Home Court:
EnergySolutions Arena
301 West South Temple
Salt Lake City, UT 84101
The EnergySolutions Arena is an indoor arena in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States owned by Larry H. Miller. The arena seats 19,911 for basketball, has 56 luxury suites, and 668 club seats. Opened in 1991, the arena was known as the Delta Center until EnergySolutions purchased the naming rights, effective November 20, 2006. The arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz.
In 2006, the arena became the home of the Arena Football League's Utah Blaze. It was also home to the figure skating and short track speed skating competitions of the 2002 Winter Olympics (during the Olympics, the arena was referred to as the Salt Lake Ice Center).
The arena was originally imagined as 20,000-seat home for the Utah Jazz and Salt Lake Golden Eagles to replace the since-demolished Salt Palace arena, which had 12,616 seats. Under the leadership and private financing of Utah businessman Larry H. Miller, ground was broken on May 22, 1990, and it was completed on October 4, 1991 in time for late-October basketball games, at a cost of $93 million.
The first game played in the arena was a Golden Eagles match against the Peoria Rivermen on October 16, 1991, which the home team lost 4-2. The Eagles had also played the inaugural game in the Salt Palace when it opened on October 10, 1969. The Eagles, which were purchased by Miller in 1990, lost nearly a million dollars annually and would not long play in the Delta Center.
The first basketball game played in the arena was a Jazz pre-season loss against Patrick Ewing and the New York Knicks, 101-95. In addition to sports, the arena was intended to host large music concerts. On October 24, 1991 Oingo Boingo became the first headlining act to rock the Delta Center.
Until November 20, 2006, the arena was known as the Delta Center. Delta Air Lines declined to renew their 15-year naming rights contract, which expired on September 30, 2006. The stadium's owner, Larry H. Miller, opted to sell naming rights to EnergySolutions, a low-level nuclear waste disposal company headquartered in Salt Lake City. The new name was unveiled November 20, prior to the Jazz home game against the Toronto Raptors. Two stickers were placed on the court, covering up the arena's old name with the new one. The EnergySolutions temporary logos were replaced with official EnergySolutions logos on the court, sometime between the 12-16-06 game vs the Sacramento Kings and the 12-26-06 game vs the Los Angeles Clippers.
Initial fan reactions to the new name were predominantly negative. Early nicknames for the arena included "the Dump", a jab at EnergySolutions' radioactive and hazardous waste disposal operations. Other suggestions included the Glow Dome, Radium Stadium, the Isotope, ChernoBowl, JazzMat (short for Jazzardous Materials), the Big Bang, the Tox Box, the Power House, the Hot Spot, Plutonium Palace, the Fallout Shelter, the Melta Center, and Energy Pollutions Arena. Many Salt Lake City residents still refer to it as the Delta Center.
Outside of the arena are statues of two players regarded as among the greatest in the history of the Jazz. The John Stockton Statue was unveiled on March 30th, 2005. The Karl Malone Statue was unveiled on March 23rd, 2006. The Jazz played games on each of those nights but both games were lost.
Official Utah Jazz Web Site