The PNC Arena is among the newest sports and entertainment facilities in the United States. The NHL recognized Wake County and the Raleigh area as a great opportunity for a NHL team. Based at the PNC Arena, the NHL's Carolina Hurricanes are the 2006 Stanley Cup Champions. The PNC Arena also hosts NC State University's mens basketball.
The PNC Arena provides the area with a wide variety of other events as well. On an annual basis, the PNC Arena welcomes over 1.2 million guests and plays host to more than 140 events. The PNC Arena has continually offered Raleigh, the Triangle, and the Southeast an abundance of sports, concerts, and events year after year. A 2004 study by the accounting firm Ernst ∓ Young estimates the arena's economic impact to be about $170 million a year.
The $158 million PNC Arena encompasses approximately 700,000 square feet and boasts a 140-acre tract adjacent to Carter Finley Stadium and the North Carolina State Fairgrounds. Four different seating levels provide 18,176 seats for hockey, 19,722 for basketball, 19,500 for center-stage concerts, and 18,900 for endstage 360 performances.
The Center's amenities include over 8,000 designated parking spaces, 18 concession stands, 37 public restrooms, and escalators and elevators throughout the building.
Equipped with three concourses, 66 luxury suites, 2,000 Club Seats, and a spacious 9,100 square foot restaurant on the Club Level, the PNC Arena is well-equipped to handle events of all types. Full catering service, operated entirely on-site by Hot Tomato Creations, is also available for private functions to serve up to 1,000 guests. Groundbreaking: Opening Night: Opening Event: Size: Capacity: Owner: Operator: July 22, 1997
October 29, 1999
Hurricanes vs. New Jersey Devils
700,000 square feet
Up to 20,000
Centennial Authority
Gale Force Sports ∓ Entertainment
(A division of the Carolina Hurricanes) Construction on the $158 million PNC Arena began with a groundbreaking ceremony on July 22, 1997. The Center's doors opened for business in October 1999, representing the culmination of the collaborative efforts of a unique partnership known as the Centennial Authority. In part due to a grant from the State of North Carolina, the Centennial Authority owns the PNC Arena building and the surrounding 80 acres, while the facility itself is operated by the Carolina Hurricanes/Gale Force Sports ∓ Entertainment. With construction by Hensel Phelps Construction, overseen by McDevitt Street Bovis, Inc. and architects Odell, the PNC Arena yields a height of 108½ feet, a width of 495 feet, and a length of 635 feet. Since opening its doors in 1999, the PNC Arena has become the new, premier source of entertainment in the Southeast.