Joe Louis Arena

Joe Louis Arena
The Joe[1]
Entrance of Joe Louis Arena in December 2015
Map
Address19 Steve Yzerman Drive[2]
LocationDetroit, Michigan[2]
Coordinates42°19′31″N 83°3′5″W / 42.32528°N 83.05139°W / 42.32528; -83.05139
OwnerCity of Detroit[8]
OperatorOlympia Entertainment[9]
CapacityIce hockey:
19,275 (1979–1989)
19,875 (1989–1996)
19,983 (1996–2000)
19,995 (2000–2001)
20,058 (2001–2003)
20,066 (2003–2014)
20,027 (2014–2017)[11][12][13]
Basketball: 20,153[1]
Concerts: 21,666[1]
Construction
Broke groundMay 16, 1977[3][4]
OpenedDecember 12, 1979[1][4][5]
ClosedJuly 29, 2017[6][7]
Demolished2019–2020
Construction costUS$57 million[4]
($239 million in 2023 dollars[10])
ArchitectSmithGroupJJR[4]
General contractorBarton Malow[1]
Tenants
Detroit Red Wings (NHL) (1979–2017)
Detroit Pistons (NBA) (1985)
Detroit Drive (AFL) (1988–1993)
Detroit Turbos (MILL) (1989–1994)
Detroit Compuware Ambassadors (OHL) (1991–92)
Detroit Junior Red Wings (OHL) (1992–1995)
Detroit Rockers (NPSL) (1996–2000)
Inside Joe Louis Arena in December 2005.
The retired numbers of former Detroit Red Wings players displayed at Joe Louis Arena.
Panorama of Joe Louis Arena in April 2008.
The Detroit Shock practice at Joe Louis Arena before Game 5 of the 2006 WNBA Finals.

Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Louis Arena station on the Detroit People Mover. The venue was named after former heavyweight champion boxer Joe Louis, who grew up in Detroit.[1]

It was the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League and the second oldest NHL venue after Madison Square Garden until the start of the 2017–18 NHL season.[14][15] Joe Louis Arena was owned by the city of Detroit, and operated by Olympia Entertainment, a subsidiary of team owner Ilitch Holdings.[8][9]

In April 2017, the Red Wings hosted their final game at Joe Louis Arena; the venue was succeeded by Little Caesars Arena. The arena closed in July 2017. Demolition started in early 2019 and was completed by mid-2020.[6][7][16][17] A 25-story residential tower called the Residences at Water Square opened at the site in February 2024.[18]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Joe Louis Arena History". NHL.com. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Arena Central". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  3. ^ "Begin Work on Stadium". The Ludington Daily News. UPI. May 17, 1977. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d Krupa, Greg (October 17, 2016). "The Final Period Begins for Joe Louis Arena". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  5. ^ Regner, Arthur J. (March 6, 2017). "Basketball at the Joe: quality over quantity". NHL.com. Archived from the original on July 7, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Durr, Matt (July 28, 2017). "Brock Lesnar wrestling in rare WWE match Saturday in Detroit". MLive. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  7. ^ a b Durr, Matt (July 30, 2017). "WWE superstars shine in farewell event at Joe Louis Arena". MLive. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  8. ^ a b Reindl, JC (February 3, 2018). "Demolition countdown begins for Detroit's Joe Louis Arena". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on July 18, 2023. Retrieved February 12, 2018.
  9. ^ a b "About Olympia Entertainment". Olympia Entertainment. Archived from the original on August 11, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  10. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  11. ^ Detroit Red Wings 2014-15 Media Guide (PDF). National Hockey League. p. 289. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  12. ^ Detroit Red Wings 2015-16 Media Guide (PDF). National Hockey League. p. 291. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 5, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Detroit Red Wings 2016-17 Media Guide (PDF). National Hockey League. p. 294. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 9, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference pistons was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Kramer, Jon (April 7, 2017). "A Farewell to Joe Louis Arena - Stats & Info". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 23, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  16. ^ Williams, Candice (December 18, 2018). "State approves $10M loan for Joe Louis Arena demolition". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2018.
  17. ^ Marini, Miriam (May 21, 2020). "Demolition continues at the site of Joe Louis Arena". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
  18. ^ Reindl, JC (February 6, 2024). "New Detroit high-rise opens doors with $4,000 monthly rent for 1-bedroom apartment". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved April 5, 2024.