Asheville Civic Center
Encyclopedia
The Asheville Civic Center is a 7,654-seat multi-purpose arena
, in Asheville, North Carolina
.
It was home to the Asheville Altitude basketball
team in the NBDL, before the franchise moved to Tulsa
in 2005 and the United Hockey League
's Asheville Smoke and also the SPHL's Asheville Aces
.
The venue also hosted WCW
SuperBrawl
1993, WCW Monday Nitro
where the famed nWo
wreaked havoc over the Ric Flair
-led Four Horsemen and Fall Brawl
1995 as well as the 1999 and 2000 Big South Conference
men's basketball tournament and 1984-1995 Southern Conference
men's basketball tournament.
Commencement exercises for the University of North Carolina at Asheville
were last held in the venue in 1999.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Tour on October 6, 2004, featuring performances by Gob Roberts
, Death Cab for Cutie
and Pearl Jam
.
The city of Asheville
and State of North Carolina
have been pressured by many in the community to replace or renovate the aging Civic Center with more modern facilities. This debate has been going on for years, with no apparent end. Asheville city council recently passed a measure funding basic maintenance http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661212090, and has earmarked $1.5 million for the implementation of a "living roof" to replace the aging conventional roof http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/index.php?encoreId=48&articleId=19192.
The ultimate path for the Civic Center is still unclear. A complete renovation is still an option. The most popular proposals from the community are to tear down and rebuild in the same location, or to rebuild in an area south of city hall, at the Biltmore Square Mall site, or near the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center.
The Southern Conference
will be bringing the 2012, 2013, and 2014 basketball tournaments to the Asheville Civic Center. In anticipation of the tournament, the city has pledged a $3.2 million dollar renovation of the facility.
On November 22, 2011, asheville City Council voted to name the facility for U.S. Cellular
, provided no other companies make a higher bid by December 31.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
, in Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
.
It was home to the Asheville Altitude basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team in the NBDL, before the franchise moved to Tulsa
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Tulsa is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 46th-largest city in the United States. With a population of 391,906 as of the 2010 census, it is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with 937,478 residents in the MSA and 988,454 in the CSA. Tulsa's...
in 2005 and the United Hockey League
United Hockey League
The United Hockey League was a low-level professional ice hockey league , with teams in the United States...
's Asheville Smoke and also the SPHL's Asheville Aces
Asheville Aces
The Asheville Aces were a Southern Professional Hockey League team in Asheville, North Carolina. The team, which suffered limited success and low attendance, lasted only one year before disbanding.-Franchise History:...
.
The venue also hosted WCW
World Championship Wrestling
World Championship Wrestling, Inc. was an American professional wrestling promotion which existed from 1988 to 2001. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, it began as a regional promotion affiliated with the National Wrestling Alliance , named Jim Crockett Promotions until November 1988, when Ted Turner and...
SuperBrawl
SuperBrawl
SuperBrawl was an annual professional wrestling pay-per-view in World Championship Wrestling during the month of February from 1991 through 2001. Along with Starrcade, Bash at the Beach, The Great American Bash and Halloween Havoc, SuperBrawl was booked to be one of WCW's flagship pay-per-views....
1993, WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro
WCW Monday Nitro was a weekly professional wrestling telecast produced by World Championship Wrestling, created by Ted Turner and Eric Bischoff. The show aired Monday nights on TNT, going head-to-head with the World Wrestling Federation's Monday Night Raw from September 4, 1995 to March 26, 2001...
where the famed nWo
New World Order (professional wrestling)
The New World Order was a professional wrestling stable that originally wrestled for World Championship Wrestling . The group later appeared in the World Wrestling Federation after the purchase of WCW by the WWF...
wreaked havoc over the Ric Flair
Ric Flair
Richard Morgan Fliehr is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name Ric Flair. Also known as "The Nature Boy", Flair is one of the most well-known professional wrestlers in the world....
-led Four Horsemen and Fall Brawl
Fall Brawl
Fall Brawl was an annual pay-per-view in World Championship Wrestling held in the month of September from 1993 through 2000. The name was derived from the fall edition of Clash of the Champions, called "Fall Brawl"...
1995 as well as the 1999 and 2000 Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
men's basketball tournament and 1984-1995 Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
men's basketball tournament.
Commencement exercises for the University of North Carolina at Asheville
University of North Carolina at Asheville
The University of North Carolina at Asheville is a co-educational, four year, public liberal arts university. The university is also known as UNC Asheville. Located in Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, UNCA is the only designated liberal arts institution in the University of North...
were last held in the venue in 1999.
The arena played host to the politically-motivated Vote for Change
Vote for Change
The Vote for Change tour was a politically-motivated American popular music concert tour that took place in October 2004. The tour was presented by MoveOn.org to benefit America Coming Together. The tour was held in swing states and was designed to encourage people to register and vote...
Tour on October 6, 2004, featuring performances by Gob Roberts
Gob Roberts
Gob Roberts is Tim Robbins' punk rock cover band during the Vote for Change tour in 2004. After the announcement of the tour, Tim Robbins' band joined the bill with Pearl Jam and Death Cab for Cutie to trek across swing states. At each of these shows, a minor skit with the help of Eddie Vedder...
, Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie
Death Cab for Cutie is an American alternative rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997. The band consists of Ben Gibbard , Chris Walla , Nick Harmer and Jason McGerr ....
and Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam
Pearl Jam is an American rock band that formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. Since its inception, the band's line-up has included Eddie Vedder , Jeff Ament , Stone Gossard , and Mike McCready...
.
The city of Asheville
Asheville, North Carolina
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the 11th largest city in North Carolina. The City is home to the United States National Climatic Data Center , which is the world's largest active...
and State of North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
have been pressured by many in the community to replace or renovate the aging Civic Center with more modern facilities. This debate has been going on for years, with no apparent end. Asheville city council recently passed a measure funding basic maintenance http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200661212090, and has earmarked $1.5 million for the implementation of a "living roof" to replace the aging conventional roof http://encore.celebrityaccess.com/index.php?encoreId=48&articleId=19192.
The ultimate path for the Civic Center is still unclear. A complete renovation is still an option. The most popular proposals from the community are to tear down and rebuild in the same location, or to rebuild in an area south of city hall, at the Biltmore Square Mall site, or near the Western North Carolina Agriculture Center.
The Southern Conference
Southern Conference
The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...
will be bringing the 2012, 2013, and 2014 basketball tournaments to the Asheville Civic Center. In anticipation of the tournament, the city has pledged a $3.2 million dollar renovation of the facility.
On November 22, 2011, asheville City Council voted to name the facility for U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular
United States Cellular Corporation, d.b.a. U.S. Cellular , owns and operates the sixth largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, behind Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA, and Metro PCS. , they serve about 6.1 million customers in 126 markets in...
, provided no other companies make a higher bid by December 31.