Cross Insurance Arena (formerly Cumberland County Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in Portland, Maine. Built in 1977, at a cost of US$8 million, it is the home arena for the Maine Mariners of the ECHL.
- Venue
- Cross Insurance Arena
- Town
- Portland, US
- Capacity
- 6,733
Cross Insurance Arena (formerly Cumberland County Civic Center) is a multi-purpose arena located in Portland, Maine. Built in 1977, at a cost of US$8 million, it is the home arena for the Maine Mariners of the ECHL. There are 6,206 permanent seats in the arena, and it seats up to 9,500 for concerts. The inside consists of one deck rising 24 rows, 14 seats across at its widest, and 30 separated sections around. The arena floor features 34,500 square feet (3,210 m2) of space, making it useful for trade shows and conventions in addition to sports and concerts. The arena has locals sponsor individual seats at the arena. Those who pay to sponsor seats at the Cross Insurance Arena can have their name engraved on their seats or dedicate the seat to someone they know. The arena's official name is the George I. Lewis Auditorium at Cross Insurance Arena. The press box is named for local sportscaster Frank Fixaris. ZZ Top was the very first headline act to play the arena when it opened on March 3, 1977. Elvis Presley was to have flown from Memphis to Portland on August 16, 1977, for a performance at the arena the following day, but he was found dead at his Graceland mansion that morning. A re-enactment of the preparations for the Portland show is featured in the bio film This Is Elvis. The venue hosted the America East Conference (then the ECAC North) men's basketball tournament in 1980. Two AHL hockey clubs that have called the arena home, include the Portland Pirates and three time Calder Cup champions, the Maine Mariners. On December 8, 1997, WWE held a Raw is War taping. On December 4, 2009, Total Nonstop Action Wrestling (TNA) held their first house show in Maine at the Cumberland Civic Center. The United States Lacrosse League announced that the Maine Moose Trax would play its home games at the Cross Insurance Arena when the league was to begin play in the fall of 2014, though arena trustees called the announcement premature and stated no final agreement had been reached