Chase Center

Lore & Background

The Warriors, who have been located in the San Francisco Bay Area since 1962, played their home games at Oakland Arena in Oakland from 1971 to 2019 (except 1996–97, when the franchise temporarily relocated to the SAP Center in San Jose while the Oakland Arena was under renovation). During Valkyries games, Chase Center is nicknamed 'Ballhalla', a reference to Valhalla of Norse mythology, where Valkyries would bring select fallen warriors. The arena also includes the Warriors’ practice facility known as the Oracle Performance Center. The Chase Center is the second youngest arena in the NBA by original construction, after the Intuit Dome (2024), and ahead of Fiserv Forum (2018).

Reader's Guide

The arena is located in San Francisco at Third St. and 16th St. The arena is composed of multiple layers and floors, has a seating capacity of 18,064 and a multipurpose area that includes a theater configuration with an entrance overlooking a newly built park. The venue also contains 580,000 square feet of office and lab space and has 100,000 square feet of retail space. Chase Center also includes a 35,000 square foot public plaza and recreation area.

The arena includes a parking facility of approximately 950 spaces and is accessible to public transportation, including one light rail and two crosstown bus lines within two blocks, and a ferryboat landing and regional commuter rail station within a ten-minute walk. The UCSF/Chase Center station is located adjacent to the arena on the T Third Street light rail line. In 2023, Muni opened the Central Subway, linking the arena and UCSF to downtown hotels, convention centers, Chinatown, and subway and commuter rail lines.

With a $1 billion investment, Chase Center anchors an 11-acre site comprising cafés, offices, public plazas and a five-and-a-half-acre public waterfront park.

Architectural Design and Urban Integration

Located at Third Street and 16th Street in Mission Bay, Chase Center spans multiple layers with 580,000 square feet of office/lab space and 100,000 square feet of retail. A 35,000-square-foot public plaza designed by SWA Group sits adjacent to a five-and-a-half-acre waterfront park within an 11-acre site. The arena includes about 950 parking spaces but emphasizes transit access: the UCSF/Chase Center light rail station is right next door, two crosstown bus lines are within two blocks, and ferry/comuter rail stops are a ten-minute walk away. The Central Subway opened in 2023 to further connect the arena with downtown and Chinatown.

Development History and Community Challenges

Plans for Chase Center were announced May 22, 2012, targeting Pier 30–32, but opposition from community groups and former Mayor Art Agnos led to a ballot measure (Proposition B) in June 2014. In April 2014, the Warriors bought a 12-acre Mission Bay site owned by Salesforce.com. The Mission Bay Alliance raised concerns in 2015 about traffic near UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital and parking shortages. After addressing these issues, construction began in January 2017 following a groundbreaking ceremony. JPMorgan Chase secured naming rights on January 28, 2016. The project was privately financed at a cost of $1 billion for the full site.

Grand Opening and Historical Context

Chase Center opened September 6, 2019, with a Metallica and San Francisco Symphony concert. Its first basketball game was a preseason loss to the Los Angeles Lakers (123–101) on October 5, 2019; the first regular-season game ended in a 141–122 defeat to the Los Angeles Clippers on October 24, 2019. The Warriors had played at Oakland Arena from 1971 to 2019 (except 1996–97 in San Jose). As of its opening, Chase Center was the second youngest arena in the NBA after Inglewood's Intuit Dome.