Moda Center

Lore & Background

Construction began in 1993, and the arena opened on October 12, 1995. The arena cost US$262 million to build; construction was financed with funds obtained by a variety of sources, including the City of Portland, Allen's personal fortune, and $155 million in bonds issued by a consortium of mutual funds and insurance companies. These bonds would become the subject of an acrimonious 2004 bankruptcy in which the Oregon Arena Corporation, the holding company which owned the arena at the time, would forfeit title to the arena in lieu of repaying the bonds per the payment terms. Allen would later repurchase the arena from the creditors in 2007. The original name of the facility was 'Rose Garden'; however, the arena was also commonly known as the 'Rose Garden Arena' to distinguish it from the International Rose Test Garden, also located in Portland. In 2007, the Trail Blazers and Vulcan announced that they were seeking a corporate partner to grant naming rights for the facility, with the goal of a new name being available for the Blazers' 2008–09 season. In August 2013, the Trail Blazers announced a 10-year deal with Moda Health, an Oregon-based health insurance provider, to rename the arena Moda Center.

Reader's Guide

Moda Center is a multipurpose arena located in the Rose Quarter in inner northeast Portland. The arena has a total of over 14,000 permanent seats arranged in two bowls, plus 1,540 permanent seats in 70 skyboxes, and over 4,200 portable seats that may or may not be installed. When configured for basketball, capacity is 19,393, with up to 20,796 patrons including standing room. For hockey or lacrosse, capacity decreases to 17,544. The arena features 70 suites and 8 skyboxes, each seating 22 guests. The Theater of the Clouds configuration seats 6,500. The arena has two public concourses (100 and 300 levels), a 200-level concourse with guest services, and a Suite Level. Amenities include 32 public restrooms, Wi-Fi hotspots, a Mitsubishi HD video scoreboard, over 650 television monitors, and an acoustical cloud of 160 rotating acoustic panels. The arena is owned by the City of Portland.

Did You Know?

• The arena's acoustical cloud, a set of 160 rotating panels, cost US$2 million to design and install.
• The Moda Center has been listed among the five ugliest buildings in Portland in a survey of local architects and planners.
• The arena's primary scoreboard features four 15 feet by 22.5 feet video screens, among the biggest in the NBA.