Amway Arena

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

The city of Orlando wanted a downtown arena long before there was talk of an NBA franchise. The arena site on West Livingston Street was approved in December 1983. Discussions on financing delayed the project for several years. By the end of 1985, the city and county reached an agreement on a financing plan that would delay the opening of the arena until the end of the decade. The planned site grew 50% from its original plan and consumed three extra blocks south of Lake Dot. In 1986, support was growing to attempt to bring an NBA franchise to Orlando. Ground broke in January 1987, four months before the NBA Board of Governors made their final decision to bring Orlando into the league. Construction was completed in 1989 at a cost of $110 million – entirely publicly financed. The arena officially opened on January 29, 1989, with a ribbon cutting ceremony and public open house featuring the Orlando Magic Dancers and Curly Neal. In 1991, the facility was voted 'Arena of the Year' by Performance Magazine. It was also nominated for 'Best Indoor Concert Venue' in the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. The arena originally seated 15,291 but all the original seats were replaced with narrower ones between 1994 and 1995, increasing capacity by over 2,000 to 17,519.

In Their Own Story

The arena's naming rights told a story of corporate shifts mirroring the franchise's evolution. In November 1998, the city allowed the Magic to sell naming rights as part of a lease extension. While speculation favored Amway due to owner Rich DeVos's co-founding role, TD Waterhouse purchased the rights for $7.8 million in 1999, renaming it TD Waterhouse Centre. When that deal expired on November 30, 2006, the venue was briefly called "The arena in Orlando" for a week before Amway signed a four-year, $1.5 million contract on December 7, 2006. Financial struggles plagued other tenants; the Orlando Seals were evicted in August 2004 due to rent issues, and the Orlando Jackals folded after their only season. The Magic themselves faced contention with city officials over renovation costs, which reached up to $75 million in estimates, before a new $1.1 billion agreement in 2006 paved the way for their successor.

Reader's Guide

During its entire lifetime, the arena was colloquially known by the nickname of 'The O-Rena'. It was officially named Orlando Arena, then TD Waterhouse Centre, and finally Amway Arena. After considering several names, then-Orlando Mayor Bill Frederick decided to name the building Orlando Arena in 1988. The city agreed to allow the Magic to sell the naming rights of the arena in November 1998. In 1999, TD Waterhouse purchased the naming rights at a cost of $7.8 million for five years. The building was then renamed to TD Waterhouse Centre. The naming rights with TD Waterhouse expired on November 30, 2006, and the financial company which bought TD Waterhouse's U.S. operations earlier in the year chose not to renew them. The venue was briefly known as 'The arena in Orlando' before a new naming rights contract was signed, a period of approximately one week. On December 7, 2006, it was announced that Amway would become the new sponsor at a cost of $1.5 million over 4 years, renaming the building as Amway Arena. Defunct tenants of the arena include the IHL's Orlando Solar Bears, the SPHL's Orlando Seals, RHI's Orlando Jackals, MISL's Orlando Sharks, the WNBA's Orlando Miracle, and the NLL's Orlando Titans.

Did You Know?

• The arena was originally named Orlando Arena before becoming TD Waterhouse Centre and then Amway Arena.
• The arena's design provided for an intimate atmosphere, with the number of seats in the lower and upper bowls split almost 50/50.
• The Orlando Magic's desire for a major renovation of the building dated to 1994, when the arena was only five years old.