XL Center
The XL Center (originally known as the Hartford Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena and convention center located in downtown Hartford, Connecticut. Owned by the City of Hartford, it is managed by the quasi-public Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA) under a lease with the city and operated by Spectra. In December 2007, the center was renamed when the arena's naming rights were sold to XL Group insurance company in a six-year agreement. The arena is ranked the 28th largest among college basketball arenas. It opened in 1975 as the Hartford Civic Center and was originally located adjacent to Civic Center Mall, which was demolished in 2004. It consists of two facilities: the Veterans Memorial Coliseum and the Exhibition Center.
Not to be confused with Xcel Energy Center or ExCeL London.Former names
Hartford Civic Center (1975–2007)
1 Civic Center Plaza
Hartford, Connecticut
Hartford County
Hartford
38, 60, 62, 64, 66, 72, 74, 76, Dash
Concerts: 20,500
Basketball: 15,684
Ice hockey: 14,750 (9,801 with curtain system)
200 ft × 85 ft (61 m × 26 m) (hockey)
April 2, 1971[2]
January 9, 1975
1978–1980 (roof collapse, renovations)
Kling & Associates
Danos and Associates[5]
Fraoli, Blum, and Yesselman, Engineers[7]
William L. Crow Construction Company[6]
On March 21, 2007, the CRDA selected the Northland/Anschutz Entertainment Group proposal to operate the arena complex; Northland also developed the Hartford 21 residential tower on the adjacent Civic Center Mall site. It was revealed that Northland will assume total responsibility for the building paying for any and all losses, and will keep any profits. In 2012, the CRDA put the contract out to bid with hopes of combining the operations with Rentschler Field.[8] In February 2013, Global Spectrum of Philadelphia was chosen to take over both the XL Center and Rentschler Field[9] with Ovations Food Services taking over all food and beverage operations.