Capital One Arena
Home of the Wizards, Capitals, and Georgetown Hoyas in the heart of D.C.
Capital One Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Washington, D.C., located in the Chinatown section of the Penn Quarter neighborhood atop the Gallery Place Metro station. It opened on December 2, 1997, as MCI Center, was renamed Verizon Center in 2006, and became Capital One Arena in 2017. Owned and operated by Monumental Sports & Entertainment, it is the home of the Washington Capitals (NHL), Washington Wizards (NBA), and Georgetown University men's basketball team.
Quick Facts
- Opened
- 1997
- Location
- Washington, D.C., USA
- Previous names
- MCI Center, Verizon Center
- Tenants
- Washington Wizards (NBA), Washington Capitals (NHL)
- Neighborhood
- Penn Quarter
Lore & Background
The arena was built on a block between 6th and 7th and F and G Streets, which had suffered urban decay. The District government bought the land in 1973, but development plans languished until Abe Pollin agreed to privately fund the $200 million construction. The District paid $79 million for land, site preparation, and Metro expansion. The arena opened with a Wizards vs. Seattle SuperSonics game attended by President Bill Clinton. A block of F Street NW between 6th and 7th Street was declared Fun Street, later renamed Abe Pollin Way in 2007. The arena featured a Discovery Channel Store (1998–2001), the MCI National Sports Gallery (1998–2000 or 2001), and arenaNet stations. In 1999, Ted Leonsis bought a 36% stake, increasing to 44% in 2000, and after Pollin's death in 2009, Leonsis's Monumental Sports & Entertainment gained full ownership in June 2010.
Reader's Guide
The arena is accessible via the Gallery Place Metro station. It has hosted the Washington Mystics (WNBA) from 1998 to 2018, after which they moved to CareFirst Arena. A $30 million renovation in 2019–2020 replaced seating, improved the concourse, added a larger overhead video board and a SkyRing video screen. In July 2020, William Hill opened a sportsbook at the arena, the first brick-and-mortar sportsbook in the District and the first at a U.S. professional sports venue. In 2023, Monumental Sports considered moving the Capitals and Wizards to a new arena in Northern Virginia, but as of the source, discussions continued.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Capital One Arena located?
The arena sits in the Penn Quarter neighborhood of downtown Washington, D.C. Its central-city placement was a deliberate choice to pull professional basketball out of the suburbs and into the heart of the capital.
What was Capital One Arena called before?
Longtime fans will remember the building as the MCI Center and later the Verizon Center. Those were successive naming-rights deals; the structure itself has been the Wizards' home since it opened in 1997.
What teams play at Capital One Arena?
The arena is the shared home of the NBA's Washington Wizards and the NHL's Washington Capitals. It's one of the few U.S. venues that serves as the primary home for two major professional sports teams at the same time.
Why did the Wizards move from the Capital Centre to Capital One Arena?
Leaving the aging Capital Centre in suburban Landover for a brand-new downtown building in 1997 was a cultural reset for D.C. basketball. It put the franchise directly in the nation's capital and gave fans a modern, walkable experience instead of a drive out to Maryland.
What else happens at Capital One Arena besides Wizards games?
The venue regularly hosts major concerts, comedy tours, and large-scale live events alongside its sports calendar. For fans, that means the same seats that hosted a heated playoff series might be reconfigured for a headlining show just days later.
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