College Park Center

College Park Center (CPC) is an indoor, multi-purpose arena on The University of Texas at Arlington campus in Arlington, Texas, United States.[4][5] It seats up to 7,000 spectators.

College Park Center
CPC
Address600 South Center Street
LocationArlington, Texas 76019
Coordinates32.730586°N 97.107972°W / 32.730586; -97.107972
OwnerUniversity of Texas at Arlington
OperatorUniversity of Texas at Arlington
Capacity7,000
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke groundMarch 5, 2010
OpenedFebruary 1, 2012
Construction cost$78 million
($86.9 million in 2019 dollars[1])
ArchitectHKS, Inc.[2]
Structural engineerRogers Moore/Walter P Moore
Services engineerM–E Engineers, Inc.
General contractorHunt Construction Group[3]
Tenants
UT Arlington Mavericks (NCAA) (2012–present)
Dallas Wings (WNBA) (2016–present)

Its primary tenant is the Mavericks athletic department including the University's basketball and volleyball teams. A secondary tenant during the summer season is the WNBA's Dallas Wings. It also hosts graduation ceremonies for UT Arlington, other private trade schools, and area high schools, along with concerts and events.

The arena is part of a 20-acre (8.1 ha) section of the campus known as the College Park District. Completed in 2012, the District includes a residence hall, student apartments, a welcome center, a credit union, a 4.62-acre (1.87 ha) park called The Green at College Park, restaurants, and three parking garages.[6]

History
The interior of College Park Center before a UTA Mavericks men's basketball game
The interior of College Park Center before a Dallas Wings game

Incoming UTA President James Spaniolo's first major decision with regards to athletics came in early 2005. The UTA student body had just approved a $2 an hour student fee for the resurrection of football and addition of two women's programs, golf and soccer. In January, President Spaniolo stated the University was going to pursue a new indoor arena for the University, which would replace Texas Hall for the athletic teams. The first step taken was a student vote in April 2005 that approved a $2 an hour student fee to fund the operations of the new indoor arena.[7]

The planning continued as the location became more contentious than originally thought. There were two sites on Cooper Street that were thought to be the front runners. The City of Arlington even made an initial push for the University to build it off campus. Near the end of 2008, it was revealed the current location was in play, and that the special events arena would be part of a larger, mixed-use development. The final site selection approval from the Board of Regents came in early 2009.[8] After approval, the physical planning for the arena and surrounding development began.

Ground breaking occurred on March 5, 2010. Along with numerous other cash gifts, in the fall of 2010, the University received $5 million for construction from Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.[9]

The grand opening of the facility was held on February 1, 2012, with a doubleheader of UT Arlington basketball when the women and men both defeated UT San Antonio in front of a then-record crowd of 6,228.[10]

The men's basketball team has a record of 56–21 at College Park Center while the women's team is 35-42 (through the end of the 2016/17 season). The volleyball team is 49–28 (through the end of the 2016 season).

In 2016, the CPC became the permanent home of the Dallas Wings.

Features

College Park Center is divided into two concourses. The lower surrounds the court/performance area while the upper section is shaped like a horseshoe. CPC features 7,000 chair-back seats with the lower bowl seating for 4,055.[11] A 2,800-square-foot (260 m2) hospitality suite, divisible into three private sections is above the lower sections opposite the scorers table. The center-hung scoreboard is a four-sided Daktronics 13' X 9' with LED displays while an end-hung scoreboard is an 11' X 19' Daktronics LED display. Two LED display ribbon boards circle the bottom of the balcony seating. At the scorers table are four Daktronics LED display tables linked together to display messages and advertising.[12]

Underneath the lower concourse are state-of-the-art sports medicine and training facilities, two full-sized practice courts, 2,500-square-foot (230 m2) weight room,[13] and an academic support study center.

Attendance

During the 2011–12 men's basketball season, UTA averaged 821 at Texas Hall while the last four games at CPC averaged 5,079. The team has averaged around 2,000 every year since opening. The 2015/16 season set an all-time program attendance average of 2,888 people per game.

The dedication ceremony between the women's and men's game on CPC's opening night.
College Park Center before a UTA women's volleyball match
Attendance Opponent Date Result
1 6,421 Oklahoma^ Nov 16, 2012 L 59–63
2 6,336 CSU Bakersfield March 22, 2017 L 76–80
3 6,228 UTSA^^ Feb 1, 2012 W 67–66
4 6,107 North Texas Dec 3, 2015 W 90–67
5 5,590 Georgia Southern Feb 22, 2018 W 70–49
6 5,390 Akron March 20, 2017 W 85–69
7 5,272 Texas State Feb 11, 2012 W 73–53
8 5,033 Little Rock^^^ Jan 23, 2016 L 62–68
9 5,011 Little Rock^^^ Feb 29, 2017 L 49–58
10 4,837 Utah State March 2, 2013 W 61–46

^ Denotes Homecoming game ^^ Facility grand-opening ^^^ Women's basketball game

CPC has completely sold out three times, all of them concerts. Drake held the 1st concert ever, which was not open to the public, but rather to the UTA students and faculty, with 7,000 in attendance. The other two sellouts belong to Reach Records, as both Unashamed Tour shows in 2012 and 2013 surpassed 7,000 in attendance respectively.

Accolades

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized CPC with a LEED Gold certification.[14]

In February 2012, the center was featured in a Billboard Magazine article about ten new and renovated venues were reshaping the national touring circuit.[15]

Events
The Harlem Globetrotters at College Park Center in 2019
  • ESPN Friday Night at the Fights, February 17, 2012.[16]
  • Drake, Club Paradise Tour, March 3, 2012.[17]
  • On June 10, 2012, the center hosted TNA Wrestling's Slammiversary pay per view, which celebrated the 10th anniversary of the organization.[18]
  • Passion Pit, September 2012.[19]
  • TobyMac, Eye on It Tour, October 2012.
  • Unashamed Tour 2012: Come Alive (Reach Records), featuring Lecrae, Trip Lee, Tedashii, KB, PRo, Andy Mineo, and special guests Thi'sl and Propaganda, October 27, 2012
  • Unashamed Tour V (2013) featuring Lecrae, Tedashii, Derek Minor, KB, and Andy Mineo, November 23, 2013
  • TNA Wrestling's annual Slammiversary pay per view was once again held at the center on June 15, 2014, this time celebrating the company's 12th anniversary.
  • On April 18, 2015, the center hosted "HBO After Dark Rumble" featuring the Junior Welterweight Championship match between undefeated Terence Crawford and top contender Thomas Dulorme.[20]
  • 2017 NCAA men's basketball NIT tournament hosted by UTA men's basketball team, March 20–22, 2017
  • On October 6, 2017, the center hosted WWE Live.[21]

See also

References
  1. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  2. "university of texas arlington specials events center". Archived from the original on January 25, 2010.
  3. "University of Texas At Arlington College Park Center". Hunt Construction Group. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
  4. "About the Center — College Park Center — The University of Texas at Arlington". Archived from the original on June 4, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2012.
  5. "UT-Arlington to build $73 million events facility". Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2009.
  6. "College Park District - The University of Texas at Arlington".
  7. http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/fee-awaits-final-approval/article_26263c6e-289a-572d-8095-bb3a182b206a.html
  8. http://www.theshorthorn.com/news/board-of-regents-gives-green-light-to-special-events-center/article_231ed710-7059-5391-ac90-f46307b11b68.html
  9. "UTA News Center". Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2010.
  10. "404 Error: Page or File Not Found — College Park Center — The University of Texas at Arlington". Archived from the original on November 25, 2011. Retrieved December 7, 2011.
  11. https://www.utacollegepark.com/_doc/CPC-Promoters-Guide2.pdf
  12. https://www.utacollegepark.com/book/production-information.php
  13. "UT Arlington Official Athletic Site - The University of Texas at Arlington". Archived from the original on June 14, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2015.
  14. http://www.uta.edu/collegeparkdistrict/college-park-center/index.php
  15. Waddell, Ray (February 22, 2012). "How Ten New or Renovated Venues are Reshaping the Nations Touring Circuit". Billboard Magazine. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  16. "ESPN Friday Night at the Fights at UT Arlington". February 17, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  17. "Drake Christens UTA's College Park". March 3, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  18. Caldwell, James (March 18, 2012). "Location for TNA's Slammiversary PPV". Pro Wrestling Torch. Retrieved March 23, 2012.
  19. "Passion Pit to perform September 14 at UT Arlington's College Park". June 11, 2012. Retrieved June 16, 2012.
  20. http://www.arlington-tx.gov/news/2015/04/14/championship-boxing-heads-to-utas-college-park-center/
  21. http://www.utacollegepark.com/events/event.php?e=20171006-wwe
Events and tenants
Preceded by
Impact Wrestling Zone		 Host of Slammiversary
2012 (X)		 Succeeded by
Agganis Arena
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