The Watsco Center (originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center) is an 8,000-seat multi-purpose

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 ...

on the campus of the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...

Coral Gables, Florida Coral Gables, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...

. The venue hosts concerts, family shows, trade shows, lecture series, university events and sporting events, including all University of Miami men's and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

games.

Founding

The arena opened in 2003 and was originally named the University of Miami Convocation Center. The arena is home to the

Miami Hurricanes The Miami Hurricanes (known informally as The U, UM, or The 'Canes) are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. The Hurricanes compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

men's and

women's A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

teams. Additional events held in the Watsco Center include concerts, sporting events, lectures, award shows, high school graduations, and men's and women's basketball games. It is the largest arena ever built on the

campus. In 2005, the arena was renamed the BankUnited Center, after

Miami Lakes Miami Lakes is a suburb of Miami, an incorporated town and former census-designated place in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. US Census, 31,628 people live in Miami Lakes. History The development was constructed by Sengra (now the ...

-based

BankUnited BankUnited, Inc., with total consolidated assets of $37 billion at December 31, 2022, is a bank holding company with one wholly owned subsidiary, BankUnited, collectively, the Company. BankUnited, a national banking association headquartered in M ...

. In 2016,

Miami Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

-based air conditioning company

Watsco Watsco, Inc. is the largest distributor of air conditioning, heating and refrigeration equipment, and related parts and supplies ( HVAC/R) in the United States. Watsco was founded more than 60 years ago as a manufacturer of parts, components, and ...

acquired the naming rights. Prior to the opening of the Watsco Center, from 1988 until 2002, the school's basketball teams played their home games at

Miami Arena Miami Arena was an indoor arena located in Miami, Florida. The venue served as the home of the NBA's Miami Heat, and the NHL's Florida Panthers. From 1988 until 1999, it also was the indoor arena for the Miami Hurricanes. History Completed in ...

U.S. presidential debates

The Watsco Center has hosted two U.S. presidential debates to date: On September 30, 2004, the University of Miami hosted one of the three nationally televised U.S. presidential debates between presidential candidates

George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...

and

John Kerry John Forbes Kerry (born December 11, 1943) is an American attorney, politician and diplomat who currently serves as the first United States special presidential envoy for climate. A member of the Forbes family and the Democratic Party (Unite ...

during the 2004 presidential election at the Watsco Center. The debate, which was moderated by

Jim Lehrer James Charles Lehrer (; May 19, 1934 – January 23, 2020) was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. Lehrer was the executive editor and a news anchor for the ''PBS NewsHour'' on PBS and was known for his role as a de ...

of ''

PBS NewsHour ''PBS NewsHour'' is an American evening television news program broadcast on over 350 PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virg ...

'', was viewed by 62.5 million people. On March 10, 2016, the University of Miami hosted the 2016 Republican presidential primary's twelfth and final debate at Wastso Center, which aired nationally on

CNN CNN (Cable News Network) is a multinational cable news channel headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable news channel, and presently owned by ...

and featured Republican presidential candidates

Ted Cruz Rafael Edward "Ted" Cruz (; born December 22, 1970) is an American politician and attorney serving as the junior United States Senator from Texas since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Cruz served as Solicitor General of Texas from ...

John Kasich John Richard Kasich Jr. ( ; born May 13, 1952) is an American politician, author, and television news host who served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1983 to 2001 and as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011 to 2019. A Republican, Kasic ...

Marco Rubio Marco Antonio Rubio (born May 28, 1971) is an American politician and lawyer serving as the senior United States senator from Florida, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he served as Speaker of the Florida Hous ...

, and

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

Ranking

The 2007 issue of ''Venues Today'', an entertainment industry publication, reports that the Watsco Center outperformed all but one other venue in Florida in its size category for number of concerts and touring events held in 2006.

References

External links

Official Web SiteBankUnited Center - Traditions - University of Miami Hurricanes
Coral Gables, Florida 2003 establishments in Florida Arena football venues Basketball venues in Florida Buildings and structures in Coral Gables, Florida College basketball venues in the United States Esports venues in Florida Indoor arenas in Florida Miami Hurricanes basketball venues Mixed martial arts venues in Florida Music venues completed in 2003 Music venues in Florida Sports venues completed in 2003 Sports venues in Florida University of Miami {{Florida-sports-venue-stub

Founding

U.S. presidential debates

Ranking

See also

References

External links