The American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood in downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League and Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. The arena is also used for concerts and other live entertainment. It opened on July 17, 2001, at a cost of $420 million.
 | |
American Airlines Center in September 2011
| |
  American Airlines Center Location in Texas Show map of Texas American Airlines Center Location in the United States Show map of the United States | |
| Address | 2500 Victory Avenue |
|---|---|
| Location | Dallas, Texas |
| Coordinates | 32°47′26″N 96°48′37″W / 32.79056°N 96.81028°W / 32.79056; -96.81028 |
| Public transit |   Trinity Railway Express  Dallas Area Rapid Transit:Green Orange atVictory |
| Owner | City of Dallas[1] |
| Operator | Center Operating Company, L.P. (a joint venture between the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars)[2] |
| Capacity | Basketball: 19,200, up to 21,146 with standing room Ice hockey: 18,532, up to 19,323 with standing room Concerts: 21,000 |
| Field size | 840,000 sq ft (78,000 m2) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | September 1, 1999 |
| Opened | July 17, 2001 |
| Construction cost | US$420 million (US$723 million in 2023 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | David M. Schwarz/Architectural Services, Inc. HKS, Inc.[4] Johnson/McKibben Architects, Inc. |
| Project manager | International Facilities Group, LLC.[5] |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore[6] |
| Services engineer | Flack & Kurtz Inc.[6] |
| General contractor | Austin Commercial[7]/H.J. Russell[citation needed] |
| Tenants | |
| Dallas Mavericks (NBA) (2001–present) Dallas Stars (NHL) (2001–present) Dallas Desperados (AFL) (2002, 2004–2008) Dallas Vigilantes (AFL) (2010–2011) | |
| Website | |
| americanairlinescenter | |
By 1998, the Dallas Mavericks, then owned by H. Ross Perot Jr., and the Dallas Stars were indicating their desire for a new arena to replace the aging and undersized Reunion Arena, which closed in 2008 and was demolished the next year. Dallas taxpayers approved a new hotel tax and rental car tax to pay for a new arena to cover a portion of the funding, with the two benefiting teams, the Mavericks and the Stars, picking up the remaining costs, including cost overruns. The new arena was to be built just north of Woodall Rodgers Freeway near Interstate 35E on the site of an old power plant.[8][9]
On March 18, 1999, American Airlines (AA) announced that it would be acquiring the naming rights for the arena for $195 million.[10][11] AA is headquartered in nearby Fort Worth and is based at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. From its opening in 2001 until 2013, the AAC had the then-current AA logo; thereafter the AAC has used the current AA logo.[12]
The first event occurred the next day with an Eagles concert. On the next night, the arena hosted the last show of Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames tour. The first sporting event took place on August 19, 2001, with the Dallas Sidekicks of the World Indoor Soccer League taking on the San Diego Sockers.[13]
The AAC includes a practice court for the Mavericks, who used it for regular practices until 2017 when a separate facility was built in the Dallas Design District near the arena.
The Mavericks' lease on the AAC runs through to 2031.
Principal design work was carried out by the Driehaus Prize winner and New Classical architect David M. SchwarzofWashington D.C. American Airlines Center was designed to be the heart of a new urban, commercial area designed to reinvigorate the city of Dallas called Victory Park. The facility itself features a conservative, traditional design with sweeping brick façades and smooth arches. The interior includes retractable seating, public art and a technological arena. Because of the Quonset hut-like appearance of its roof and the fact that American Airlines holds the naming rights some fans have come to refer to it as "The Hangar".
On the south side of the arena, PNC Plaza (formerly called Victory Plaza[14] and AT&T Plaza) serves as the principal entrance into the facility. Designed by artist Athena Tacha in 2000, the plaza provides an open space with fountains flanked by retail and office buildings. With several HD video displays from Daktronics mounted on the side of the arena and office buildings, the plaza is often used for outdoor events and movie showings.[15]
| Events and tenants | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Home of the Dallas Mavericks 2001 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by | Home of the Dallas Stars 2001 – present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by | Host of the NHL All-Star Game 2007 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | NCAA Women's Division I Basketball tournament Finals Venue 2017 |
Succeeded by |