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United Center
The UC
Location	1901 W. Madison St. Chicago, Illinois
Broke ground	April, 1992
Opened	August 18, 1994
Owner	Bill Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf
Operator	Bill Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf
Architect	HOK Sport W.E. Simpson Company
Tenants
Chicago Bulls (NBA) (1994-present) Chicago Blackhawks (NHL) (1994-present)
Capacity
Basketball: 21,879 Hockey: 20,500 Professional wrestling: 23,000+

The United Center is an indoor sports arena located in the Near West Side community area of Chicago, Illinois, named after its corporate sponsor, United Airlines. The United Center is home to both the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL and the Chicago Bulls of the NBA. The plan to build the arena was created by Bill Wirtz and Jerry Reinsdorf, the owners of the two sports teams, respectively. The United Center's predecessor was the indoor Chicago Stadium, which was demolished after the newer arena opened for business on August 18, 1994. The famous statue of Michael Jordan is located on the east side of the arena. United Airlines pays only about $1.8 million per year until 2014 for it's naming rights.^[1] It is often referred to as "The House that Jordan Built"

The privately owned arena is 960,000 square feet and is located on a 46 acre parcel, directly west of the Chicago Loop. The arena claims to be the largest in the United States (in physical size, not in capacity; the arena seats 20,500 for hockey, 21,879 for basketball and up to 23,500 for concerts), and hosts over 200 events per year, drawing over 20 million visitors since its grand opening.

In addition to approximately 100 Bulls/Blackhawks games each year, the United Center has hosted other sporting events such as University of Illinois basketball, the Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament, the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament (hosted seven times, including 2007), and the Great Eight Classic. Musical acts appearing at the United Center have included Bob Dylan, Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Smashing Pumpkins, Rush, The Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, U2, Phil Collins, The Who, Madonna, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Pearl Jam, The Three Tenors, and Barbra Streisand. The United Center has also provided a Chicago home for Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice. The United Center was also the site of the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) SummerSlam in 1994 (the first major event held inside the United Center) , and the 1996 Democratic National Convention. It also hosted the last World Championship Wrestling (WCW) Spring Stampede in 2000.

• The United Center web site

Coordinates: 41°52′50.07″N, 87°40′27.07″W