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 The stadium in May 2009 | |
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| Full name | Watsco Center at the University of Miami |
|---|---|
| Former names | Ryder Center(construction/planning) UM Convocation Center(2003–05) BankUnited Center(2005–16) |
| Address | 1245 Dauer Dr Coral Gables, FL U.S. |
| Coordinates | 25°42′54″N80°16′45″W / 25.71500°N 80.27917°W /25.71500; -80.27917 |
| Public transit |  University 56, 500 |
| Owner | University of Miami |
| Operator | Oak View Group Facilities |
| Type | Arena |
| Capacity | 7,972 (basketball) 5,990 (ice hockey)[1] |
| Field size | Arena size: 200,000 square feet (19,000 m2) |
| Current use | Basketball Ice hockey |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 4, 2001[2] |
| Opened | January 4, 2003; 22 years ago (January 4, 2003) |
| Construction cost | $48 million ($76.4 million in 2024 dollars[3]) |
| Architect |
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| General contractor | Turner Construction[4] |
| Tenants | |
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| Website | |
| watscocenter.com | |
TheWatsco Center (originally named theUniversity of Miami Convocation Center) is an 8,000-seat multi-purposearena on the campus of theUniversity of Miami inCoral Gables, Florida. The venue hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, university events and sporting events, and serves as the home court to theMiami Hurricanes'men's andwomen's basketball teams.
The arena opened in 2003 and was originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center. The arena is home to theMiami Hurricanesmen's andwomen'sbasketball teams. Additional events held in the Watsco Center include concerts, sporting events, lectures, award shows, high school graduations, and men's and women's basketball games. It is the largest arena ever built on theUniversity of Miami campus.
In 2005, the arena was renamed theBankUnited Center, afterMiami Lakes-basedBankUnited. In 2016,Miami-based air conditioning companyWatsco acquired the naming rights.
Prior to the opening of the Watsco Center, from 1988 until 2002, the school's basketball teams played their home games atMiami Arena.
The Watsco Center has hosted two U.S. presidential debates to date:
On September 30, 2004, the University of Miami hosted one of the three nationally televisedU.S. presidential debates between presidential candidatesGeorge W. Bush andJohn Kerry during the2004 presidential election at the Watsco Center. The debate, which was moderated byJim Lehrer ofPBS NewsHour, was viewed by 62.5 million people.[5]
On March 10, 2016, the University of Miami hosted the2016 Republican presidential primary'stwelfth and final debate at Wastso Center, which aired nationally onCNN and featured Republican presidential candidatesTed Cruz,John Kasich,Marco Rubio, andDonald Trump.[6]
The 2007 issue ofVenues Today, an entertainment industry publication, reports that the Watsco Center outperformed all but one other venue in Florida in its size category for number of concerts and touring events held in 2006.[7]
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