Toledo Sports Arena was a 5,230-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 ...

at 1 Main Street,

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

. It was built in 1947 and demolished in 2007. As a

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

venue, it seated 6,500, for theater concerts and stage shows, 4,400 and for

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

and

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

, 8,250; also, the arena was 33⅔ feet tall. Attached to the arena was an exhibit hall that accommodated of space; when combined with the of arena floor space, a total of of exhibit and trade show space. The exhibit hall accommodated up to 2,500, for concerts and meetings and 1,800, for banquets. In addition, there were three meeting rooms, totaling of space. The Sports Arena was home to the following ice hockey teams: *

Toledo Mercurys The Toledo Mercurys is a discontinued International Hockey League franchise from Toledo, Ohio. The Toledo Franchise was the first IHL franchise to be granted outside of the Windsor-Detroit area, for the cost of $1000 to Virgil Gladeaux of Toledo ...

( IHL) (1947–1962) * Toledo Blades/Hornets (IHL) (1963–1974) *

Toledo Goaldiggers The Toledo Goaldiggers were a minor professional ice hockey club based in Toledo, Ohio, from 1974 to 1986. They played in the International Hockey League (IHL) and held their home games at the Toledo Sports Arena on the east side of Toledo. P ...

(IHL) (1974–1986) *

Toledo Storm The Toledo Storm were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the ECHL from 1991 to 2007. The Storm played their home games at the venerable Toledo Sports Arena along the eastern banks of the Maumee River in Toledo, Ohio. The team colors ...

(

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The ...

) (1991–2007) The Sports Arena was the inspiration for the Yes song, " Our Song," which was written after their July 30, 1977 performance in which the arena's interior temperature reached . The arena played host to the politically motivated Vote for Change Tour on October 2, 2004, featuring performances by

Gob Roberts Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film ''The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his roles ...

Death Cab for Cutie Death Cab for Cutie is an American rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington, in 1997. The band is currently composed of Ben Gibbard (vocals, guitar, piano), Nick Harmer (bass), Dave Depper (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Zac Rae (keyb ...

and Pearl Jam, with special guests Peter Frampton, Pegi Young and

Neil Young Neil Percival Young (born November 12, 1945) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter. After embarking on a music career in Winnipeg in the 1960s, Young moved to Los Angeles, joining Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Richie Fur ...

. Local Promoter Brad McDonald held the Arena's final event on April 28, 2007, an "Extreme Toughman" event, a mixed martial art competition much like the

UFC The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

. Demolition of the Sports Arena took place in August of that year. The new arena, Huntington Center, was completed in October 2009, on the opposite side of the Maumee River, placing it in the center of downtown Toledo.

References

Defunct indoor arenas in Ohio Indoor ice hockey venues in the United States Sports venues in Toledo, Ohio Convention centers in Ohio Music venues in Ohio Demolished sports venues in Ohio Demolished music venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1947 1947 establishments in Ohio Sports venues demolished in 2007 2007 disestablishments in Ohio {{Ohio-sports-venue-stub