Pyramid Arena
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Pyramid Arena | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Location | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Owner | Memphis and Shelby County |
| Operator | Memphis and Shelby County |
| Tenants | Memphis Tigers (NCAA) (1991-2004) Memphis Grizzlies (NBA) (2001-2004) Memphis Pharaohs (AFL) (1995-1996) |
| Capacity | 20,142 basketball |
The Pyramid Arena is a 20,142-seat arena located in downtown Memphis at the banks of the Mississippi River. The facility was built in 1991 and is owned and operated jointly by the city of Memphis and Shelby County.
It is 98 m (321 feet, about 32 stories) tall and has base sides of 180 m; it is the third largest pyramid in the world behind the Great Pyramid of Giza (139 m) and Luxor Hotel (106 m). It is also slightly (about 5 meters) taller than the Statue of Liberty.
It was the home court for the University of Memphis men's basketball program, and later for the National Basketball Association's Memphis Grizzlies. However, both teams left The Pyramid in November 2004 to move into the newly built FedExForum.
The Pyramid was used for the 2002 concert commemorating the 25th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley.
Its unique structure plays on the city's namesake in Egypt, known for its ancient pyramids.
The arena hosted the 1993 Great Midwest Conference Men's and Women's basketball tournaments, the 1994 and 1997 Southeastern Conference men's basketball tournament, the 1996 and 2000 Conference USA men's basketball tournament, and the 2003 Conference USA women's basketball tournament. It also held the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in 1995, 1997, and 2001.
It was the site of the WWF St. Valentine's Day Massacre pay-per-view, in 1999.
It also hosted the mega-fight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson in 2002, which Lewis won by a knockout in the eighth round.
Since the recently completed FedExForum has overtaken the Pyramid as the city's primary indoor sports arena, the Pyramid does not currently have any long term tenants. A committee studied possible uses of the arena in 2005, and considered such uses as converting the arena into a casino, an aquarium, a shopping center, or an indoor theme park.[1]
In October 2005, media speculation began to focus on an aquarium or a Bass Pro Shops superstore as the most likely long-term tenants of the arena. In November 2006, Congressman-Elect Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) suggested that he would attempt to open a "Mid-American branch" of the Smithsonian Institution in the building. As of January 31, 2008, the city and Bass Pro Shops have reached a "tentative" agreement, short on details, but based on an intent to develop the now-abandoned structure.[2][3]
Filmmaker Craig Brewer used the building as a sound stage for his film Black Snake Moan in late 2005.[4]
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band performed what is reputed to be the last concert ever in the Pyramid on February 3, 2007.
[edit] References
- ^ Williams, David. "$250 million plan proposed for Pyramid, Mud Island", Commercial Appeal, 2007-12-12.
- ^ "Bass Pro Shops officially announce plans for the Pyramid", WMC-TV, 2006-02-24.
- ^ Williams, David. "Panel irons out Pyramid pact", Commercial Appeal, 2008-02-12.
- ^ "Casting call announced for 'Black Snake Moan'", Memphis Business Journal, 2005-08-18.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by General Motors Place |
Home of the Memphis Grizzlies 2001 – 2004 |
Succeeded by FedExForum |
