Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio

The land Quicken Loans Arena or QLA stands on in Cleveland, Ohio has a very long history. In the 1800's the land was used as Clevelands Central Market Place. Unfortunately the market was destroyed in the 1940's by a fire and little was done to revamp the area, until 1984. In 1984 a plan to construct an arena was created. Unfortunately the vote to the community did not pass. By 1990 permission had been granted finally for the land to contain a stadium.

Quicken Loans Arena has made a name for itself as a sports and entertainment facility. It has a contemporary design with many state of the art options. The Ellerbe Becket Architectural Firm from Kansas City had a huge influence on the construction and design of the arena. P. Madison International also helped in the design. Both companies wanted a cookie cutter design with 108x48 feet of billboard activity. The roof line offers a unique structure in that the building rotates at 90 degrees.

Ground breaking for the facility began in 1992 and the grand opening occurred in 1994. The first performer to open the arena was Billy Joel. Today the arena is home to the NBAA's Cleveland Cavaliers, AHL's Lake Erie Monsters, and the Mid- American Conference Men's and Women's Championships. The Lake Erie Monsters are new to the American Hockey League, having begun their team in the 2007- 2008 season. The monsters are actually an affiliate of the NHL's Colorado Avalanche team. Each year about 2 million people attend the 200 events offered by the facility.

Seating capacity for the arena is 20,000 for most events. 60 percent of the seats are in the lower bowl of the arena. There is a 28 foot high scoreboard with LED lights, a scoring matrix, and display. It uses SmartVision for the screens. Each of the screens is 8' by 21.5' and are all digital. The screens are angled for the best viewing throughout the entire arena. Quicken Loans Arena has several full service club rooms and 565 television monitors throughout the concourses for viewing during breaks and the game.

Quaker Steak and Lube are the two full service restaurants offered at QLA, with plenty of concessions spread throughout the facility. The concessions include hot dogs, pizza, popcorn, and much more. The Cavaliers have a retail space measuring 2,600 square feet for souvenirs associated with the home teams.

At Quicken Loans Arena the Ringling Circus, Scott Hamilton, Bruce Springsteen, Miley Cyrus, Star Wars in Concert, Trans- Siberian Orchestra, Disney on Ice, Basketball, Hockey, and other events will be held this year.

Over the years the WWF, WWE, LeBron James, Barack Obama, and even the Iron Chef have been at the center. Each year new concerts and performances are offered at the center to keep residents interested. Parking is available at the site. Up to 3,300 cars can be accommodated in the two on site garages, and more than 17,000 parking spaces are within walking distance of the arena.