Chesapeake Energy Arena

Chesapeake Energy Arena (originally Ford Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Oklahoma City.

It is the home of the NBA's Oklahoma City Thunder. The arena also served as home for the CHL's Oklahoma City Blazers, until the team folded in July 2009, as well as the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz arena football team, which relocated to the Cox Convention Center. Of special note, it served as the temporary home for the NBA's New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, during the 2005–06 and 2006–07 seasons.

It also plays host to major concerts, family and social events, conventions, ice shows, civic events and sporting events from local universities and high schools.

History

It is owned by the City of Oklahoma City and opened on June 8, 2002, three years after construction began. It is located adjacent to the Robinson Avenue exit of I-40 Crosstown Expressway in downtown Oklahoma City. The original 'Ford Center' name came from a naming rights deal with the group which represents the marketing efforts of the state's Ford dealership, rather than the Ford Motor Company itself.

The facility was the premier component of the city's 1993 Capital Improvement Program, known as Metropolitan Area Projects (MAPS), which financed new and upgraded sports, entertainment, cultural and convention facilities primarily in the downtown section with...
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