College Park Center Explained

Stadium Name:College Park Center
Nickname:CPC
Logo Image:College Park Center logo.svg
Pushpin Map:Texas#USA
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Texas##Location within the United States
Pushpin Relief:1
Pushpin Label:College Park Center
Address:600 South Center Street
Location:Arlington, Texas 76019
Coordinates:32.7306°N -97.108°W
Broke Ground:March 5, 2010
Opened:February 1, 2012
Owner:University of Texas at Arlington
Operator:University of Texas at Arlington
Surface:Hardwood
Construction Cost:$78 million
($ in dollars)
Architect:HKS, Inc.[1]
Structural Engineer:Rogers Moore/Walter P Moore
Services Engineer:M–E Engineers, Inc.
General Contractor:Hunt Construction Group[2]
Tenants:UT Arlington Mavericks (NCAA) (2012–present)
Dallas Wings (WNBA) (2016–present)
Seating Capacity:7,000

College Park Center (CPC) is an indoor, multi-purpose arena on the University of Texas at Arlington campus in Arlington, Texas, United States.[3] [4] It seats up to 7,000 spectators.

Its primary tenant is the Mavericks athletic department including the university's basketball and volleyball teams. A secondary tenant during the summer season is the WNBA's Dallas Wings. It also hosts graduation ceremonies for UT Arlington, other private trade schools, and area high schools, along with concerts and events.

The arena is part of a 20acres section of the campus known as the College Park District. Completed in 2012, the District includes a residence hall, student apartments, a welcome center, a credit union, a 4.62acres park called The Green at College Park, restaurants, and three parking garages.[5]

History

Incoming UTA President James Spaniolo's first major decision with regards to athletics came in early 2005. The UTA student body had just approved a $2 an hour student fee for the resurrection of football and addition of two women's programs, golf and soccer. In January, President Spaniolo stated the university was going to pursue a new indoor arena for the university, which would replace Texas Hall for the athletic teams. The first step taken was a student vote in April 2005 that approved a $2 an hour student fee to fund the operations of the new indoor arena.[6]

The planning continued as the location became more contentious than originally thought. There were two sites on Cooper Street that were thought to be the front runners. The City of Arlington even made an initial push for the university to build it off campus. Near the end of 2008, it was revealed the current location was in play, and that the special events arena would be part of a larger, mixed-use development. The final site selection approval from the Board of Regents came in early 2009.[7] After approval, the physical planning for the arena and surrounding development began.

Ground breaking occurred on March 5, 2010. Along with numerous other cash gifts, in the fall of 2010, the university received $5 million for construction from Carrizo Oil & Gas, Inc.[8]

The grand opening of the facility was held on February 1, 2012, with a doubleheader of UT Arlington basketball when the women and men both defeated UT San Antonio in front of a then-record crowd of 6,228.[9]

The men's basketball team has a record of 109–51 at College Park Center, the women's record is 86–63, and the volleyball team sports a 96–62 home record (through the end of the 2022/23 season).

In 2016, the CPC became the permanent home of the Dallas Wings.

Features

College Park Center is divided into two concourses. The lower surrounds the court/performance area while the upper section is shaped like a horseshoe. For end stage concerts, CPC can seat 6,400 spectators, with the lower bowl seating 3,600.[10] A 2800sqfoot hospitality suite, divisible into three private sections is above the lower sections opposite the scorers table. The center-hung scoreboard is a four-sided Daktronics 13' X 9' with LED displays while an end-hung scoreboard is an 11' X 19' Daktronics LED display. Two LED display ribbon boards circle the bottom of the balcony seating. At the scorers table are four Daktronics LED display tables linked together to display messages and advertising.[11]

Underneath the lower concourse are state-of-the-art sports medicine and training facilities, two full-sized practice courts, 2500sqfoot weight room,[12] and an academic support study center.

Attendance

During the 2011–12 men's basketball season, UTA averaged 821 at Texas Hall while the last four games at CPC averaged 5,079. The team has averaged around 2,000 every year since opening. The 2015/16 season set an all-time program attendance average of 2,888 people per game.

AttendanceOpponentDateResult
16,421Oklahoma^Nov 16, 2012L 59–63
26,336CSU BakersfieldMarch 22, 2017L 76–80
36,228UTSA^^Feb 1, 2012W 67–66
46,186Georgia Southern^^^Jan 24, 2019W 81–48
56,107North TexasDec 3, 2015W 90–67
65,714Louisiana^^^Jan 16, 2020W 79–52
75,590Georgia Southern^^^Feb 22, 2018W 70–49
85,390AkronMarch 20, 2017W 85–69
95,272Texas StateFeb 11, 2012W 73–53
105,033Little RockJan 23, 2016L 62–68

^ Denotes Homecoming game^^ Facility grand-opening^^^ Women's basketball game

CPC has completely sold out three times, all of them concerts. Drake held the 1st concert ever, which was not open to the public, but rather to the UTA students and faculty, with 7,000 in attendance. The other two sellouts belong to Reach Records, as both Unashamed Tour shows in 2012 and 2013 surpassed 7,000 in attendance respectively.

Accolades

The U.S. Green Building Council recognized CPC with a LEED Gold certification.[13]

In February 2012, the center was featured in a Billboard Magazine article about ten new and renovated venues were reshaping the national touring circuit.[14]

Events

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: university of texas arlington specials events center . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100125080435/http://hks.hksinc.com/#/sports/experiences/on-the-boards?ssp=true&gallery=57&id=6 . January 25, 2010 . mdy .
  2. Web site: University of Texas At Arlington College Park Center. Hunt Construction Group. February 9, 2015. February 10, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150210090805/http://huntconstructiongroup.com/projects/green/university-of-texas-at-arlington-college-park-center/. dead.
  3. Web site: About the Center — College Park Center — The University of Texas at Arlington. January 29, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120604091426/http://www.utacollegepark.com/the-center/about-the-center.php. June 4, 2012. dead.
  4. Web site: UT-Arlington to build $73 million events facility . February 23, 2009 . https://archive.today/20110711061917/http://www.fwbusinesspress.com/display.php?id=9517 . July 11, 2011 . dead .
  5. Web site: College Park District - The University of Texas at Arlington.
  6. Web site: Fee awaits final approval.
  7. Web site: Board of Regents gives green light to special events center.
  8. Web site: UTA News Center. September 25, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20110605080259/http://www.uta.edu/ucomm/mediarelations/press/2010/09/Carrizo-makes-historic-gift.php. June 5, 2011. dead.
  9. Web site: Celebrate College Park . UTACollegePark.com . University of Texas at Arlington. December 7, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111125075837/http://www.utacollegepark.com/celebrate/. November 25, 2011. dead.
  10. Web site: CPC Promoters' Guide . UTACollegePark.com . . May 19, 2022.
  11. Web site: Production Information — College Park Center — the University of Texas at Arlington . November 15, 2015 . November 17, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151117023734/https://www.utacollegepark.com/book/production-information.php . dead .
  12. Web site: UT Arlington Official Athletic Site - The University of Texas at Arlington. December 7, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20170614071631/http://www.utamavs.com/strength.html. June 14, 2017. dead.
  13. Web site: College Park Center – the University of Texas at Arlington.
  14. Web site: How Ten New or Renovated Venues are Reshaping the Nations Touring Circuit. Waddell. Ray. February 22, 2012. Billboard Magazine. June 16, 2012. June 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120624133602/http://www.billboard.biz/bbbiz/industry/touring/how-ten-new-or-renovated-venues-are-reshaping-1006254952.story. dead.
  15. Web site: ESPN Friday Night at the Fights at UT Arlington. February 17, 2012. 2012-06-16.
  16. Web site: Drake Christens UTA's College Park. March 3, 2012. June 16, 2012.
  17. Web site: Location for TNA's Slammiversary PPV. Caldwell. James. March 18, 2012. Pro Wrestling Torch. March 23, 2012.
  18. Web site: Passion Pit to perform September 14 at UT Arlington's College Park. June 11, 2012. June 16, 2012. August 30, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120830023550/http://www.uta.edu/news/releases/2012/06/passion-pit-concert.php. dead.
  19. Web site: Championship Boxing Heads to UTA's College Park Center | City of Arlington, TX . November 18, 2017 . December 1, 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171201032112/http://www.arlington-tx.gov/news/2015/04/14/championship-boxing-heads-to-utas-college-park-center/ . dead .
  20. Web site: Event – College Park Center – the University of Texas at Arlington.
  21. Web site: Arlington, Texas . College Park Center at the University of Texas-Arlington 600 S. Center St 76019 . Maps . Ring of Honor . 2022-10-18 . ROH Final Battle 2022 . 2022-11-03 . www.rohwrestling.com . en.