TD Arena is a 5,100 seat multi-purpose arena in Charleston, South Carolina, United States that opened in 2008 and replaced John Kresse Arena as the home of the College of Charleston Cougars basketball and volleyball teams. The South Financial Group of Greenville purchased the naming rights to the new facility and it opened in 2008 under the Carolina First Arena name. After the 2010 sale of the corporation to Toronto Dominion Bank, the arena's name changed to TD Arena. The playing surface is named John Kresse Court in honor of legendary Charleston men's basketball coach John Kresse.
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| Former names | Carolina First Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | 301 Meeting Street Charleston, SC 29401 |
| Coordinates | 32°47′8″N 79°56′4″W / 32.78556°N 79.93444°W |
| Owner | College of Charleston |
| Operator | College of Charleston |
| Capacity | 5,100 |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | December 6, 2006 |
| Opened | November 14, 2008 |
| Construction cost | $47 million ($66.5 million in 2023 dollars[1]) |
| Architect | Betsch Associates Inc. |
| Project manager | Cumming Corp.[2] |
| Structural engineer | Geiger Engineers[3] |
| Services engineer | Smith Seckman Reid, Inc.[4] |
| General contractor | Turner/Thompson[5] |
| Tenants | |
| Charleston Cougars men's basketball Charleston Cougars women's basketball Charleston Cougars volleyball ESPN Charleston Classic (2008-present) | |
Originally to be named Carolina First Center, the facility was renamed Carolina First Arena to avoid confusion with the bank's south coast main offices in Charleston which are located in an office building by the same name.
The first game played at the arena on November 14, 2008 was a first round game of the inaugural ESPN Charleston Classic between Texas Christian University and Western Michigan University won by TCU 67-63.
Perhaps the biggest game in arena history was an 82-79 Charleston victory in overtime over then-No. 9 ranked and defending national champion North Carolina on January 4, 2010.
The arena not only plays host to Cougars' basketball games, but it also hosts many other campus events, including orientations, Graduation, award ceremonies, and external events (including Battle of the Bricks & Spoleto Festival). The TD Arena is overseen by Richard Bouknight, Director of Operations and by Nate Place, Assistant Director of Operations.[6]
See also
edit- List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
- TD Garden (Boston, Massachusetts)
- TD Bank Ballpark (Bridgewater, New Jersey)
- TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Nebraska)
- TD Bank Sports Center (Hamden, Connecticut)
References
edit- ^ 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.
- ^ Cumming Corp - Carolina First Arena
- ^ "Karen Allen Lynch, P.E." Geiger Engineers. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
- ^ "College of Charleston Arena". Factory Sales Agency. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
- ^ "Other Projects Wrapping Up This Year". SportsBusiness Journal. January 21, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
- ^ "College of Charleston Athletics Staff Directory - CofCSports.com--Official Web site of College of Charleston Athletics". www.cofcsports.com. Retrieved 2016-08-08.