HemisFair Arena

HemisFair Arena

Convention Center Arena
Full name	HemisFair Arena
Location	601 HemisFair Way San Antonio, Texas 78203
Coordinates	29.420134°N 98.483299°W / 29.420134; -98.483299
Owner	City of San Antonio
Operator	City of San Antonio
Capacity	Basketball: 16,057
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	1966
Opened	April 6, 1968
Renovated	1977-1978
Expanded	1977-1978
Closed	May 30, 1995
Demolished	June 1995
Architect	O'Neil Ford
General contractor	Lyda/H. A. Lott
Tenants
Houston Rockets (NBA) (1972–1973) San Antonio Spurs (ABA/NBA) (1973–1993) San Antonio Force (AFL) (1992)

HemisFair Arena (also known as 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 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 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.

The Spurs played their first game at the arena on October 10, 1973, losing to the San Diego Conquistadors 121-106 in front of 5,879. 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. 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.

Final events

HemisFair Arena was torn down in 1995, two years after the Spurs moved to the Alamodome in 1993. The last Spurs game to ever take place at HemisFair took place on May 20, 1993, when the Spurs lost to the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 the Western Conference Semi-Finals in the 1993 NBA Playoffs on a last-second jump shot by league MVP Charles Barkley. The last ticketed event to be held at the facility was a Van Halen concert on March 25, 1995. The last event to ever be held at the HemisFair Arena was a graduation for a local high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, on May 30, 1995. 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:

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

• Selena held her third and final fashion show at HemisFair Arena in December 1994 followed by a concert.
• The Jacksons performed at HemisFair Arena on July 15, 1981, during their Triumph tour.
• The Grateful Dead performed at HemisFair Arena on February 21, 1970. Also on the bill were Quicksilver Messenger Service and John Mayall.
• Elvis Presley performed at HemisFair Arena on April 18, 1972. The concert was one of several filmed for the 1972 documentary Elvis On Tour.
• 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.