Climate Pledge Arena
Seattle's historic arena, reborn for a sustainable future.
Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is located north of downtown Seattle on the campus of the Seattle Center, a 74-acre (30 ha) civic and entertainment center first built for the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition. It sits on the site of the original Washington State Pavilion exhibition facility (alternately referred to as the Washington State Coliseum or Century 21 Coliseum), subsequently bought by the city of Seattle and renovated in 1964 into a sports and entertainment venue, the Seattle Center Coliseum. Following an extensive $1.15 billion site redevelopment from 2018 to 2021, the new arena replaced the older facility, then named KeyArena. It reuses the original building's iconic roof and exterior window curtain walls, which were landmarked by the city in 2017 and added to both the Washington State Heritage Register and the National Register of Historic Places in 2018. An extended atrium on its south end houses the entrance to the modern venue. It holds a seating capacity of 17,151 for ice hockey, 18,300 for basketball, and up to 17,340 for concerts and other events.
Quick Facts
- Location
- SoDo neighborhood, Seattle, Washington
- Opened
- 2019
- Hockey capacity
- Approximately 17,000
- Home team
- Seattle Kraken (NHL, expansion franchise est. 2021)
- Naming rights holder
- Climate Pledge
- Venue type
- Indoor multi-purpose arena
Lore & Background
The original arena was most notable as the long-time home of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The SuperSonics first played at the facility, then the Seattle Center Coliseum, from their founding in 1967 to 1978. After a seven-season stint in the higher capacity Kingdome, they returned to the arena in 1985. The venue's renovation after the 1993–94 season necessitated the relocation of SuperSonics home games to the Tacoma Dome for the 1994–95 season. The Coliseum was renamed KeyArena after KeyCorp bought the naming rights in 1995. The rights lasted through 2010, though the building maintained the name until its 2018 closure for the site redevelopment. The SuperSonics left KeyArena in 2008 amid a controversial relocation to Oklahoma City. The arena was also known for hosting non-NHL hockey teams, first as home to the Seattle Totems of the original Western Hockey League and the Central Hockey League from 1964 to 1975, followed by the Seattle Thunderbirds of the current Western Hockey League from 1995 to 2008.
Reader's Guide
Climate Pledge Arena is currently home to the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL), the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL), the Seattle University Redhawks men's basketball team, and the Rat City Roller Derby league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. It has also played host to the Pac-12 Conference's women's basketball tournament and may be used as a host venue for the Big Ten Conference's Women's Basketball and Men's ice hockey tournaments in the future. Though opening in October 2021, Climate Pledge Arena is sometimes considered the oldest arena in the NHL due to the age of the original roof and exterior walls.
Did You Know?
- Amazon bought the naming rights in June 2020, dedicating the arena name to bringing attention to climate change.
- The arena hosted the NBA All-Star Game once, in 1974.
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