Alerus Center

Infobox Stadium
stadium_name = Alerus Center


location = 1200 S 42nd St
Grand Forks, North Dakota 58201-3733
broke_ground = July 1998
opened = February 10, 2001
owner = City of Grand Forks, ND
operator = City of Grand Forks, ND
construction_cost = $80 million USD
surface = Multi-surface
architect = Schoen & Associates
Johnson Laffen Architects
former_names = Aurora Events Center (pre-construction)
tenants = North Dakota Fighting Sioux football (2001-present)
seating_capacity = Concerts (full-house set): 21,000
Concerts (half-house set): 11,000
Theater: 4,600
Football: 13,500
Basketball: 9,500
dimensions = Overall square footage: 447,000
Ballroom square footage: 26,000
Arena floor dimensions:
415' north to south
240' east to west
The Alerus Center is an indoor arena and convention center located in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The facility is owned and operated by the city of Grand Forks and opened on February 10, 2001. The arena's major tenant is the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux football team. The arena also plays host to many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. It can seat more than 21,000 people at one time. The convention center section of the facility includes a convert|26000|sqft|m2|sing=on ballroom and 12 meeting rooms. The convention center is used for conferences, seminars, banquets, parties, and smaller concerts. Directly adjacent to the Alerus Center is a large hotel and waterpark complex called the Canad Inns Destination Center.

The Alerus Center is named after a local financial institution, Alerus Financial, which purchased the building's naming rights. Prior to opening, the facility had been referred to as the Aurora Events Center.

History

*1984 - A vote to increase the local sales tax to expand the downtown Civic Auditorium fails
*1992 - A vote to fund a new convention center on 32nd Avenue South fails
*1995 - A vote to increase the local sales tax to build a new events center (dubbed The Aurora Events Center) passes with 60% approval
*1996 - Voters approve additional $17 million to fund project after price increase
*1997 - Flood of 1997 - delays the project
*1998 - Aurora redesigned to make the facility less susceptible to future flooding
*1999 - Compass Management hired to manage facility
*2000 - Aurora renamed The Alerus Center after Alerus Financial, buys naming rights for a period of 20 years
*2001 - Alerus Center opens on February 10
*2006 - 5th anniversary
*2006 - Construction starts on Canad Inns hotel tower and water park
*2007 - Construction on the Canad Inns Destination Center completed
*2007 - city ends its management contract with Compass Management

Events

The Alerus Center has played host to many popular musical acts including Cher, The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, KISS, Aerosmith, Bette Midler, Cirque du Soleil, and Mötley Crüe. The 2002 Cher concert was the largest such event ever held at the arena and, at that time, was the largest audience the entertainer had ever performed in front of. [ [http://www.dakotastudent.com/media/storage/paper970/news/2002/10/04/Sectionsopinion/The-Cher.Concert-1773599.shtml Article about 2002 Cher concert] - "Dakota Student"] Other non-music events have also been held at the Alerus Center including WWE Smackdown and the 2008 North Dakota Democratic-NPL Convention featuring presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton speaking [cite news |first= Chuck |last= Haga |title= Democratic presidential hopefuls bring close contest to N.D. |url= http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=72748 |work= Grand Forks Herald |publisher= Forum Communications Corp |location= Grand Forks, North Dakota |date= 2008-04-05 |accessdate=2008-04-05] .

Competition

Location map |USA Grand Forks |label=Alerus Center |mark=Red_pog.svg|marksize=10 |lat=47.910605 |long=-97.091394 |position=left |width=200 |float=right |background=#FFFFDD |caption=Location of Alerus CenterGrand Forks is unique because it is a relatively small market with two major event centers, the Alerus Center and the Ralph Engelstad Arena, which both often bid to host the same events. To a lesser extent, the Chester Fritz Auditorium in Grand Forks also sometimes competes for these same events as well. Regionally, the Fargodome in nearby Fargo, North Dakota and the MTS Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba are seen as competitors to the Alerus Center.

Canad Inns Destination Center

Located directly north of the Alerus Center sits the Canad Inns Destination Center, completed in 2007. [ [http://www.canadinns.com/grandforks/ Canad Inns Destination Center information] - canadinns.com] This $50 million dollar complex is anchored by a 201-room, 13-story hotel tower which, at convert|126|ft|m, is the tallest building in Grand Forks and the tallest building constructed in North Dakota since the mid 1980s. [ [http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=canadinnsentertainmentcomplex-grandforks-nd-usa Information about height of Canad Inns tower] - emporis.com] The Destination Center also includes the largest waterpark in the state, three restaurants, a "boutique" casino, and an arcade.

Notes

External links

* [http://www.aleruscenter.com/ Alerus Center website]
* [http://www.canadinns.com/grandforks/ Canad Inns Destination Center website]

*Geolinks-US-buildingscale|47.910605|-97.091394