United Center (Chicago, Illinois)

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1901 West Madison Street
Chicago, IL 60612
(312) 455-4500
www.unitedcenter.com/

The United Center is an indoor arena located in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. It is named after its corporate sponsor United Airlines, who pays about $1,800,000 a year until 2014 for its naming rights. The arena is home to the Chicago Bulls of the NBA and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL. It replaced the Chicago Stadium as their home, and its exterior facade resembles that of the old arena. The arena was constructed from April 1992 to August 1994 at a cost of $175,000,000.

The United Center, designed by HOK Sport and the W.E. Simpson Company, has a height of 43 m (140 ft) and has a floor area of 960,000 sq m. It seats 19,717 for ice hockey and 20,917 for basketball and has 3,100 club seats and 169 luxury boxes. The arena's acoustics were designed to amplify the noise level to recreate "The Roar", the din of noise that Chicago Stadium was famous for. An Allen Organ that is a replica of the old arena's Barton Organ is used during hockey season.

Among the events the United Center has hosted are the Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007, WWE's SummerSlam in 1994, and the 1996 Democratic National Convention.

The 300 Level of the United Center underwent a renovation before the 2009-10 season.