The Pensacola Civic Center is a municipal arena in downtown Pensacola owned by Escambia County. With 23,000 square feet of exhibition space, 13,000 square feet of meeting space, and a 10,000-person maximum capacity, it is one of the largest structures in the Pensacola area. Managed by the Toronto-based SMG (which also manages the Saenger Theatre) the Civic Center is the primary home to the Pensacola Ice Flyers and frequently hosts concerts, trade shows, graduation ceremonies and other events.
| Pensacola Civic Center | |
 | |
| Building Information | |
|---|---|
| Location | 201 East Gregory Street Pensacola, FL 32502 |
| Current Owner | Escambia County |
| Completion Date | 1985 |
| <googlemap lat="30.416259" lon="-87.209687" zoom="16" width="288" height="288">
30.416296, -87.208893, Pensacola Civic Center </googlemap> | |
History
The Civic Center was built in 1985 with the help of $12.5 million in state funding procured by State Senator W. D. Childers. The first event to be held at the Civic Center was a concert by the rock band KISS on January 21.[1] In Childers' honor, the stretches of Chase and Gregory Streets that surround the complex were renamed W. D. Childers Plaza the same year.[2]
In August 2001, in a year with only five booked concerts, none of which sold out,[3] then-County Commissioner Childers decried the Civic Center as an "albatross" for its failure to turn a profit and pursued an incentive-based contract with the management company.[4] Ogden Enterprises, which had managed the Civic Center since its opening, had failed to turn a profit every year excluding 1997, the Ice Pilots' inaugural year, when they turned a $4,800 profit.[5] When Ogden was bought by Aramark, they turned over the management portion of their contract to SMG. When the venue began to show signs of vitality, Childers amended his previous statement: "It was an albatross, but maybe we can make an eagle out of it."[6]
| Year | Operating profit/loss | Number of concerts |
|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | -$560,561[7] | 11 |
| 1996-97 | +$4,804 | 8 |
| 1997-98 | -$94,192 | 7 |
| 1998-99 | -$249,618 | 4 |
| 1999-00 | -$176,995 | 8 |
| 2000-01 | ||
| 2001-02 | -$469,000 | 5 |
| 2002-03 | ||
| 2003-04 | ||
| 2004-05 | ||
| 2005-06 | ||
| 2006-07 | ||
| 2007-08 |
References & notes
- ↑ Curt Gooch and Jeff Suhs. Kiss Alive Forever. Billboard Books, 2002.
- ↑ "Signs posted to distinguish Childers Plaza near downtown." Pensacola News Journal, September 30, 2006.
- ↑ "Civic Center enjoying the sweet sound of music." Pensacola News Journal, May 9, 2003.
- ↑ "W.D. shaping up for year 2." Pensacola News Journal, November 18, 2001.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Entertainment venues often aren't profitable, but Escambia officials want their subsidized facility to do better." Pensacola News Journal, August 30, 2002.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Concert venue bouncing back." Pensacola News Journal, March 18, 2002.
- ↑ Includes 84 days closed for ice installation
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