The United Center Hosts Chicago Sports and Much More

Chicago's enormous United Center was the brainchild of William Wirtz, owner of Chicago's NHL franchise Blackhawks, and Jerry Reinsdorf, majority owner and Team Chairman of the NBA Chicago Bulls. In the 1980s, the men sought a new arena for their teams, one that would replace the famous Chicago Stadium, known for its "roar'' - an incessant noise that accompanied every event that took place there.

The men proposed the idea in 1988 and construction on the new arena eventually began in 1992. It opened for business in 1994 and United Airlines purchased the naming rights until 2014 at a cost of $1.8 million per year.

The owners of The United Center have proclaimed it to be the largest arena in the U.S. in physical size. (Other arenas, however, have a larger seating capacity.) This center for Chicago hockey and basketball covers approximately 960,000 square-feet and is situated on 46 acres in Chicago's Near West Side community. On the exterior, fans of the old arena say it bears a remarkable resemblance to Chicago Stadium and, acoustically, engineers even tried to recreate the infamous "roar''. An electronic organ has replaced the old vintage pipe organ that graced the former arena, but it still plays during Blackhawks games, much to the delight of fans.

Seating capacity at The United Center varies according to event. It seats 21,711 for basketball games, 20,500 for hockey, and as many as 23,500 for concerts and other events, depending on configuration of the stage.

Numerous top-name entertainers have appeared onstage at United Center since its opening in 1994, including The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce, Brittney Spears, Celine Dion, Coldplay, and many others. In addition, the arena has played host to many collegiate sporting events including a number of NCAA tournaments. Family events such as circuses or ice skating shows have also made stops at the arena.

United Center is sometimes referred to as "The House that Jordan Built'' in reference to Bulls star Michael Jordan, who was a member of the team from 1984 to 1999. By far the Bulls most famous team member and often acclaimed as one of the world's best basketball players, Jordan is honored at the United Center with a statue located on the east side of the arena. It stands 17 feet tall from the base to the top of Jordan's head and was cast from 2,000 pounds of bronze. It was unveiled in November 1994 at the time his jersey was retired. The base reads: "The best there ever was. The best there ever will be.''