Joe Louis Arena

42°19′31″N 83°3′5″W / 42.32528°N 83.05139°W / 42.32528; -83.05139OwnerCity of Detroit^[8]OperatorOlympia Entertainment^[9]CapacityIce hockey:
19,275 (1979–1989)
19,875 (1989–1996)
19,983 (1996–2000)
19,995 (2000–2001)
20,058 (2001–2003)
20,066 (2003–2014)
20,027 (2014–2017)^[11][12][13]
Basketball: 20,153^[1]
Concerts: 21,666^[1]ConstructionBroke groundMay 16, 1977^[3][4]OpenedDecember 12, 1979^[1][4][5]ClosedJuly 29, 2017^[6][7]Demolished2019–2020Construction costUS$57 million^[4]
($239 million in 2023 dollars^[10])ArchitectSmithGroupJJR^[4]General contractorBarton Malow^[1]TenantsDetroit Red Wings (NHL) (1979–2017)
Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1985)
Detroit Drive (AFL) (1988–1993)
Detroit Turbos (MILL) (1989–1994)
Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (OHL) (1991–92)
Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL) (1992–1995)
Detroit Rockers (NPSL) (1996–2000)

Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena station on the Detroit People Mover. The venue was named after former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit.^[1]

It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the second oldest NHL venue after Madison Square Garden until the start of the 2017–18 NHL season.^[14][15] Joe Louis Arena was owned by the city of Detroit, and operated by Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of team owner Ilitch Holdings.^[8][9]

In April 2017, the Red Wings hosted their final game at Joe Louis Arena; the venue was succeeded by Little Caesars Arena. The arena closed in July 2017. Demolition started in early 2019 and was completed by mid-2020.^{[6][7][16][17]} A 25-story residential tower called the Residences at Water Square is under construction at the site.^[18][19]

History

The Red Wings had been playing at Olympia Stadium since 1927. However, by the late 1970s, the neighborhood around the Olympia had gradually deteriorated, especially after the 1967 Detroit riot.^[4][20] In 1977, the Red Wings announced that they would be moving to a proposed arena in suburban Pontiac.^[21] However, the city of Detroit countered with a proposal for a new riverfront arena in which they would charge the Red Wings much lower rent than what Pontiac was offering. The package also gave the team operational control of the arena, nearby Cobo Arena and parking lots. The Red Wings ultimately decided to stay in Detroit proper.^[22][23]

The arena hosted its first event on December 12, 1979: a college basketball game between the University of Michigan and the University of Detroit.^[5] The Red Wings played their first game at Joe Louis Arena on December 27, 1979, hosting the St. Louis Blues. The game ended in a 3–2 loss for the Red Wings.^[24] The Red Wings' first win at the arena came on December 30, 1979, where they defeated the New York Islanders 4–2.^[25] Later that season, it hosted the 32nd NHL All-Star Game on February 5, 1980, which was played before a then-NHL record crowd of 21,002.^[26] Joe Louis Arena was the site of the 1987 NHL Entry Draft, which marked the first NHL Entry Draft to be held in the United States.^[15] In 1980, the arena hosted the Republican National Convention that nominated Ronald Reagan as the Republican candidate for President of the United States.^[27]

In 1990, color matrix boards were installed on the scoreboard; these were replaced by four Sony JumboTron video walls three years later, when the matrix boards were placed in the corners of the fascia. In 2006, LED video screens replaced the JumboTrons. The screens debuted November 22, 2006, when the Red Wings played the Vancouver Canucks. That same day, the arena's West Entrance was named the "Gordie Howe Entrance" in honor of the legendary Red Wing player, and a bronze statue of Howe was placed inside the entrance. Joe Louis Arena housed 86 premium suites.^[28] In 2008, the arena introduced the Comerica Bank Legend's Club, a 181-person private seating location in the arena's southeast corner.^[14]

Replacement and demolition

On July 20, 2014, following the July 2013 approval of a $650 million project to build a new sports and entertainment district in Downtown Detroit,^[29][30] Christopher Ilitch unveiled designs for a new arena near Comerica Park and Ford Field which was completed in 2017 and succeeded Joe Louis Arena as the home of the Red Wings.^[31] On October 16, 2014, lawyers involved in the ongoing Detroit bankruptcy case disclosed in court that after demolition, which will be paid for by the city and state, the land on which the arena stands, along with an adjacent parking lot, will be transferred to the Financial Guaranty Insurance Company (FGIC), a bond insurer with a $1 billion claim against the city.^[32]

The Red Wings' final game at Joe Louis Arena was played on April 9, 2017, against the New Jersey Devils. The final game at the arena also served as then Red Wings' captain Henrik Zetterberg's 1,000th game. The Red Wings won 4–1, the final goal in the arena's history coming from Red Wings forward Riley Sheahan. It was the second of two he scored, which were also the only goals he scored at all during the 2016–17 season.^[33][34] The last ticketed event held was a WWE Live event, held on July 29, 2017.^[6][7] Demolition of the interior of the arena started in early 2019, while demolition on the exterior commenced in June 2019.^[35][36] Due to the arena's proximity to Cobo Center, now Huntington Place, it was dismantled traditionally rather than imploded.^[37][38]

Other tenants and events

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5. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Regner, Arthur J. (March 6, 2017). "Basketball at the Joe: quality over quantity". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
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37. ^ Aguilar, Louis (March 11, 2018). "Life after the Joe: Big changes proposed for site". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on July 28, 2020. Retrieved July 8, 2020.
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