The Alerus Center is an indoor
arena
An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...
and convention center in the
north central United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
, located in
Grand Forks, North Dakota
Grand Forks is the third-largest city in the state of North Dakota (after Fargo and Bismarck) and the county seat of Grand Forks County. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 59,166. Grand Forks, along with its twin city o ...
. 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
The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of ...
football team
A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an All-st ...
, and also hosts many large concerts, sporting events, and trade shows. It can seat more than 21,000, though 12,283 is its
capacity for football. The convention center section of the facility includes a ballroom and twelve 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
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Company overview
Canad Inns operates a total of 12 hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Canad Inns also operates re ...
Destination Center.
Alerus Center is named after a local financial institution,
Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial Corporation, marketed as simply Alerus, is a chain of financial institutions headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Alerus offers banking, mortgage, wealth management, a ...
, which purchased the building's naming rights. Prior to opening, the facility had been referred to as the Aurora Events Center.
History
After attempts going back to 1984 to fund expansion of the downtown civic center or construction of a new convention center (1992), in 1995 a vote to increase the local sales tax to build a new events center (dubbed The Aurora Events Center, costing $43 to $49 million) passed with 60% approval. Cost overruns required another vote in 1996 on an events center to cost $57 million which passed with 51% approval.
The
Flood of 1997 delayed the project and led to redesigns to make the facility less susceptible to future flooding. Compass Management was hired to manage facility and in 2000 Aurora was renamed Alerus Center after
Alerus Financial
Alerus Financial Corporation, marketed as simply Alerus, is a chain of financial institutions headquartered in Grand Forks, North Dakota, with locations in North Dakota, Minnesota and Arizona. Alerus offers banking, mortgage, wealth management, a ...
bought naming rights for twenty years. Alerus Center opened on February 10, 2001 with a final cost of $80 million. In 2006 construction started on
Canad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Company overview
Canad Inns operates a total of 12 hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Canad Inns also operates re ...
hotel tower and water park, and was completed in 2007.
In 2007, the city ended its management contract with Compass Management but the same year rehired Compass Management, now renamed VenuWorks, with the provision they won't be paid if they lose taxpayer money. In 2009 Alerus Commission announced they lost $720,000 in the events fund due to Alerus operations. No accounting of that loss is made available to the public.
In July 2017,
Spectra came in to take over the management contract for the Alerus Center.
Notable events
Concerts
Other events
Other events have also been held at Alerus Center including
WWE Smackdown
''WWE SmackDown'', also known as ''Friday Night SmackDown'' or simply ''SmackDown'', is an American professional wrestling television program produced by WWE that as of currently airs live every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Fox. Fox Deportes simulc ...
, Toughest Monster Truck Tour, and the 2008 North Dakota Democratic-NPL Convention featuring presidential candidates
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
and
Hillary Clinton
Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...
speaking.
Competition
Grand Forks is unique because it is a relatively small market with two major event centers, Alerus Center and the
Ralph Engelstad Arena
Ralph Engelstad Arena (REA), commonly called the Ralph, is an indoor arena located on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) in Grand Forks, North Dakota and serves as the home of UND men's ice hockey. The arena was built by controvers ...
, both of which often bid to host the same events. To a lesser extent, the
Chester Fritz Auditorium
The Chester Fritz Auditorium (CFA) is a performance facility on the campus of the University of North Dakota (UND) located in the city of Grand Forks, North Dakota.
"The Fritz," as it is commonly known, has a maximum capacity of 2,384 and is used ...
in Grand Forks also sometimes competes for these same events as well. Regionally, the
Fargodome
Fargodome is an indoor athletic stadium in the north central United States, located on the campus of North Dakota State University (NDSU) in Fargo, North Dakota. Opened in late 1992, the facility is owned by the City of Fargo and built on unive ...
in nearby
Fargo and the
Canada Life Centre
Canada Life Centre (formerly MTS Centre and Bell MTS Place) is an indoor arena in downtown Winnipeg, Manitoba. The arena is the home of the National Hockey League's Winnipeg Jets and their American Hockey League affiliate, the Manitoba Moose.
T ...
in
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
are seen as competitors to Alerus Center.
Canad Inns Destination Center
Located directly north of Alerus Center sits the
Canad Inns
Canad Inns is a chain of hotels headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Company overview
Canad Inns operates a total of 12 hotel properties in the province of Manitoba and one in the U.S. state of North Dakota. Canad Inns also operates re ...
Destination Center, completed in 2007. This $50 million complex, also designed by
JLG Architects
JLG Architects is an architecture firm that specializes in urban design, master planning and architectural design for sports/recreation facilities, universities, K-12 schools, aviation facilities, medical centers, and mixed-use/multi-family hous ...
, is anchored by a 201-room, 13-story hotel tower which, at , is the tallest building in Grand Forks and the tallest building constructed in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the Native Americans in the United States, indigenous Dakota people, Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north a ...
since the mid-1980s. The Destination Center also includes the largest waterpark in the state, three restaurants, a "boutique" casino, and an arcade. This was the first facility in the United States for the Canadian hotel chain.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I FCS football stadiums
The following is a list of current National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA) football stadiums in the United States.
Conference affiliations reflect those for the comin ...
References
External links
Official siteAlerus Center - North Dakota Athletics
{{Authority control
College football venues
Covered stadiums in the United States
Buildings and structures in Grand Forks, North Dakota
Tourist attractions in Grand Forks, North Dakota
American football venues in North Dakota
Convention centers in North Dakota
North Dakota Fighting Hawks football
Indoor arenas in North Dakota
2001 establishments in North Dakota
Sports venues completed in 2001