Quicken Loans Arena

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Quicken Loans Arena

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Quicken Loans Arena (aka "The Q") is a multipurpose arena in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Until August 2005, it was known as Gund Arena, named for Gordon Gund, a former owner of the Cavaliers, after he paid for the naming rights. It is home to the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA, the Lake Erie Monsters of the AHL, and the Cleveland Bulldogs of the AFL. It was previously home of the now-defunct Cleveland Lumberjacks of the IHL, the Cleveland Barons of the AHL, and the Cleveland Rockers of the WNBA. The arena was opened with a concert by Billy Joel on October 17, 1994; the Cavaliers played the first game in the arena a few weeks later. It is owned by the Gateway Economic Development Corporation, which leases it to the Cavaliers.

On May 16, 2006, the then-inactive Utah Grizzlies franchise of the AHL announced that it would move to the Quicken Loans Arena. On January 25, 2007, the team name was announced as the Lake Erie Monsters. It will begin play in the 2007-2008 season.

On October 16, 2007, the Las Vegas Gladiators of the Arena Football League announced that they would move to Quicken Loans Arena.

The arena replaced the Coliseum at Richfield, which was located south of Cleveland near Akron. Part of the Gateway Project to revitalize downtown Cleveland, the arena and neighboring Jacobs Field were paid for with a sin tax on alcohol and tobacco. In the summer of 2005, Cavaliers majority owner Dan Gilbert renovated the arena, installing new seats, state of the art scoreboards, video systems, sound systems, arena graphics, signage, security, locker rooms, and suite upgrades, all of which werein place for the start of the Cavaliers 2005-2006 season.

"The Q" seats 20,562 for basketball, including 2,000 in the club seats, and 92 luxury suites. In addition to its professional sports tenants, "The Q" has been home to the Mid-American Conference's men's and womem's basketball tournaments since 2000. "MAC Madness", as its more commonly known, has become a strong draw for the arena. The men's semi-final and championship games routinely draw 10,000-15,000 attendees.

Additionally, the arena was the site of WWF SummerSlam 1996, the 2000 US Figure Skating Championships, the American version of WWF No Mercy 1999, WWF Invasion 2001, Survivor Series 2004, several episodes of Monday Night RAW, Friday Night SmackDown!, and Extreme Championship Wrestling. Major national events held at the facility include the 1997 NBA All-Star Game, the 2007 NCAA Women's Final Four, and the 2009 United States Figure Skating Championships. It hosted games 3 and 4 of the 2007 NBA Finals.