Things to do / Travel Guide
Address:305 Harrison Street
Seattle, Washington
Our Sports Superfan Says:
Technically one of the oldest arenas in the NBA, KeyArena is actually two arenas, completely rebuilt between 1994 and 1995. The arena, home to the Seattle Supersonics, is also the home of the WNBA's Seattle Storm and the junior hockey team, the Seattle Thunderbirds.
When the arena was first built in 1962, it was called the Seattle Center Coliseum and held approximately 14,000 fans. Eventually, problems with the arena's roof, along with other structural decay, led the Sonics to move a number of games elsewhere, including playoff games when they won their only NBA championship in 1979. The Storm, however, won their only championship here, in 2004. In 1985 the team moved back to the Coliseum full time. They eventually renovated it in 1994, upping its seating capacity to 17,072 for basketball and 15,177 for hockey. Interestingly, the city of Seattle paid for most of the renovations, and revenues from the arena are used to pay back the city.
Aside from the main sports exhibitions, KeyArena also has concerts, boxing matches, comedy shows, ice performances, and many other events common to big indoor arenas. The arena is located in downtown Seattle's Seattle Center, which is also the home of the Seattle Space Needle, an amusement park, theaters, and museums. It is accessible via the Seattle Center Monorail and 15 Metro bus routes.