647 Basketball: 6,217 Hockey 5,527 Indoor Football 5,201 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1970 |
| Opened | 1972 |
| Renovated | 2003 |
| Construction cost | $17 million (renovation) ($29.1 million in 2024 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Wigen, Tincknell, Meyer & Associates, Inc.[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Saginaw Gears (IHL) (1972–1983) Mid-Michigan Great Lakers (GBA) (1991–1992) Saginaw Wheels/Lumber Kings/Gears (CoHL/UHL) (1994–1999) Saginaw Spirit (OHL) (2002–present) Saginaw Sting (CIFL/IFL/UIFL/AIF) (2008–2009, 2011–2015) | |
Dow Event Center (formerly known asSaginaw County Event Center andSaginaw Civic Center) is anindoor arena located inSaginaw, Michigan. The center consists of several parts: The Atrium, The Garden Room, The Theater, The Red Room, Jolt Event Park, and The Arena. It currently houses theOntario Hockey League'sSaginaw Spirit. The facility has housed a number of hockey teams in the past, such as theSaginaw Lumber Kings and both theIHL andUHL incarnations of the Saginaw Gears.
The Arena At The Dow Event Center has a capacity of 7,600 people forconcerts (without the ice), and 5,500 for hockey games. The Theater at the Dow Event Center has a capacity of 2,276 people.
Originally built in 1972 as part of an urban development program, the center is the only structure left. Most of the other buildings were razed in the 1980s due to many problems, including health risks,foreclosure andbankruptcy.
For a time in the 1990s, the facility nearly faced foreclosure and bankruptcy due to lack of funds provided by the city. The facility underwent a series of renovations in early 2000s, mainly in hopes for a better facility to host their newly acquired hockey team. The naming rights of the facility were transferred in September 2004 toThe Dow Chemical Company,[3] headquartered in nearbyMidland. The center was used two times during the summer of 2004 as a center forRepublicanpolitical rallies in support for the re-election ofU.S.PresidentGeorge W. Bush.
Voters transferred the ownership from the City of Saginaw to Saginaw County on May 8, 2001. The city then closed the facility on June 30, 2001, and the county reopened it on July 1. The county then appointedSMG Worldwide to manage the facility, and started updating and renovating the building. The total cost of the renovations was tagged at $17 million, and they were completed in 2003.
The center hosts many events, concerts, political rallies, and graduations. Trade shows also take place there; the complex has 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2) of space at Wendler Arena.
It hosted the thirdWWFIn Your House pay-per-view onSeptember 24, 1995.
Jehovah's Witnesses District Conventions are held annually at the Dow Event Center. Starting in mid-June, and ending in early July, three-day conventions held on every weekend in that time will occur. The Jehovah's Witnesses first started using the building in 2005, after rumors of demolition for thePontiac Silverdome raised concern over where meetings would be held, as the Silverdome was the previous venue.[4]
In 2024, the Dow Event Center hosted theCHL Memorial Cup with the Saginaw Spirit winning as the host team, 4-3, over the London Knights.[5]
43°26′09.50″N83°56′12.80″W / 43.4359722°N 83.9368889°W /43.4359722; -83.9368889
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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