Prudential Center
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- This article is about the sports arena in Newark, New Jersey. For the Boston, Massachusetts complex, see Prudential Tower.
| Prudential Center | |
|---|---|
| "The Rock" "Pru Center" |
|
 The Mulberry Street side of the arena, with the entrance cylinders on either side and the large television screen visible on the face of the arena |
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| Location | 165 Mulberry Street Newark, New Jersey 07102 |
| Broke ground | October 3, 2005 |
| Opened | October 25, 2007 |
| Owner | City of Newark |
| Operator | Anschutz Entertainment Group |
| Architect | HOK Sport Morris Adjmi Architects (Exterior) |
| Tenants | New Jersey Devils (NHL) (2007— ) New Jersey Ironmen (MISL) (2007— ) Seton Hall Pirates Men's Basketball (NCAA) (2007— ) |
| Capacity | 17,500 (Indoor Soccer) 17,625 (Hockey)[1] 18,500 (Basketball) 19,500 (Concerts)[2] |
The Prudential Center (nicknamed "The Rock"[3]) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Downtown Newark, New Jersey. The arena was designed by HOK Sport, with the exterior designed by Morris Adjmi Architects. It is the home of the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, as well as the Major Indoor Soccer League's New Jersey Ironmen, and the Seton Hall Pirates Men's Basketball team. The arena will also be available for select Seton Hall Women's basketball games.[4] The arena seats 17,625 people for hockey.[1]
The arena is located a couple of blocks from Newark Penn Station in downtown Newark, just west of Newark's Ironbound district. A new park named Triangle Park will connect the train station to the arena, making it easily accessible via New Jersey Transit, PATH, Newark Light Rail, and Amtrak.
The Prudential Center is the first major league sports venue to be built in the New York metropolitan area since the Brendan Byrne Arena, the Devils' former home, opened in 1981. It is hoped that the arena might play an important role in the revitalization of Newark.[5]
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[edit] History
Groundbreaking for the arena began on October 3, 2005.
On Tuesday, January 24, 2006, the Devils submitted a guarantee in writing that the team will contribute $100 million to the arena, [6] one day after the city and state threatened to cancel the project.[7] The city of Newark pledged to contribute $210 million to the construction of the arena, using all of that money from its lease of Newark Liberty International Airport with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The Devils paid for the remainder of the cost. Thus, no taxpayer dollars were used in construction of the arena.[8] Some taxpayer dollars, however, were spent on infrastructure improvements. These improvements were necessary for both the new arena and proposed private development that is planned to surround the arena. The $105 million sponsorship from Prudential Financial is reduced from the city's cost. With the city also obtaining money from the leases of its tenants and building fees included in the cost of tickets for all events (including concerts, conventions, etc), the arena will most likely prove to be a solid investment for the city of Newark for many years to come. It is expected that this will be a catalyst for the revival of downtown Newark as well as the rest of the city.
The arena was originally intended to be the home of the New Jersey Nets, but YankeeNets has since sold the team and the Nets are expected to move to Brooklyn, New York. With their impending relocation, Izod Center was planned for demolition to make room for the Meadowlands Xanadu project. However, the site for the Xanadu project has been moved to another area of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, and the New Jersey Nets have extended their lease at the Meadowlands through at least 2010[9], due to complications involving the team's proposed move to Brooklyn's Barclays Center. This leaves two arenas in New Jersey competing with each other to book concerts and family shows. State officials, though, have called for the Izod Center to close once the Prudential Center opens. Although the Nets extended their lease at the Izod Center, Devils ownership has offered a public invitation for the NBA team to be a tenant in Newark. A Nets' move to Newark does not seem likely, unless the planned relocation to Brooklyn ultimately fails.
On October 20, the Newark Boys Chorus performed at Prudential Center. The arena opened on October 25, 2007 with a series of 10 concerts by New Jersey rock group Bon Jovi, featuring a star-studded lineup of opening acts, including Big & Rich, Gretchen Wilson, Daughtry, The All-American Rejects and New Jersey's own My Chemical Romance.[10]
The first Devils home game was played on October 27 against the Ottawa Senators, who were the Devils' last opponent at Continental Airlines Arena (now known as the Izod Center).[11] Ottawa's Chris Neil scored the arena's first goal and Brian Gionta scored the first goal for the Devils in a 4-1 loss for the home team.[12]
The first ever hat-trick in Prudential Center history was netted by Jay Pandolfo, in a 6–1 Devils victory on October 31, 2007, against the Tampa Bay Lightning. This same game was the Devils' first home victory at the Prudential Center
On November 11, 2007, the first collegiate basketball game took place in the arena, with Seton Hall defeating Monmouth 89–81, in overtime.
The arena was host to UFC 78 on November 17, 2007.
In November 2007, the Center was host the semifinals and finals of college basketball's Legends Classic.[13]
On February 10 and 11, 2008, the Spice Girls performed to two sold out crowds as part of their The Return of the Spice Girls Tour. It was their first New Jersey performance as a five piece.
[edit] Features
The Prudential Center, built through 2006 and 2007, is the first new arena built in the New York/New Jersey metropolitan area in more than 25 years. Located only 2 blocks from Newark Penn Station, the building is one of the most easily accessible arenas in the country via NJ Transit, PATH, Newark Light Rail, and Amtrak through Newark's Penn Station. Highways surrounding the arena include I-280, I-78, New Jersey Turnpike, Rt. 1&9, Rt. 21, Rt. 22, and the Garden State Parkway.[14]
The red and gray exterior is inspired by Newark's bricklaying and railroad heritage, as well as an homage to the colors of the New Jersey Devils.[1] Fans approaching the arena from the front are presented with a view of the arena's externally mounted 4,800 square foot (446 m²) LED screen, one of the largest in the world.[15] Along the arena's east side Mulberry Street entrance are two large "entrance cylinders" named the Verizon Tower and PNC Tower, the arena's most prominent exterior feature.[5] The interior Grand Concourse provides views of downtown Newark on the Edison Street and Mulberry Street sides through large windows. Accessible from the Grand Concourse is the Devils' new 2,600 square foot (242 m²) Team Store.[15] The Prudential Center features separate concourses for the lower and upper levels.
As the newest facility to be used in the NHL, the Prudential Center features a large array of amenities.[5] The rink area features four LED ribbons and an eight-sided scoreboard equipped with high-definition video screens.[15] The 76 luxury suites available[1] are the largest in North America.[5] Personal dining, WiFi and high-definition televisions are some of the many conveniences available in the luxury suites.[5] There are 750 flat-screen televisions in total across the arena.[1] In the lower bowl are 2,300 black Club seats in three center sections on either side of the ice.[15] Club seat and season ticket holders have access to a 350-seat restaurant with views of the rink.[15] Additionally, the Goal Bar, located at Suite Level One offers Club and Goal Bar seat holders terrace-style seating in a bar environment.[15] Club seat holders also have access to the Fire and Ice Lounges, modern themed private bars intended to attract pre-game and post-game crowds.[5]
Attached to the Prudential Center are the Devils' corporate offices and practice rink, which contains its own locker rooms. The Prudential Center is one of only two NHL arenas with a practice rink (the other being Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, home of the Columbus Blue Jackets) and the only one with dual locker rooms and practice facilities.[16]
[edit] Naming rights
Prudential Financial purchased the naming rights in January 2007 for $105.3 million over 20 years, opting to call the arena the "Prudential Center," though this is also the name of numerous office complexes around the country, notably in Boston, Massachusetts.
Arena press releases have begun to refer to the Prudential Center as "The Rock" after Prudential's corporate logo.[3]
[edit] Gallery
 View of Mulberry Street in Newark from inside the staircase |
 Shot of the mural painted on the wall of the concourse, featuring Martin Brodeur |
 Inside of the luxury suites |
 The arena's scoreboard |
 A view of the different seating levels |
 A view of the arena floor |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Marin, Eric (2007-10-23). Prudential Center anchors Newark's vibrant core. New Jersey Devils' Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-10-23.
- ^ Prudential Center :: Highlights.
- ^ a b Matt Sweeney (2007-05-23). Seton Hall Moves to the Rock. Seton Hall University. Retrieved on 2007-07-19.
- ^ Licata, Chris (2007-09-05). New Jersey’s Finest: The Devils Set to Move into New Home. TicketNews.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ a b c d e f Prudential Center Promotional Video. New Jersey Devils Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ Brennan, John (2006-01-25). Devils give $100 million guarantee for Newark arena. The Record. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ Associated Press (2006-01-23). Newark sets deadline for letter of credit from Devils. ESPN.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ Prudential Center Opens.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (2006-09-17). With an Eye Toward New Brooklyn Arena, Nets Extend Lease in New Jersey. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ Bon Jovi to Open Prudential Center in Newark. New Jersey Devils' Official Website (2007-05-03). Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ New Jersey Devils - Schedule (Home Games). New Jersey Devils' Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ NHL.com - Scores
- ^ Associated Press (2007-06-12). NJ's Prudential Center to host UT, college hoops tourney. KXAN.com. Retrieved on 2007-09-09.
- ^ Prudential Center :: Location.
- ^ a b c d e f Prudential Center Brochure. New Jersey Devils' Official Website. Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
- ^ Prudential Center's Practice Rink. New Jersey Devils' Official Website (2007-08-31). Retrieved on 2007-09-05.
[edit] See also
- Izod Center, the former home of the New Jersey Devils in East Rutherford, NJ
- Red Bull Park, a soccer stadium in Harrison, New Jersey for the Red Bull New York soccer team, under construction
- Barclays Center, a proposed arena in Brooklyn for the current New Jersey Nets
- Citi Field, a baseball stadium in Queens for the New York Mets, under construction
- New Yankee Stadium, a baseball stadium in The Bronx for the New York Yankees, under construction
- New Meadowlands Stadium, a football stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for the New York Giants and New York Jets, under construction
- West Side Stadium, a failed proposal for a stadium and business complex over the MTA's Hudson Yards
[edit] External links
- Prudential Center Home Page
- An interactive guide to the arena
- Sports & The Arts - the arena's artwork curator
- $100M letter of credit from Devils clears way for Newark arena
- City Unveils Model of Newark/Devils Arena
- Newark Breaks Ground for Devils Arena
- Economic and legal analysis of the Newark arena project (Shelterforce Magazine)
- February 2007 video interview from the Prudential Center construction site
| Preceded by Continental Airlines Arena |
Home of the New Jersey Devils 2007 - present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the New Jersey Ironmen 2007 - present |
Succeeded by current |
| Preceded by Continental Airlines Arena |
Home of the Seton Hall Pirates 2007 - present |
Succeeded by current |
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