"The AMP" | |
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 Entrance to the Amica Mutual Pavilion at Exchange Terrace | |
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  Amica Mutual Pavilion Location within Rhode Island Show map of Rhode Island Amica Mutual Pavilion Location within the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Former names |
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| Address | 1 LaSalle Square |
| Location | Providence, Rhode Island, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 41°49′25″N71°25′6″W / 41.82361°N 71.41833°W /41.82361; -71.41833 |
| Public transit | Providence Station |
| Owner |
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| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | Concerts: 14,000 Basketball: 12,410 Ice hockey: 11,273 |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | January 1971 |
| Opened | November 3, 1972 (1972-11-03) |
| Renovated | 2008 |
| Construction cost | US$13 million US$80 million (renovation) |
| Architect | Ellerbe Associates |
| General contractor | Dimeo Construction Company[1] |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| amicamutualpavilion | |
TheAmica Mutual Pavilion (originallyProvidence Civic Center and formerlyDunkin' Donuts Center ("The Dunk")) is anindoor arena located in downtownProvidence,Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for theProvidence College Friars men's basketball program, due to the high demand for tickets to their games inAlumni Hall, as well as for a home arena for the then–Providence Reds, who played in the nearly 50-year-oldRhode Island Auditorium. Current tenants include theProvidence Bruins ice hockey team, of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team, of theBig East Conference. The center is operated by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which also operates theRhode Island Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.[2]
The idea for a Civic Center in Providence had been proposed as early as 1958, on the site of what later became theProvidence Place Mall. The project was proposed as a joint federal-state-city project, which would create jobs and bring economic benefits. However, the plan failed due to the inability to secure federal funds.[3]
The plan was revived again as a statewide bond issue in the 1968 general election; voters outside of Providence soundly defeated the referendum.[3] Finally, mayorJoseph A. Doorley Jr. pushed through a citywide special referendum in 1969, which passed.[3] When this amount proved to be inadequate, Doorley pushed through another referendum in 1971, which also passed.[3] The project became so closely associated with Mayor Doorley that it was referred to in the press as "Doorley's Dream".[4][5]
TheProvidence Civic Center was constructed in 1972 on the site of an old jewelry factory.[5] The opening ceremony was held November 3, 1972, with aProvidence Reds hockey game.[3][5] PresidentRichard Nixon, campaigning in the area, was invited to the attend the opening, but he declined.[5] In its first year, the center hosted concerts byPink Floyd andFrank Sinatra, as well as hockey games and political rallies, and was considered a success.[5]
In October 1974, Civic Center director Harold Copeland was convicted of soliciting a $1,000 bribe from a concert promoter.[5] The conviction, occurring a month before election day, thrust prosecutorVincent Cianci into the mayor's office and ended Doorley's political career.[5]
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In the 1980s and 1990s, the Civic Center fell into decline; it required city bailouts and was seen as a financial problem.[3] TheRhode Island Convention Center and adjacentOmni Providence Hotel (then named the "Westin") were completed next door to the Civic Center in 1993 in an attempt to lure visitors to the city.[3]
In 2001, as a means of increasing financing,[3] the arena was named the Dunkin' Donuts Center as part of a naming-rights deal withDunkin' Donuts.[6] In December 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the city of Providence and spent $80 million on an extensive renovation. Major elements of the construction included a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Rhode Island Convention Center, a new center-hungLED video display board, a new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, four new bathrooms, and all-new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Behind-the-scenes improvements included a newHVAC system, ice chiller, and a first-of-its-kind fire suppression system. These renovations were completed in October 2008.[7]
TheCOVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 resulted in the cancellation of most of its normal sports and concert programming.[8] Instead, the arena was rented by the state for emergency measures, including assembly of COVID tests, a COVID testing walk-in clinic, and classes to teach local businesses how to conduct tests.[8] In February 2021, the state announced that the Dunkin Donuts Center would be used as a large-scale COVID vaccination site.[9]
The lost revenue caused the Dunkin Donuts Center to post a loss of $611,000 for 2020.[8]
In April 2022, the naming rights held by Dunkin' were set to expire after 21 years.[10] These rights were later extended, and subsequently expired on June 30, 2022, though the convention center authority and Dunkin' agreed to continue allowing signage referring to the arena as the Dunkin' Donuts Center through the summer, until a new sponsorship agreement was announced.[11] Most of the major signage, including the main sign facing Sabin Street, was removed on August 24, 2022. Dunkin' officially stated that the company would not be renewing its agreement with the convention center authority on the same day.[12]
On September 6, 2022, it was announced thatLincoln, Rhode Island–basedAmica Mutual Insurance had purchased the naming rights and the arena would now be called the Amica Mutual Pavilion.[13]
Led Zeppelin performed there on July 21, 1973.Jimmy Page was quoted saying this was one of the best concerts of the Houses of the Holy Tour.
TheGrateful Dead recorded half of their live albumDick's Picks Volume 12 there on June 26, 1974.
Queen performed there in 1977, 1978 and 1980.
Rush performed there in 1974, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1990, 1991 and 1994.
Yes performed there in 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980, 1984, and 1987.
Pink Floyd performed there in 1973 on their tour forThe Dark Side of the Moon and again in 1987 for two sold-out shows on theirA Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour, their first tour withoutRoger Waters (who also performed in Providence in 1987 on his Radio KAOS Tour and again on the last night of his 2000 US In the Flesh Tour in July 2000).
Former BeatleGeorge Harrison held a concert there on December 11, 1974, during his "Dark Horse Tour" (so called because it occurred near the launch of Harrison'sDark Horse Records). Performers included Harrison,Ravi Shankar, Harrison's session common session drummerJim Keltner, and keyboardistBilly Preston. At one point in the show, a girl tried to climb onstage, but was stopped and assaulted by police; Harrison stopped mid-song and shouted "Krishna! Krishna!".[citation needed]
Some of the songs on theEric Clapton albumE. C. Was Here were recorded live at the Civic Center, on June 25, 1975.
The arena played host to TheRolling Thunder Revue Tour on November 4, 1975, headed byBob Dylan.
The Who played there on December 13, 1975.
Elvis Presley performed there three times – once each in 1974, 1976, and 1977.
Frank Sinatra performed 10 times at the then-Providence Civic Center. His first was to a sold-out crowd includingJacqueline Kennedy Onassis for his Variety Club International Tour on April 15, 1974, and the last on October 3, 1992. During many of Sinatra's performances, Rhode Island State Police would attend, searching for organized crime members in the audience.[citation needed] During a 1979 appearance in Providence, MayorBuddy Cianci named Sinatra an honorary fire chief, complete with a helmet bearing the name "F. SINATRA" with nickname "Ol' Blue Eyes" beneath.
David Bowie's concert on May 5, 1978, was one of three recorded for his live albumStage.
TheBee Gees performed two sold-out concerts there on August 28–29, 1979, as part of theirSpirits Having Flown Tour.
The Kinks recorded much of their live album and videoOne for the Road at the Civic Center on September 23, 1979.
In 1979, Providence mayor Buddy Cianci cancelled a concert at the Civic Center by the rock bandThe Who[14] after hearing about aWho concert in Cincinnati earlier that month where 11 fans had been trampled to death.[14] 33 years later, the bandreturned to Providence and announced they would honor any tickets from the 1979 show.[14] Ten fans, then middle-aged, traded in 14 tickets to see the performance.[14]
In 1979Kiss scheduled a show on theirDynasty Tour for August 1, 1979, and a second show was added for July 31, 1979, when the first date sold out. Both were threatened with cancellation by Cianci in light of The Who situation and a stabbing at a Bad Company concert ten days prior to the first date. After controversy, which included rock fans picketing the Ciancis' home, the shows were allowed and Cianci attended the first night's performance to observe.[15]
The Jacksons performed at the Civic Center on July 15, 1973, April 10, 1976, August 13, 1981
The Civic Center also received publicity in 1983 for a planned Kiss concert which never occurred. Rhode Island promoter Frank J. Russo scheduled the band on theirCreatures of the Night Tour/10th Anniversary Tour for shows at both the Worcester Centrum on January 22, 1983, and the following night at the Civic Center, but canceled the Civic Center show when it sold only 2,000 tickets. Russo publicly offered to trade tickets to the Centrum show for Civic Center show tickets in lieu of refunds, with a free ride to and from Worcester. Hundreds of fans participated and were picked up by several chartered buses on Sabin Street in front of the Civic Center.[16] A week later the situation was featured in a two-part WPRI Channel 12 news story by reporter Brian Rooney,[17] citing it as a prime example of how the newly built Centrum was cutting deeply into the Civic Center's business by providing aggressive competition for events.
Talking Heads performed in support of their albumSpeaking In Tongues on October 4, 1983.[18]
Van Halen performed at the Civic Center many times and the music video for the song "Panama" was partially filmed during a 1984 soundcheck at the venue.[19]
Journey performed at the Civic Center on November 2, 1986, in support of theirRaised on Radio Tour.
Phish have performed at the venue eight times, and three of their concerts there have been released on compact disc:Live Phish Volume 20 features the band's concert of December 29, 1994, andLive Phish 04.04.98 andLive Phish 04.05.98 feature the band's performances on April 4 and 5, 1998, which were part of their 1998 "Island Tour".[20]
James Taylor andBonnie Raitt performed at the venue in March 2019.[21]
TheProvidence Friars men's basketball team has been the only major tenant of the arena since its inception, having played almost all of its home basketball games at the arena since 1972 with the exception of the2020-21 season where their home games were at the on-campus arenaAlumni Hall due to COVID-19 concerns. The Providence Friars men's basketball team and their fans have made the AMP one of the most intimidating environments in recent years forNCAA basketball. The Friars have an all-time record of 615–236 (.722) at the AMP.[22] On rare occasions, theProvidence Friars women's basketball team has played "home" games in the arena, most notably for games againstURI orUConn, where demand for tickets would be enough to warrant an arena larger than the 1,854-seatAlumni Hall.
The arena has been the site of many collegiate tournaments, including the inaugural 1980Big East Conference men's basketball tournament; theDivision I men's basketballECAC New England Region tournament, organized by theEastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), in1978 and1979;[23][24][25][26]NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament first- and second-round games in1976,1979,1980,1981,1989,1996,2010, and2016; the1978 and1985 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament East Region finals; the inaugural 1985Hockey East Tournament, as well as the second tournament a year later in 1986 before the tourney madeBoston a permanent home; and the 1978, 1980, 1982, 1986, 1995 and 2000 NCAA men'sFrozen Four ice hockey championships. TheUniversity of Rhode Island (URI)men's basketball team also played some home basketball games at the Providence Civic Center beginning in 1973, although this practice stopped with the opening of theRyan Center in 2002.
The arena had been scheduled to host the first and second-round games of the2021 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament until the tournament was moved to venues within theIndianapolis, Indiana, metro area due to theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[27] The arena will now host first and second-round games of the 2025 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.[28]
TheProvidence Reds (known in their final season in Providence as the Rhode Island Reds) hockey team of theAmerican Hockey League (AHL) played at the Providence Civic Center from 1972 to 1977. TheNew England Tea Men of theNorth American Soccer League (NASL) played theirindoor soccer matches there from 1979 to 1980 before moving south toJacksonville, Florida, at the start of the1980–81 indoor season.[29][30][31] TheProvidence Bruins of the AHL began play at the arena in 1992. TheNew England Steamrollers of theArena Football League (AFL) also called the arena home for their single season of existence in 1988.
A number of other professional sporting events, includingHarlem Globetrotters basketball games and regular season and preseason games for theBoston Celtics of theNational Basketball Association (NBA) and theBoston Bruins of theNational Hockey League (NHL), have been held at the arena.
| Date | Opponent | Result | Home | Game Type | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 30, 1972 | Philadelphia 76ers | 107–117 | Boston Celtics | RS | 9,065 |
| October 9, 2013 | New York Knicks | 103–102 | Boston Celtics | PS | 10,404 |
During a performance of theRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on May 4, 2014, eight female performers were injured and hospitalized after a high wire snapped while they were attempting a routine where theyhang by their hair high above the floor. The performers fell from between 25 and 40 feet (7.6 and 12.2 m) to the ground, but none suffered life-threatening injuries.[32] On May 1, 2016, Ringling Bros. ended 145 years of tradition when they staged their last performance with live elephants as part of its "Blue" tour at the Dunkin' Donuts Center.[33] Eleven elephants headed to Florida for retirement after the show.[33] A year after that, the final show for the Red Unit of Ringling Bros. was on May 7, 2017. Ringling Bros. returned to the Amica Mutual Pavilion for the first time since its revival in fall of 2023 on April 26, 2024.[34]
Sugar Ray Leonard foughtFloyd Mayweather Sr. at the Providence Civic Center on September 9, 1978. Leonard won the bout by TKO in the tenth round. This remains the only major boxing card to have taken place in Providence.[citation needed]
The arena has hostedWWE events for decades. It was the site ofWWFKing of the Ring tournaments four times: from 1987 to 1991, before the event became apay-per-view, and once after in 1997. In 1994, it hosted theRoyal Rumble. It has hosted theBacklash pay-per-view three times: thefirst edition of the event on April 25, 1999; the2009 edition on April 26, 2009 (the last to be held until 2016); and the2022 edition on May 8, 2022, the second and last to be billed as "WrestleMania Backlash".[35] In December 2005 the arena hostedWWE Armageddon.
In addition to major events, the arena also hosted WWE's weekly shows frequently. January 13, 2014, edition ofWWE Raw was held at the arena.WWE Smackdown held two shows at the arena in 2015, on April 21 and August 25. The SmackDown portion of the2018 WWE Superstar Shake-Up was held at the Dunkin' Donuts Center, while the Raw portion was held at theXL Center inHartford, Connecticut. On October 22, 2018,Roman Reigns revealed hisleukemia diagnosis during aRaw show held at the arena.
In November 2015, theRhode Island Comic Con expanded into the arena from the adjacentRhode Island Convention Center, where it had been held since it began in 2012. It has been held in both buildings ever since.
The arena was used byHasbro (whose headquarters are inDowntown Providence) to host its first-everHasCon in September 2017.
The Dunk is home to a test-kit-assembly operation, where ... some 20 to 30 people ... put the kits together. A separate part of the Dunk is being used as a walk-through center for rapid COVID tests. And smaller rooms are being used for classes to teach hospitality industry and other workers how to conduct rapid tests at their businesses.
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1978 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1980 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1986 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 1995 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Host of the men'sFrozen Four 2000 | Succeeded by |
Authority control databases: Geographic |
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