The Albany James H. Gray Sr.
- Venue
- Albany Civic Center
- Address
- 112 North Front Street
- Town
- Albany, US
- Capacity
- 10,711
The Albany James H. Gray Sr. Civic Center (Albany Civic Center for short) is a multi-purpose arena located in downtown Albany, Georgia on the west bank of the Flint River. Opened in 1983, the arena is the only one of its kind in Southwest Georgia. Its maximum seating capacity of 10,711 is the largest of any indoor arena in the state of Georgia outside of metropolitan Atlanta and third-largest in the state behind State Farm Arena in downtown Atlanta and Gas South Arena in Gwinnett County. With the opening of the Albany Mall in the northwestern part of the city in 1976, most long-established firms closed their stores in downtown Albany, and commercial growth shifted to the north near the Lee County line. Mayor James H. Gray Sr. led an effort to revitalize the downtown area, with the Albany Civic Center as its crown jewel. The arena was named in honor of Gray after his sudden death just three years after its opening in 1986. In July 1994, the building was narrowly spared from flooding as the Flint River rose out of its banks, cresting 23 feet above flood stage. The majority of the parking around the Civic Center was submerged, and traffic was halted across not only the nearby Oglethorpe Boulevard and Broad Avenue bridges across the Flint but all four bridges across the river in Albany. This led to a circuitous 100-mile detour to get from the west to east side of the city. The Albany Civic Center was designed to be an arena and a convention center. As a result, the arena features 46,000 square feet (4,300 m2) of exhibit space, plus an additional 6,000 square feet (600 m2) of meeting room space. For sporting events, the arena seating capacity is 6,570 for Disney on Ice or any other ice skating events; 7,782 as a rodeo arena; 8,436 in a basketball arena configuration; and 9,013 for boxing and wrestling events. For concerts, the arena seats 5,728 in a half-house configuration, 10,297 end-stage, and its maximum capacity of 10,711 for a center-stage show. Up to 1,932 seats c