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By Sean Kantrowitz
The year was 1997. The location was downtown Washington, D.C., and
excitement permeated the air. While the anticipation of change and
progression certainly isn’t a foreign concept in the vicinity of our
nation’s capital, the catalyst behind this movement had less to do with
politics and more to do with the emergence of a building between Sixth and
Seventh streets, not just for what the building contained but for what it
represented: change.
A decade later, it may be difficult to understand the impact that Verizon
Center has made on D.C., its citizens, and the sports and entertainment
industry at large. Indeed, the city has progressed so drastically that in
many ways it’s almost unrecognizable from what it was 10 years ago. Events
and games have taken place, records have been broken, the economy has been
revitalized and 24 million attendees have come to experience what this
landmark has to offer. Throughout, Verizon Center truly has been at the
center of it all.
A Home to Many
As the home of the NBA’s Washington Wizards, NHL’s Washington Capitals,
WNBA’s Washington Mystics and the Georgetown Hoyas men’s basketball team,
the building then known as the MCI Center was planted in Washington, D.C.’s
downtown district, located in the heart of Chinatown and only a few steps
away from the White House. While one of the more immediate goals of the
arena was to improve upon the USAir Arena on the Capital Beltway in
Landover, Md., the intent behind the construction expanded beyond the walls
of the $200 million sports and entertainment facility.
The economic and social climate of downtown Washington prior to the
emergence of Verizon Center painted a picture that hardly depicted it as a
likely candidate for tourism, commerce and a place one might feel safe
taking the kids to see Disney on Ice. For the few businesses that had held
on for dear life in the crime ridden, depleted area circa 1996, the
rejuvenation of the neighborhood via a sports arena was nothing short of a
miracle.
Such a concept was exactly what Wizards owner and chairman of Washington
Sports and Entertainment, Abe Pollin, had in mind. “Building downtown,
rather than in some suburb, has helped spark an urban revitalization, at
least in that neighborhood. The city’s been good to me,” Pollin — whose
enormous business savvy and philanthropic endeavors earned him a
Distinguished Service Award from the United States Sports Academy — told the
Washingtonian in November 1997, a month before the building opened. “I’ve
been here almost all my life. A few years ago, I felt that somebody had to
step forward and say, ‘Hey, this is the nation’s capital! This is the
world’s most important city. Let’s not let our city go down the drain.’ I
felt that the center could become a catalyst to turn the city around. And it
has. Go down to that area and you see all the new restaurants and galleries
that opened.”
A prescient statement, considering the statistics the building has generated
a decade later. Verizon Center has generated $76 million in taxes for
Washington, D.C., attracting $6.2 billion in new development in the area.
Hotels, restaurants, businesses, condominiums, apartments and retail have
all popped up around Verizon Center since its inception, and the use of the
Metro rail system has increased by 14.4 million riders, with an estimated 60 percent of patrons using the rail system for attending events at the arena.
The building’s agreement to hire D.C. residents for 51 percent of the
hundreds of job positions within the arena also did wonders for the city’s
residents, who lined up in the hundreds to attend the first job fair in the
summer of 1997.
Those employee opportunities have only ballooned in the years since. With
104 luxury suites, six executive suites, and a variety of concession stands
and restaurants located under one enormous roof, Verizon Center has raised
the standard for what an arena can offer its attendees beyond the thrill of
the game. The Acela Club restaurant, overlooking the court and the ice,
combines gourmet dining with world-class service and is a unique 400-seat
tiered dining experience for club seat and suite holders. The Johnnie Walker
Coaches Club, located on the event floor, provides a more intimate
experience for Gold VIP season ticket holders seeking hors d’oeuvres and
beverages before, during and after games, while Dewar’s 12 Clubhouse and the
Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille restaurant offer a variety of drinks,
appetizers and meals at an affordable price.
A Thriving Facility
The latest addition to Verizon Center, Collaborations by SiloSmashers, is a
members-only executive business club that features exclusive access to the
arena for executive meetings and events, courtside seats and views
overlooking the arena floor.
Even while standing outside of Verizon Center, it’s not difficult to see
just how much the building and surrounding area have thrived over the years.
The VIDA Fitness and Bang Salon on the corner of Seventh and F streets NW
provides D.C. with a perfect place for relaxation and rejuvenation of the
personal variety. A 28,000-sq.-ft space provides state-of-the-art fitness
equipment, yoga and pilates, mixed martial arts by Team Lloyd Irvin, pools,
and salon and spa services.
Verizon Center also added a touch of Times Square to the neighborhood by
unveiling a news and entertainment video marquee outside the building in
2005. With news headlines, live sporting events, sports highlights and other
information regarding the events within the building on public display, the
innovation continues the city’s progression into a thriving, cultural
melting pot. Beyond proving itself as a building, Verizon Center’s success
relies just as much on the events and games that have transpired behind its
doors. Stellar sporting events including the 2003 World Figure Skating
Championships, the NCAA Tournament, the 2005 ACC Tournament, the 1999 NBA
Draft, the 2002 and 2007 WNBA All-Star games, and the 1998 Stanley Cup
Finals have all been held at Verizon Center.
Mike Tyson fought his last professional boxing match at Verizon Center
against Kevin McBride in 2005, which was also the first boxing match for the
building. And fans of the Wizards, Capitals and Mystics can claim one of the
most accessible, comfortable and cutting-edge facilities in the nation as
their stomping grounds.
Just in 2006, the year that found the building transitioning into the
challenge of adapting its new moniker, Verizon Center found itself breaking
four records for top-grossing events across three different categories:
Barbra Streisand topped all events across all categories, Tim McGraw and
Faith Hill’s Soul2Soul tour earned the spot as top-grossing country tour,
and annual family events Disney on Ice and the Harlem Globetrotters also
broke records. The building also recorded nine first-time events: Streisand,
Don Omar, Shakira, High School Musical, Mariah Carey, LL Cool J, Pearl Jam,
Queen with Paul Rodgers and the East Regional round of the NCAA Division I
Men’s Basketball Tournament.
2007 was no slouch either, with multiple events ranging from the Red Hot
Chili Peppers to Justin Timberlake to Keith Urban to Stevie Wonder to The
Police to Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony.
With a slew of exciting events and performers scheduled to be unveiled in
2008 and the title of future host to the 2009 NCAA Hockey Championships
(Frozen Four) under its belt, Verizon Center has shown no signs of slowing
down anytime soon. It’s been an impressive 10 years thus far, and one can
only imagine what’s in store for the next 10. Whatever it may be, it goes
without saying that Verizon Center will no doubt continue to be at the
center of the action.
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Sean Kantrowitz is a freelance writer based in Orlando, Fla. He can be
reached at sean.kantrowitz@gmail.com. |
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