HemisFair Arena: Difference between revisions

HemisFair Arena
San Antonio Convention Center Arena
Location	601 HemisFair Way; San Antonio, Texas 78203
Coordinates	29°25′12″N 98°29′00″W / 29.420134°N 98.483299°W
Owner	City of San Antonio
Capacity	Basketball: 16,057
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	1966
Opened	April 6, 1968
Renovated	1977-78
Expanded	1977-78
Closed	May 31, 1995
Demolished	June 1995
Architect	Noonan, Krocker & Dockery
General contractor	Lyda/H. A. Lott
Tenants
	Houston Rockets (NBA) (1972–73); San Antonio Spurs (ABA/NBA) (1973–93); San Antonio Force (AFL) (1992)

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HemisFair Arena (also known as the San Antonio Convention Center Arena) was an indoor arena located in San Antonio, Texas. It was home to the ABA/NBA's San Antonio Spurs from 1973 to 1993 and the San Antonio Force of the AFL during the 1992 season, their only year of existence. The Houston Rockets also played home games at the arena during the 1972-73 NBA season.

History

Construction

The arena was originally built as part of (and named for) the 1968 HemisFair. The facility was located in Downtown San Antonio near the Tower of the Americas, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and H. A. Lott, Inc. of Houston.

As home of the San Antonio Spurs

The arena initially held 10,146 fans for basketball. The San Antonio Spurs of the American Basketball Association moved to the arena after the Dallas Chaparrals relocated following the 1972–73 ABA season. The February 1974 arrival of Hall of Famer George Gervin helped transform the franchise. The Spurs were such a success as an ABA franchise that they became one of four ABA franchises absorbed into the NBA following the ABA-NBA merger in 1976.^[4]

The Spurs played their first game at the arena on October 10, 1973, losing to the San Diego Conquistadors 121-106^[5] in front of 5,879.^[3] Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA.^[6] As Spurs games began regularly selling out, new seating was added in 1978 by raising the roof of the arena, allowing the construction of an upper deck, increasing the capacity to more than 16,000.^[1] While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck. In 1986, the White Way Sign/Sony JumboTron center-hung video scoreboard was introduced, remaining at the arena for the rest of its life. It was the first center-mounted arena JumboTron in existence.^[7]

Final events

HemisFair Arena was torn down in 1995, two years after the Spurs moved to the Alamodome in 1993. The last Spurs game at HemisFair Arena took place May 20, 1993, when the Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 the Western Conference semifinals in the 1993 NBA Playoffs on a last-second jump shot by league MVP Charles Barkley.^[5] The last ticketed event to be held at the facility was a Van Halen concert March 25, 1995.^[3] The last event at HemisFair Arena was a graduation for a local high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, on May 30, 1995.^[3] The site is now the location of an expansion to the adjacent Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

Seating Capacity

The seating capacity for basketball was:^[8]

Years	Capacity
1968–1976	10,146
1976–1978	10,446
1978–1979	16,055
1980–1981	16,114
1981–1987	15,800
1987–1988	15,770
1988–1990	15,861
1990–1991	15,908
1991–1995	16,057

Notable concerts

Johnny Cash performed at HemisFair Arena on September 14, 1969.

The Grateful Dead performed at HemisFair Arena on February 21, 1970. Also on the bill were Quicksilver Messenger Service and John Mayall.^[9]
Elvis Presley performed at HemisFair Arena on April 18, 1972. The concert was one of several filmed for the 1972 documentary Elvis on Tour.
The Jacksons performed at HemisFair Arena on July 15, 1981, during their Triumph tour.^[10]
Judas Priest performed at HemisFair Arena in September 1982 on their World Vengeance Tour. This was recorded for a radio broadcast and some performances were included on the 30th Anniversary Edition of their 1982 album Screaming for Vengeance released in 2012.
Whitney Houston performed at the venue in June 1991 during the I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour, her third concert tour.
Selena held her third and final fashion show at HemisFair Arena in December 1994 followed by a concert.

References

^ ^a ^b NBA Arenas
^ ^a ^b "HemisFair Arena". Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Briggs, Jerry (August 28, 2007). "Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
^ "Remember the ABA: San Antonio Spurs".
^ ^a ^b Key Dates in Spurs History
^ AT&T CENTER
^ Rodriguez, Ken (2017-04-22). "Introduced by the Spurs, the JumboTron Marks a Sports Arena Milestone". San Antonio Report. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
^ "2013–2014 San Antonio Spurs Media Guide". San Antonio Spurs. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
^ "Lost Live Dead".
^ Triumph Tour ^{[unreliable source?]}

Preceded by State Fair Coliseum & Moody Coliseum	Home of the San Antonio Spurs 1973 – 1993	Succeeded by Alamodome

[NBA_Arenas-1] NBA Arenas

[gwmitchell-2] "HemisFair Arena". Archived from the original on 2017-11-16. Retrieved 2017-11-16.

[Places_of_the_Heart:_HemisFair_Arena-3] Briggs, Jerry (August 28, 2007). "Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved December 14, 2020.

[4] "Remember the ABA: San Antonio Spurs".

[Key_Dates_in_Spurs_History-5] Key Dates in Spurs History

[AT&T_CENTER-6] AT&T CENTER

[7] Rodriguez, Ken (2017-04-22). "Introduced by the Spurs, the JumboTron Marks a Sports Arena Milestone". San Antonio Report. Retrieved 2022-12-31.

[8] "2013–2014 San Antonio Spurs Media Guide". San Antonio Spurs. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)

[9] "Lost Live Dead".

[10] Triumph Tour ^{[unreliable source?]}

[1]

[3]

[2]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{short description|Arena in Texas, United States}}
+{{Short description|Arena in Texas, United States}}
-{{coord|29.420134|-98.483299|type:landmark|display=title}}
 {{Infobox venue
 | name                = HemisFair Arena
@@ Line 6: / Line 5: @@
 | image               =
 | fullname            =
-| location            = 601 HemisFair Way<br>[[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]] 78203
+| location            = 601 HemisFair Way<br />[[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]] 78203
 | mapframe            = no
+| coordinates         = {{Coord|29.420134|-98.483299|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
 | broke_ground        = 1966
 | built               =
 | opened              = April 6, 1968<ref name="Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena">{{cite web |url=http://mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA082607.09C.PLACES.HemisFairArena.en.3c165ed.html |title=Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena |last1=Briggs |first1=Jerry |date=August 28, 2007 |website=[[San Antonio Express-News]] |access-date=December 14, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011191325/http://mysanantonio.com/sports/stories/MYSA082607.09C.PLACES.HemisFairArena.en.3c165ed.html |archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref>
-| renovated           = 1977-78<ref name="gwmitchell">[http://gwmitchell.com/hemisfair-arena/ HemisFair Arena]</ref>
+| renovated           = 1977-78<ref name="gwmitchell">{{Cite web |url=http://gwmitchell.com/hemisfair-arena/ |title=HemisFair Arena |access-date=2017-11-16 |archive-date=2017-11-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116185008/http://gwmitchell.com/hemisfair-arena/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>
 | expanded            = 1977-78<ref name="gwmitchell"/>
 | closed              = May 31, 1995
@@ Line 22: / Line 22: @@
 | general_contractor  = [[Gerald Lyda|Lyda]]/H. A. Lott
 | former_names        =
-| tenants             = [[Houston Rockets]] {{small|([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (1972&ndash;73)}}<br>[[San Antonio Spurs]] {{small|([[American Basketball Association|ABA]]/NBA) (1973&ndash;93)}}<br>[[San Antonio Force]] {{small|([[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|AFL]]) (1992)}}
+| tenants             = [[Houston Rockets]] {{small|([[National Basketball Association|NBA]]) (1972&ndash;73)}}<br />[[San Antonio Spurs]] {{small|([[American Basketball Association|ABA]]/NBA) (1973&ndash;93)}}<br />[[San Antonio Force]] {{small|([[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|AFL]]) (1992)}}
 | capacity            = [[Basketball]]: 16,057<ref name="NBA Arenas">[http://www.nbahoopsonline.com/History/Leagues/NBA/Arenas.html NBA Arenas]</ref>
 }}
-{{commons category|San Antonio Convention Center Arena}}
 '''HemisFair Arena''' (also known as the '''San Antonio Convention Center Arena''') was an [[indoor arena]] located in [[San Antonio]], [[Texas]]. It was home to the [[American Basketball Association|ABA]]/[[National Basketball Association|NBA]]'s [[San Antonio Spurs]] from [[1973-74 NBA season|1973]] to [[1992-93 NBA season|1993]] and the [[San Antonio Force]] of the [[Arena Football League (1987–2008)|AFL]] during the [[1992 Arena Football League season|1992]] season, their only year of existence. The [[Houston Rockets]] also played home games at the arena during the [[1972-73 NBA season]].
@@ Line 31: / Line 30: @@
 ===Construction===
-The arena was originally built as part of the 1968 [[HemisFair '68|HemisFair]]. The facility was located in [[Downtown San Antonio]] near the [[Tower of the Americas]], one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and H. A. Lott, Inc. of [[Houston]].
+The arena was originally built as part of (and named for) the 1968 [[HemisFair '68|HemisFair]]. The facility was located in [[Downtown San Antonio]] near the [[Tower of the Americas]], one of the most recognizable landmarks in the city. HemisFair Arena and the Tower of the Americas were constructed by a joint venture of two contractors—Lyda Inc. of San Antonio and H. A. Lott, Inc. of [[Houston]].
 ===As home of the San Antonio Spurs===
-The arena initially held 10,146 fans for [[basketball]]. The [[San Antonio Spurs]] moved to the arena after the [[American Basketball Association]] [[Dallas Chaparrals]] franchise relocated following the 1972-73 season. The February 1974 arrival of Hall of Famer [[George Gervin]] helped transform the franchise. The Spurs were such a success as an ABA franchise that they became a [[National Basketball Association]] franchise following the [[ABA-NBA merger]] in 1976.<ref>http://www.remembertheaba.com/San-Antonio-Spurs.html</ref>
+The arena initially held 10,146 fans for [[basketball]]. The [[San Antonio Spurs]] of the [[American Basketball Association]] moved to the arena after the [[Dallas Chaparrals]] relocated following the 1972–73 ABA season. The February 1974 arrival of Hall of Famer [[George Gervin]] helped transform the franchise. The Spurs were such a success as an ABA franchise that they became one of four ABA franchises absorbed into the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] following the [[ABA-NBA merger]] in 1976.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.remembertheaba.com/San-Antonio-Spurs.html |title = Remember the ABA: San Antonio Spurs}}</ref>
-The Spurs played their first game at the arena on October 10, 1973, losing to the [[San Diego Conquistadors]] 121-106<ref name="Key Dates in Spurs History">[http://www.nba.com/spurs/history/key_dates.html Key Dates in Spurs History]</ref> in front of 5,879.<ref name="Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena"/> As Spurs games began regularly selling out, the roof of the arena was literally raised and lifted during the summer of 1978, adding an upper deck at the facility and allowing for a capacity of over 16,000.<ref name="NBA Arenas"/> While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck. Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA.<ref name="AT&T CENTER">[http://www.insidearenas.com/western/AT&TCenter.htm AT&T CENTER]</ref>  In 1986, the White Way Sign/[[Sony]] [[JumboTron]] center-hung video scoreboard was introduced, remaining at the arena for the rest of its life.
+The Spurs played their first game at the arena on October 10, 1973, losing to the [[San Diego Conquistadors]] 121-106<ref name="Key Dates in Spurs History">[http://www.nba.com/spurs/history/key_dates.html Key Dates in Spurs History]</ref> in front of 5,879.<ref name="Places of the Heart: HemisFair Arena"/> Throughout its lifespan, it was considered one of the loudest arenas in the NBA.<ref name="AT&T CENTER">[http://www.insidearenas.com/western/AT&TCenter.htm AT&T CENTER]</ref> As Spurs games began regularly selling out, new seating was added in 1978 by raising the roof of the arena, allowing the construction of an upper deck, increasing the capacity to more than 16,000.<ref name="NBA Arenas"/> While the renovation boosted capacity, it did result in a large number of obstructed view seats in the lower levels due to the support beams required for the upper deck.   In 1986, the White Way Sign/[[Sony]] [[JumboTron]] center-hung video scoreboard was introduced, remaining at the arena for the rest of its life. It was the first center-mounted arena JumboTron in existence.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Rodriguez |first=Ken |date=2017-04-22 |title=Introduced by the Spurs, the JumboTron Marks a Sports Arena Milestone |url=http://sanantonioreport.org/introduced-by-the-spurs-the-jumbotron-marks-a-sports-arena-milestone/ |access-date=2022-12-31 |website=San Antonio Report |language=en-US}}</ref>
 ===Final events===
@@ Line 49: / Line 48: @@
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1968–1976
-| <div style="text-align: center;">10,146</div>
+| {{center|10,146}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1976–1978
-| <div style="text-align: center;">10,446</div>
+| {{center|10,446}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1978–1979
-| <div style="text-align: center;">16,055</div>
+| {{center|16,055}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1980–1981
-| <div style="text-align: center;">16,114</div>
+| {{center|16,114}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1981–1987
-| <div style="text-align: center;">15,800</div>
+| {{center|15,800}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1987–1988
-| <div style="text-align: center;">15,770</div>
+| {{center|15,770}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1988–1990
-| <div style="text-align: center;">15,861</div>
+| {{center|15,861}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1990–1991
-| <div style="text-align: center;">15,908</div>
+| {{center|15,908}}
 |-
 ! style="{{NBA color cell2|San Antonio Spurs}}"|1991–1995
-| <div style="text-align: center;">16,057</div>
+| {{center|16,057}}
 |}
 ==Notable concerts==
+{{Commons category|San Antonio Convention Center Arena}}
-* The [[Grateful Dead]] performed at HemisFair Arena on February 21, 1970. Also on the bill were [[Quicksilver Messenger Service]] and [[John Mayall]].<ref>http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/</ref>
+* Johnny Cash performed at HemisFair Arena on September 14, 1969.
+* The [[Grateful Dead]] performed at HemisFair Arena on February 21, 1970. Also on the bill were [[Quicksilver Messenger Service]] and [[John Mayall]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lostlivedead.blogspot.com/ |title = Lost Live Dead}}</ref>
 * [[Elvis Presley]] performed at HemisFair Arena on April 18, 1972. The concert was one of several filmed for the 1972 documentary ''[[Elvis on Tour]]''.
-*[[The Jacksons]] performed at HemisFair Arena on July 15, 1981, during their Triumph tour.<ref>[[Triumph Tour]] {{unreliable source?|date=January 2014}}</ref>{{unreliable source?|date=January 2014}}
+*[[The Jacksons]] performed at HemisFair Arena on July 15, 1981, during their Triumph tour.<ref>[[Triumph Tour]] {{unreliable source?|date=January 2014}}</ref>
 * [[Judas Priest]] performed at HemisFair Arena in September 1982 on their [[World Vengeance Tour]]. This was recorded for a radio broadcast and some performances were included on the 30th Anniversary Edition of their 1982 album ''[[Screaming for Vengeance]]'' released in 2012.
 *[[Whitney Houston]] performed at the venue in June 1991 during the [[I'm Your Baby Tonight World Tour]], her third concert tour.
@@ Line 85: / Line 88: @@
 ==References==
-{{reflist|2}}
+{{reflist}}
 {{s-start}}
 {{succession box
- | title = Home of the<br>[[San Antonio Spurs]]
+ | title = Home of the<br />[[San Antonio Spurs]]
  | years = 1973 – 1993
- | before = [[Fair Park Coliseum (Dallas, Texas)|State Fair Coliseum]] &<br>[[Moody Coliseum]]
+ | before = [[Fair Park Coliseum (Dallas, Texas)|State Fair Coliseum]] &<br />[[Moody Coliseum]]
  | after = [[Alamodome]]
 }}
@@ Line 97: / Line 100: @@
 {{San Antonio Spurs}}
 {{San Antonio Force}}
+{{Authority control}}
 {{DEFAULTSORT:HemisFair Arena}}
@@ Line 105: / Line 109: @@
 [[Category:Defunct indoor arenas in Texas]]
 [[Category:Demolished sports venues in Texas]]
-[[Category:Former National Basketball Association venues]]
+[[Category:Former NBA venues]]
-[[Category:Sports venues demolished in 1995]]
+[[Category:Sports venues destroyed in 1995]]
-[[Category:Houston Rockets venues]]
+[[Category:Houston Rockets]]
-[[Category:San Antonio Spurs venues]]
+[[Category:San Antonio Spurs]]
 [[Category:Southwest Championship Wrestling]]
 [[Category:Sports venues in San Antonio]]
-[[Category:Professional wrestling venues in Texas]]
 [[Category:Sports venues completed in 1968]]
 [[Category:HemisFair '68]]

v t e Houston Rockets
Founded in 1967 Played in San Diego (1967–1971) Based in Houston, Texas
Franchise	History All-time roster Draft history 1967 Records Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	Pechanga Arena Hofheinz Pavilion Astrodome HemisFair Arena The Summit/Compaq Center Toyota Center
Personnel	Owner(s) Tilman Fertitta President Gretchen Sheirr General manager Rafael Stone Head coach Ime Udoka
G League affiliate	Rio Grande Valley Vipers
Retired numbers	11 22 23 24 34 44 45
NBA championships	1994 1995
Rivalries	Dallas Mavericks San Antonio Spurs Utah Jazz
Culture and lore	Red Rowdies ClutchFans Clutch City Clutch the Rockets Bear Dancing Barry The Kiss of Death The Dream Shake 13 points in 35 seconds 22 wins in a row The Year of the Yao June 17th, 1994 27 consecutive 3-pointers missed

v t e San Antonio Spurs
Founded in 1967 Formerly the Dallas Chaparrals (1967–1970, 1971–1973) and the Texas Chaparrals (1970–1971) Based in San Antonio, Texas
Franchise	ABA–NBA merger All-time roster Draft history Head coaches Seasons Current season
Arenas	State Fair Coliseum Moody Coliseum Tarrant County Coliseum Lubbock Municipal Coliseum HemisFair Arena Alamodome Frost Bank Center
Personnel	Owner(s) Spurs Sports & Entertainment President Gregg Popovich General manager Brian Wright Head coach Gregg Popovich
G League affiliate	Austin Spurs
Retired numbers	00 6 9 12 13 20 21 32 44 50
NBA championships	1999 2003 2005 2007 2014
Rivalries	Dallas Mavericks Houston Rockets Los Angeles Lakers Phoenix Suns
Culture and lore	The Coyote Bruise Brothers The Iceman "Get Ready for This" The Admiral The Twin Towers The Big Three Memorial Day Miracle The Big Fundamental Semi-Pro The Shot