ARCO Arena (1985)
The NBA's smallest arena and a naming-rights pioneer.
ARCO Arena, originally called the Sacramento Sports Arena and sometimes referred to as the Original ARCO Arena or ARCO Arena I, was an indoor arena in Sacramento, California. Built in 1985 to temporarily accommodate the NBA's Sacramento Kings after their relocation from Kansas City, it was the NBA's smallest arena, holding just 10,333 people. The arena's first event was a fashion show on September 20, 1985, and it also hosted boxing matches.
Quick Facts
- Nickname
- The Madhouse on Market Street
- Location
- 1625 North Market Boulevard, Sacramento, California
- Groundbreaking
- January 14, 1985
- Opened
- September 20, 1985
- Closed
- 1988 (converted to office building)
- Owner
- Buzz Oates Group of Companies
- Cost
- $12 million
- Former names
- Sacramento Sports Arena
Facts from the source article.
Background
The idea to move the Kings to the building was first pitched in late 1984, with The Sacramento Bee describing the structure as a 'warehouse under construction.' The arena cost $12 million to build and was located north of Sacramento's downtown. Kings games in this small venue were 100% sold out, earning it the nickname 'The Madhouse on Market Street.'
ARCO Arena is believed to be the first example of an NBA team selling naming rights to a brand new facility. In August 1985, the Kings sold the naming rights to the Atlantic Richfield Company (now a subsidiary of Marathon Petroleum) for $5 million over ten years, which included the naming rights for the new arena.
The Kings left this building in 1988 to move to the new ARCO Arena, built one mile to the west. The structure survived as an office building for Sprint Communications, and on December 19, 2005, the California Department of Consumer Affairs moved their headquarters into the building.
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