Bon Secours Wellness Arena Explained

Stadium Name:Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Nickname:The Well
Former Names:BI-LO Center (1998–2013)
Logo Image:Bon Secours Wellness Arena logo.svg
Pushpin Map:South Carolina#USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within South Carolina##Location within the United States
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Label:Bon Secours Wellness Arena
Address:650 North Academy Street
Location:Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
Coordinates:34.8528°N -82.3915°W
Broke Ground:March 7, 1996[1]
Opened:September 3, 1998[2] (25 years ago)
Owner:Greenville Arena District
Operator:Greenville Arena District
Construction Cost:$63 million
($ in dollars)
Architect:Odell Associates
AMI Associates
Project Manager:International Facilities Group, LLC.[3]
Structural Engineer:Geiger Engineers PC
General Contractor:Fluor Daniel
Tenants:Greenville Grrrowl (ECHL) (1998–2006)
Carolina Rhinos (AF2) (2000–2002)
Greenville Groove (NBDL) (2001–2003)
South Carolina Force (AIFA) (2009)
Greenville Force (SIFL) (2010)
Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) (2010 - present)
Clemson Tigers men's basketball (NCAA) (2015–2016)
Seating Capacity:Hockey: 13,951
Basketball: 15,000
Concert (Center Stage): 16,000
Concert (End Stage): 14,500

Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the BI-LO Center; The Well) is a multi-purpose arena in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. The arena serves as the home of the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL.

History

The Bon Secours Wellness Arena was built in 1998 at a cost of US $63 million, under its former name of BI-LO Center, to replace Greenville's outdated and under-repaired Greenville Memorial Auditorium, which was imploded on September 20, 1997, on a site located across the street from the new arena.[4] The arena naming rights were purchased by Dutch grocer Ahold, then-owner of BI-LO, which had been founded in nearby Mauldin and was still based there at the time. When it was built, it passed Columbia's Carolina Coliseum as the largest arena in the state of South Carolina, a distinction it held until 2002, when Colonial Life Arena was built in Columbia.

On September 18, 2013, the BI-LO Center was officially renamed the Bon Secours Wellness Arena after the Bon Secours Health System purchased the naming rights.

Bon Secours Wellness Arena was also one of two regional hosts during the 2023 NCAA Division 1 Women's Basketball Tournament, alongside Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle.[5] This was the first season the NCAA had two regional brackets in each city, instead of the traditional four cities, one for each regional.

Seating capacity

As a concert venue, the Bon Secours Wellness Arena can seat approximately 19,000 spectators, depending on the positioning of the stage. In addition, the arena features 30 luxury suites and 840 club seats.

Notes and References

  1. News: Bi-Lo Center Breaking Ground Today in Downtown Greenville. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. March 7, 1996. September 23, 2011.
  2. News: On the Town. Prentiss. Findlay. The Post and Courier. Charleston, SC. September 3, 1998. September 23, 2011.
  3. Web site: Bi-Lo Center. International Facilities Group. October 23, 2011.
  4. News: Greenville Memorial Auditorium Is History. Associated Press. The State. Greenville, SC. September 21, 1997. April 5, 2008.
  5. Web site: 2023-03-28 . Women's NCAA Tournament Greenville Regionals TV schedule: Elite Eight scores, results, teams, seeds . 2023-11-14 . CBSSports.com . en.