Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center was a 10,000-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 ...

and convention center in Niagara Falls, New York from 1973 to 2002.

Planning and construction

The venue was built in 1973 as part of an

urban renewal Urban renewal (also called urban regeneration in the United Kingdom and urban redevelopment in the United States) is a program of land redevelopment often used to address urban decay in cities. Urban renewal involves the clearing out of blighte ...

project in the city of Niagara Falls. It was built in the center of a main thoroughfare, Falls Street, and blocked traffic to

Niagara Falls State Park Niagara Falls State Park is located in the City of Niagara Falls in Niagara County, New York, United States. The park, recognized as the oldest state park in the United States, contains the American Falls, the Bridal Veil Falls, and a portion ...

. It also eliminated Jefferson Avenue and Erie Avenue, two main thoroughfares. The building was designed by Johnson/Burgee Architects in collaboration with

Jane Davis Doggett Jane Davis Doggett (born 1929) is a graphic artist and pioneer designer of wayfinding and graphics systems for airports. Biography Education Doggett grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. She graduated from Sophie Newcomb College (Tulane University, ...

. Its arched design was inspired by the

rainbows A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows ca ...

commonly seen over Niagara Falls, according to architect Philip Johnson. Locals jokingly noted its resemblance to a

Quonset hut A Quonset hut is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanized steel having a semi cylindrical cross-section. The design was developed in the United States, based on the Nissen hut introduced by the British during World War ...

Notable events

Music

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

played two shows at the venue in June 1974 and two shows at the venue in July 1975.

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

played the venue as part of his

Rolling Thunder Revue The Rolling Thunder Revue was a 1975–1976 concert tour by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan with numerous musicians and collaborators. The purpose of the tour was to allow Dylan, who had now become a major recording artist and concert perfor ...

Tour in November 1975. Frank Sinatra played the venue in May 1990.

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

played the venue as part of his

Sound+Vision Tour In physics, sound is a vibration that propagates as an acoustic wave, through a transmission medium such as a gas, liquid or solid. In human physiology and psychology, sound is the ''reception'' of such waves and their ''perception'' by the ...

in July 1990. Phish recorded their live album ''

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls () is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the border between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. The largest of the three is Horseshoe Fall ...

'' at the venue in December 1995. The Notorious B.I.G performed at the venue in June 1996, and was supported by Jay-Z,

Junior MAFIA Junior M.A.F.I.A. was an American hip hop group from Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York City. The backronym M.A.F.I.A. stands for Masters At Finding Intelligent Attitudes. They were formed and mentored by New York rapper The Notorious B.I.G ...

and

Mary J. Blige Mary Jane Blige ( ; born January 11, 1971) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Often referred to as the " Queen of Hip-Hop Soul" and " Queen of R&B", Blige has won nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, four American Music Award ...

Sports

The venue was home to the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

's Niagara Purple Eagles men's basketball team from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1988 to 1996. The venue hosted the

ABC Masters The USBC Masters is a championship ten-pin bowling event conducted by the United States Bowling Congress. The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) began recognizing it as a title event in 1998, and it was designated one of the four majors in 2000 ...

bowling tournament in 1983 and 1987.

World Wrestling Federation World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and var ...

(WWF) presented 22 events at the venue between 1984 and 1997, including two tapings of ''

WWF Wrestling Challenge ''WWF Wrestling Challenge'' is a professional wrestling television show that was produced by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now known as WWE). It was syndicated weekly and aired from 1986 to 1995. The show became simply known as ''WWF Cha ...

''. In March 1992, a spectator was killed during a

USHRA Monster Jam Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour operated by Feld Entertainment. The series began in 1992, and is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association. Events are primarily held in North America, with some additiona ...

show at the venue when the driver of Bad Medicine became incapacitated and veered his truck into the stands. 82-year-old Lester Gilliam pushed a young boy out of harm's way and was then struck by the vehicle. The venue hosted the

gymnastics Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, s ...

portion of the

1993 Summer Universiade The 1993 Summer Universiade, also known as XVII Summer Universiade or World University Games Buffalo '93, took place in Buffalo, New York, United States. Sports * * * * * * * * * * * * Venues *Athletics – University at Buffalo Sta ...

in July 1993.

UFC 12 ''UFC 12: Judgement Day'' was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on February 7, 1997 at the Dothan Civic Center in Dothan, Alabama. The event was seen live on pay per view in the United States, and later releas ...

was scheduled to take place at the venue in February 1997, but

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

was banned in New York State the day before the event, forcing its relocation to

Dothan, Alabama Dothan () is a city in Dale, Henry, and Houston counties and the Houston county seat in the U.S. state of Alabama. It is Alabama's eighth-largest city, with a population of 71,072 at the 2020 census. It is near the state's southeastern corner ...

Joe Mesi "Baby" Joe Mesi (born November 27, 1973) is an American retired boxer and Democratic Party politician from Tonawanda, New York. During his career, he defeated former world champion Vassily Jirov as well as former title challengers Bert Cooper, ...

defeated Jorge Luis Gonzalez in a professional boxing card at the venue in April 2001. Mesi would later defeat

Bert Cooper Bertram Cooper (January 10, 1966 – May 10, 2019), nicknamed Smokin' Bert Cooper, was an American professional boxer who competed between 1984 and 2012. He fought Evander Holyfield, George Foreman, Riddick Bowe, Michael Moorer, Chris Byrd, Ray ...

at the venue in July 2001.

Other

The venue was host to Miss USA 1974, Miss USA 1975, and

Miss USA 1976 Miss USA 1976 was the 25th Miss USA pageant, televised live by CBS from Niagara Falls, New York on May 15, 1976. The pageant was won by Barbara Peterson of Minnesota, who succeeded outgoing titleholder Summer Bartholomew of California. Peterso ...

. ''The Royal Lipizzan Stallions 30th-anniversary show'' in 2000. In 1980, the venue began hosting the city's annual ''Festival of Lights'' to commemorate the

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

season.

Closure

The venue was closed in 2002 and converted into

Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel Seneca Niagara Casino & Hotel is a casino in Niagara Falls, New York. It was built by the Seneca Nation to compete with Casino Niagara and Niagara Fallsview Casino Resort in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Formerly known as the Niagara Falls Convention an ...

, which remains in operation. The 4.000-seat Niagara Falls Conference Center was opened across the street from the casino in 2004.

Niagara Falls, Ontario Niagara Falls is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is on the western bank of the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario, with a population of 88,071 at the 2016 census. It is part of the St. Catharines - Niagara Census M ...

took over hosting the ''Festival of Lights'' in 2004.

References

External links

Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center
on BoxRec
Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center
on Internet Wrestling Database

on setlist.fm
Niagara Falls Convention and Civic Center
on WrestlingData.com {{Authority control 1970s architecture in the United States 1973 establishments in New York (state) 2002 disestablishments in New York (state) Boxing venues in New York (state) Buildings and structures in Niagara Falls, New York Convention centers in New York (state) Defunct sports venues in New York (state) Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Former music venues in New York (state) Niagara Purple Eagles Sports venues completed in 1973