Nationwide Arena
|
|
Nationwide Arena is a sports and entertainment arena in Columbus, Ohio. It opened in 2000 and is the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise in the National Hockey League, who were joined for the 2004 season by the Columbus Destroyers of the Arena Football League. The venue is named for the Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company, whose home office is located nearby, under a naming rights arrangement. The arena is of an attractive brick design and serves as the center of an entertainment district located about one half mile north of the Ohio State Capitol. Seating capacity is approximately 18,500 for hockey and arena football, 19,500 for basketball, and up to 20,000 for concerts. The death of a thirteen-year-old girl from injuries sustained from a puck flying into the stands at a Blue Jackets game in 2002 led to new safety precautions at all NHL arenas.
The area surrounding Nationwide Arena, appropriately called the Arena District, houses a variety of bars, clubs and a movie theater. Constructed as a seemless entity, Columbus uses the arena as a drawing point for Columbus with the various other establishments feeding off of the foot traffic. The Promowest Pavilion concert venue, adjacent to the Nationwide Arena property, completes the entertainment complex.
Nationwide Arena also houses a smaller ice rink called the CoreComm Ice Haus. This facility serves as the practice rink for the Blue Jackets and is also used for youth hockey games and open skating times for the public. This facility makes Nationwide Arena the only NHL arena with an on-site practice facility.