UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena

Coordinates: 43°2′32″N 87°55′1″W / 43.04222°N 87.91694°W / 43.04222; -87.91694
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from
MECCA Arena
)
"MECCA" redirects here. For the city in Saudi Arabia, see Mecca. For other uses, see Mecca (disambiguation).
UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena
LFL) (2014)
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The UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena (originally the Milwaukee Arena and formerly MECCA Arena and U.S. Cellular Arena) is an

Wisconsin Center
.

The arena was part of the MECCA Complex from 1974 until the 1995 opening of the

Midwest Express Center
.

History

The arena opened in 1950 and was one of the first to accommodate the needs of broadcast television. It was folded into MECCA (The Milwaukee Exposition, Convention Center and Arena) when the complex opened in 1974. It is also known for its former, uniquely painted basketball court by Robert Indiana in 1978, with large orange 'M's taking up both half-courts representing Milwaukee.[5] The Indiana floor was purchased by a fan in the early 2010s and is currently in storage at a storage facility in Milwaukee.[6]

It was home to the

NBA All-Star Game before an audience of 10,938. The venue was also home to Marquette University's men's basketball team along with the United States Hockey League's/International Hockey League's Milwaukee Admirals. These teams all moved to the now-defunct BMO Harris Bradley Center
upon the arena's opening in 1988.

On October 26, 2017, the Bucks returned to the arena for a regular season game against the

Menominee Nation Arena in Oshkosh, home to the Bucks' NBA G League affiliate, the Wisconsin Herd (although the team does not play on the floor used in the commemorative game).[6]

In 1994, the Wisconsin Center District (WCD), a state organization, was created in order to fund the

Midwest Express Center, and, in 1995 the MECCA complex was folded into this, including the Arena (the now demolished BMO Harris Bradley Center and the newly opened Fiserv Forum are owned by a separate authority). Following a major overhaul in 1998, the arena is now home to the Milwaukee Wave of the Major Arena Soccer League and is the Milwaukee venue for Disney on Ice
.

The WCD added the

Christopher Sholes invented the first practical typewriter, featuring the QWERTY keyboard layout
.

As the MECCA, the building hosted first- and second-round games in the Mideast Regional of the 1984 NCAA tournament. The U.S. Cellular Arena also hosted all or part of every Horizon League men's basketball conference tournament from 2003 to 2011.

In 2008 and 2009, it was home to the

Milwaukee Bonecrushers of the Continental Indoor Football League.[7]

On August 7, 2010, the arena hosted an

Milwaukee Iron and the Chicago Rush
. The Iron played their 2010 regular season home games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center, but the ongoing installation of the new center court scoreboard in that venue forced the home playoff games to be played at the U.S. Cellular Arena, where the Iron would go on to win.

It is also home to the Brewcity Bruisers roller derby league.

Milwaukee Panthers connection and renaming

The arena has been the home of the Milwaukee Panthers men's basketball team at three different times—first from 1993 to 1998, then from 2003 to 2012, and since 2013. The Panthers played their 2012–2013 home games at the 3,500-seat Klotsche Center on UWM's east side campus. The move generated complaints from some Panthers fans and attendance lagged as the team had its worst record since the 1990s. After Amanda Braun was named UWM's athletic director in March 2013, she said she would re-examine the decision to move games from the U.S. Cellular Arena. In July 2013, UWM officials reached a 5-year contract with the arena owner, Wisconsin Center District, that runs through the 2017–2018 season.[8]

U.S. Cellular's naming rights expired on May 31, 2014, and they did not renew their contract.[9] On June 26, 2014, it was announced that the Arena would be renamed the UW–Milwaukee Panther Arena, as part of an agreement which would run at least through 2024, with UWM having an option to extend it through 2029.[10] The deal additionally makes the arena officially the major site for UWM events such as graduation ceremonies, a role it had already taken for years before.

On March 16, 2016, it was announced the Admirals signed a 10-year lease with a five-year mutual extension. Also included on the deal was $6.3 million for upgrades to the arena.[11]

Seating capacity

The seating capacity for basketball has changed as follows:

Years Capacity
1950–1961 11,046[12]
1961–1968 11,138[13]
1968–1973 10,746[14]
1973–1980 10,938[15]
1980–1998 11,052[16]
1998–2004 11,358[17]
2004–present 10,783[18]

Other uses

Concerts

Since the 1960s, the Arena has held a number of concerts by high-profile performers. The Beatles headlined a performance in the Arena as part of their historic 1964 U.S. tour,[19] and Elvis Presley performed 2 back-to-back shows at the Arena in 1972. He would return again in 1974 and 1977, with the latter occurring 4 months before his death later that year.[20]

In 1980, Queen performed at the Arena.[21] Bob Dylan played a two-night stand there as part of his Fall 1981 tour, and returned in both 1999 and 2001 for one-night appearances.[22] The Grateful Dead performed there during their spring 1989 tour.[23]

Professional wrestling

The arena has also hosted

coronavirus-related public assembly concerns postponed the circuit's Milwaukee show to August 25, 2021.[25]

Images

See also

References

  1. ^ Jones, Robert F. (April 10, 1960). "Arena Opening in 1950 Like Dream Come True". The Milwaukee Sentinel. p. 9. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  2. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  3. ^ "Arena Bonds Draw Only One Bid; Offer Rejected". Milwaukee Journal. December 16, 1948. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  4. ^ On This Day in Wisconsin History
  5. ^ "Picture of the field" (PNG).
  6. ^ a b Nelson, James B. (October 20, 2017). "Milwaukee Bucks re-create Robert Indiana's colorful MECCA floor for one game". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 4, 2017.
  7. ^ Walker, Don (July 17, 2007). "Arena Football is Back in Milwaukee". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
  8. The Business Journal
    . Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  9. ^ Michele, Michele. "Name change in the works for US Cellular Arena". Archived from the original on 2014-10-23. Retrieved 2014-05-27.
  10. ^ Walker, Don. "Former U.S. Cellular Arena to be named for UWM Panthers" Milwaukee Journal Sentinel June 26, 2014
  11. ^ Kirchen, Rich (March 6, 2016). "Admirals sign 10-year lease at Panther Arena; $6.3 million in upgrades in works". bizjournals.com. Milwaukee Business Journal. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
  12. Star-Banner
    . Ocala, Florida. p. 9. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  13. The Milwaukee Journal
    . Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  14. The Milwaukee Journal
    . Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  15. The Milwaukee Journal
    . August 23, 1973. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  16. ^ "Arena Will Get 114 More Seats". The Milwaukee Sentinel. September 25, 1980. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  17. ^ Dabe, Christopher (January 3, 2004). "Eagles Anxious to Put Down Roots". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
  18. ^ "Facilities: Panther Arena". UW-Milwaukee Athletics. Retrieved October 27, 2017.
  19. ^ "The day the Beatles conquered Milwaukee: A look back at Sept. 4, 1964". JSOnline.com. September 4, 2019. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  20. ^ Foran, Chris (January 7, 2016). "Elvis Presley left the building in Milwaukee in 1972, 1974, 1977". JSOnline.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  21. The Journal Times
    . August 14, 1980. Retrieved May 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Setlists". BobDylan.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  23. ^ "1989-04-15 The MECCA, Milwaukee, WI, USA". JerryGarcia.com. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  24. ^ "Clash of Champions Results (XXXIV)". Archived from the original on 2010-11-28.
  25. ^ Kasabian, Paul (13 March 2020). "AEW Relocating April's St. Louis, Milwaukee Shows Because of Coronavirus". Bleacher Report. Retrieved 22 March 2020.

External links

Events and tenants
Preceded by Home of the
Milwaukee Hawks

1951–1955 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
first arena
 Home of the
Milwaukee Bucks
1968–1988 		Succeeded by
BMO Harris Bradley Center
Preceded by Host of the
NBA All-Star Game
1977 		Succeeded by
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