1st Mariner Arena
1st Mariner Arena in
Baltimore, Maryland USA was formerly known as the Baltimore Arena. In
2003, it was renamed by
1st Mariner Bank, which purchased
naming rights to the
arena for 10 years. It was reported that
1st Mariner Bank will need to pay the city $75,000 for the next ten years to keep the naming rights to the Baltimore Arena. 1st Mariner Bank Arena is located about a block away from the
Baltimore Convention Center on the corner of Baltimore Street and Hopkins Place; it is also only a short distance from the
Inner Harbor. It seats up to approximately 13,000 people.
The Arena officially opened in
1962 as the Baltimore Civic Center and was a major cornerstone for the Inner Harbor redevelopment, it was reopened after renovations and was renamed the Baltimore Arena in
1986. The arena itself is 40 years old as of
2003 and is owned by the city and managed by
SMG, a private management company. Annually, the 1st Mariner Bank Arena is host to 800,000 people.
A cornerstone to the arena was laid in the arena in
1961 with a vault that included messages from then-U.S. President
John F. Kennedy, then-
Maryland governor
J. Millard Tawes, and then-Baltimore Mayor
J. Harold Grady, the vault is expected to be opened in
2061.
The Arena has been host to many events, ranging from boxing, to music, to sports, to wrestling. In
1962 it was host to the boxing match of
Joey Giardello vs.
Johnny Morris. In
1963, the arena was host to a professional tennis match. Also in
1963, the arena was home to the
Baltimore Bullets. In
1964, the arena was host to the popular '60s music group
the Beatles. In
1986, the arena was host to the popular Italian Opera singer
Luciano Pavarotti.
In
1989, the arena was host to the
U.S. National Figure Skating Championships. Three years later it was host to the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships, in
1992, the
International Olympic Committee held the
U.S. Olympic Gymnastics Trials there. In
1995, the arena was host to the
NCAA Men's Basketball Division 1 games (Rounds 1 & 2). In
1998, the arena was host to two popular singers,
Shania Twain and
Elton John. In
1999, the arena was host to
Janet Jackson. In
2000, the arena was host to three popular singers,
Britney Spears,
Faith Hill, and
Tim McGraw. In
2001, the arena was host to the music group
U2. The arena has been a continuous host for
World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) wrestling,
Sesame Street Live!,
Disney's World On Ice, and the
Barnum & Bailey Circus.
On October 16th, 2004,
The Baltimore Sun revealed that a official step has started into replacing the 42-year-old 1st Mariner Arena. The
Maryland Stadium Authority recently started solicting proposals for a feasibility study on building a arena in downtown Baltimore, the request for proposals are due on November 1st, 2004. According to the request for proposals that was released, the new arena would be built in the same site of 1st Mariner Arena and "would have a smaller seating capacity than would be required for an NHL or NBA team" but it doesn't specify a specific seating capacity. (Source:
Ideas solicited for city arena Requires Site Registration)
On
February 1,
2006, the Arena will host the first
Rolling Stones concert in Baltimore since
1969.
On
February 19,
2006, the
1st Mariner Arena will hold the
WWE No Way Out Pay-Per-View event.
The Baltimore Arena was considered a cornerstone location for NWA/WCW wrestling, its northern capital so to speak. The Great American Bash pay-per-view was held at the arena multiple times during the life of the promotion.
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Official website for 1st Mariner Arena
