Desert Financial Arena[3] (formerly ASU Activity Center and Wells Fargo Arena) is a 14,198-seat[4] multi-purpose arena located at 600 E Veterans Way in Tempe, Arizona, United States, in the Phoenix metropolitan area. It sits immediately east of Mountain America Stadium on the northern edge of the Tempe campus of Arizona State University (ASU).
The Desert, The Well (Former) | |
 (2014) | |
  Desert Financial Arena Location in Arizona  Desert Financial Arena Location in the United States | |
| Former names | ASU Activity Center (1974–97) Wells Fargo Arena (1997–2019) |
|---|---|
| Address | 600 E Veterans Way |
| Location | Tempe, Arizona, United States |
| Coordinates | 33°25′28″N 111°55′51″W / 33.424524°N 111.930948°W |
| Public transit |  Veterans Way/College Ave |
| Owner | Arizona State University |
| Capacity | 14,198 |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1972 |
| Opened | April 29, 1974[2] |
| Construction cost | $8 million ($58.3 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Drover, Welch & Lindlan, Inc.[2] |
| General contractor | Olson Construction Company[2] |
| Tenants | |
| Arizona State Sun Devils men's basketball (NCAA) (1974–present) Arizona State Sun Devils women's basketball Arizona State Sun Devils women's volleyball | |
Constructed in the spring of 1974 as the University Activity Center (or the "You-Ack") and at the cost of $8 million, it is the home of men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball and former home of women's gymnastics and men's wrestling. The facility also plays host to graduation ceremonies and a variety of concerts and shows. The building replaced Sun Devil Gym as the primary arena for the Sun Devils' basketball team.
The former naming rights for the arena were purchased by Wells Fargo & Co. in 1997. The current naming rights to arena were purchased by Desert Financial Credit Union in 2019 for $1.5 million for 5 years.
Design
editThe structure is 403 feet (123 m) long, 340 feet (100 m) wide and six stories high. The structure contains offices and locker rooms for men's basketball, women's basketball, women's volleyball, and the men's and women's track and field team, along with a weight room, coaches and film rooms, and an equipment room.
Events
editThe Eagles played at the facility on October 15, 1976, with the setlist including the first live performance of “Hotel California.”[5][6]
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band performed at the arena on November 5, 1980 during the River Tour. Video and audio of the show were released in 2015 in conjunction with the band's The Ties That Bind commemorative box set, and their performance of "Badlands" was included on 1986's Live 1975–85 album.
The arena has also hosted the 1st and 2nd rounds of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in both 2015 and 2016.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b c "ASU Tempe Campus Buildings Survey, 1960-2007" (PDF). Arizona State University. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 13, 2013. Retrieved November 6, 2013.
- ^ Staff, Arizona's Family Digital News. "ASU's Wells Fargo Arena getting new name". AZFamily. Retrieved 2019-10-15.
- ^ "Thesundevils.com". Phoenix. December 4, 2010. Retrieved December 15, 2010.
- ^ "Eagles Setlist at ASU Activity Center, Tempe". setlist.fm. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
- ^ "Iconic Eagles song has Arizona connection". 12news.com. 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2024-03-26.
External links
edit- Desert Financial Arena on the ASU virtual tour