Erie Insurance Arena (originally known as Erie Civic Center and later, Louis J. Tullio Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the downtown area of Erie, Pennsylvania.
- Venue
- Erie Insurance Arena
- Town
- Erie, US
- Capacity
- 6,500
Erie Insurance Arena (originally known as Erie Civic Center and later, Louis J. Tullio Arena) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the downtown area of Erie, Pennsylvania. It is home to the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League and is the former home of the Erie BayHawks of the NBA Development League. It was built in 1983 as part of the Erie Civic Center Complex Plaza, which also includes the Warner Theatre and UPMC Park, all of which are administered by the Erie County Convention Center Authority. The arena is named for the Erie Insurance Group, which purchased the naming rights in May 2012. Erie Insurance Arena was built for $9.3 million in 1983. It opened in June 1983 with a Beach Boys concert. Since then, it has hosted entertainers including Elton John, Rod Stewart, Cher, Kiss, Barry Manilow, Alan Jackson, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Def Leppard and Alice Cooper. Erie Insurance Arena has also featured Blippi, Disney on Ice, WCW, WWE, TNA Wrestling, the Harlem Globetrotters, and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In May 2012, the Erie County Convention Center Authority and the Erie Insurance Group announced a 10-year, $3 million naming agreement that would rename the former Louis J. Tullio Arena, "Erie Insurance Arena." This renaming coincided with the completion of the current $42 million renovation project, which was completed in September 2013. The renovation, designed by Friday/Sink Combs Dethlefs Joint Venture Architects, modernized the arena and added some new sections and a landscaped park entrance. Construction on the project was carried out by the Pittsburgh-based Turner Construction Company. Improvements included additional seating and concourses. To accommodate this, its footprint expanded from the original 152,000-square-foot (14,100 m2) to 218,000-square-foot (20,300 m2). This increased the venue's capacity to 6,833 for hockey, 6,754 for basketball, and about 9,000 for concerts. Erie Insurance Arena now has enlarged lobbies, more box offic