The Oshkosh Arena, formerly the Menominee Nation Arena,[3] is a 64,300 sq ft (5,970 m2) indoor arena located in Oshkosh, in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The facility is primarily used for basketball, but has also hosted a handful of conventions and concerts. It serves as the home of the Wisconsin Herd of the NBA G League, which is affiliated with the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association.[4][5][6] The first event to be held at the arena, a Wisconsin Herd game was on December 1, 2017.[7]
 | |
 December 2017 | |
  Oshkosh Arena Location in Wisconsin, United States  Oshkosh Arena Oshkosh Arena (the United States) | |
| Former names |
|
|---|---|
| Location | 1212 South Main Street Oshkosh, Wisconsin, United States |
| Coordinates | 44°00′27″N 88°32′15″W / 44.00750°N 88.53750°W |
| Owner | Fox Valley Pro Basketball |
| Type | Multi-purpose arena |
| Genre(s) | Music, concerts, and sporting events |
| Capacity | 3,500 |
| Scoreboard | Yes |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | March 29, 2017 |
| Built | 2017 |
| Opened | December 1, 2017 |
| Construction cost | $15 million[1] ($19 million in 2023 dollars[2]) |
| General contractor | Bayland Buildings |
| Tenants | |
| Wisconsin Herd (NBAGL) (2017–present) Wisconsin Glo (GWBA) (2019–present) | |
| Website | |
| oshkosharena | |
Location and design
editThe arena is located along the east side of South Main Street, on the former site of the Buckstaff Furniture Company. With a seating capacity of 3,500 spectators, the new arena broke ground on March 29, 2017,[8] with completion slated for late November.
History
editOn January 25, 2017, the Oshkosh City Council unanimously approved the construction of the $15 million facility. The cost of the construction was privately funded, with the arena being part of a larger development plan for a new housing and commercial area called the Sawdust District, located near Pioneer Drive Park along the shores of Lake Winnebago.[9][10] On June 13, 2017, the Oshkosh City Council announced that the arena was to receive an additional $250,000 in state-supported funding for improvement of the nearby roadways and infrastructures to improve transit to the facility.[11]
On October 23, 2017, the Menominee Native American tribe announced that they had purchased the naming rights to the arena, giving it the Menominee Nation Arena name. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.[12]
The owner and operator of the arena, Fox Valley Pro Basketball, Inc. filed bankruptcy on August 19, 2019. According to Jeff Bollier of Gannett News multiple lawsuits have been filed against the owners.[13] In March 2021 it was announced that the Menominee Tribe were ending their contract for the naming rights as part of their business restructuring due to COVID-19.[14] As of August 19, 2021, the arena began to remove the Menominee Nation name from the Arena.
References
edit- ^ "Oshkosh Common Council approves Bucks D-League arena plans | WLUK". Fox11online.com. 2017-01-24. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Macek, Katy. "Menominee Nation Arena no more: Oshkosh Arena announces official — but still temporary — name change". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved September 2, 2021.
- ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Purchase NBA Development League Team - NBA G League". Dleague.nba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "Milwaukee Bucks Purchase NBA Development League Team to Begin Play in Oshkosh for the 2017-18 Season | Milwaukee Bucks". Nba.com. 2014-05-15. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ "Wisconsin Herd". Nba.com. Retrieved 2017-07-13.
- ^ Blair, Nolan. "Wisconsin Herd play first game in Menominee Nation Arena". Retrieved 3 December 2017.
- ^ "Groundbreaking for Bucks D-League arena in Oshkosh". Wbay.com. March 29, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "Oshkosh Approves D-League Arena Deal". ArenaDigest.com. January 25, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "Plans submitted for Oshkosh basketball arena". Fox11Online.com. December 26, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ "WEDC awards Oshkosh $250,000 grant for roadwork near new arena". FDLReporter.com. June 12, 2017. Retrieved August 1, 2017.
- ^ Nelson, James B. (October 23, 2017). "Menominee tribe buys naming rights for Wisconsin Herd arena in Oshkosh". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved October 23, 2017.
- ^ "Menominee Nation Arena files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection amid lawsuits". www.thenorthwestern.com. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ Shuda, Nathaniel. "Menominee Nation Arena to get a new name amid COVID-19 setbacks". The Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved August 21, 2021.