Berglund Center

Berglund Center

Former names	Roanoke Civic Center (1971-2014)
Location	710 Williamson Road Northeast Roanoke, VA 24016
Owner	City of Roanoke
Operator	Global Spectrum
Capacity	Basketball: 9,828 Ice Hockey: 8,642 End Stage: 10,500 Center Stage: 10,600 Eclipse: 4,276
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	1969
Opened	October 3, 1971
Renovated	2007 (Performing Arts Center and Special Events Center addition) 2012-16 (arena renovations)
Construction cost	$14 million ($81.8 million in 2024 dollars)
Architect	Smithey & Boynton Frantz & Chappelear Thompson & Payne
General contractor	Nello L. Teer Company
Tenants
Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs (SPHL) (2016-future) Virginia Tech Hokies Ice Hockey Roanoke Maroons Ice Hockey Radford Highlanders ice hockey Roanoke Valley Rebels (EHL) (1971-1973) Roanoke Valley Rebels (SHL) (1973-1976) Roanoke Express (ECHL) (1993-2004) Roanoke Valley Vipers (UHL) (2005-2006) Roanoke Dazzle (NBDL) (2001-2006) Virginia Squires (ABA) (1971-1976) Roanoke Steam (af2) (2000-2002)

Berglund Center (originally called the Roanoke Civic Center) is a 9,828-seat multi-purpose arena located in the Williamson Road neighborhood of Roanoke, Virginia. It was built in 1971. It was the former home to the Roanoke Dazzle basketball team, as well as the Roanoke Express and Roanoke Valley Vipers ice hockey teams. Currently, it is the home of the Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs of the Southern Professional Hockey League, Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College men's ice hockey teams. The arena is also the home of the annual boys basketball games between Roanoke's two city high schools, Patrick Henry High School and William Fleming High School.

History

Opened in October 1971, the Roanoke Civic Center was also the former home of the American Basketball Association (1967-1976) professional basketball franchise Virginia Squires. The Squires played there (in addition to the Norfolk Scope, Richmond Coliseum and Hampton Coliseum; all within the state of Virginia) from 1971 to 1972. The Virginia Squires used the Civic Center for only one season due to low attendance. The Squires folded four years later, in 1976. Elvis Presley performed at the civic center in 1972, 1974, 1976, and was due to return in 1977 about a week after his untimely death. It hosted WCW Fall Brawl in 1994 and Monday Nitro on March 31, 1997. The WWE has also held multiple events including Monday Night Raw on December 1st, 1997 and May 6th, 2013. The 1977-1981 Southern Conference men's basketball tournaments were held there as well.

From 2001 to 2006, professional basketball was active again at the Roanoke Civic Center, with the National Basketball Association's D-League franchise, the Roanoke Dazzle. College basketball was also recently contested there, in the form of the Big South Conference men's basketball tournaments in 2001 and 2002. The Metro Conference men's basketball tournament was held here in 1991. When both the Dazzle and Vipers folded after the 2005-06 season, the Roanoke Civic Center was left with 60 open dates to fill for the upcoming fall and winter.Eventually, nearly two-thirds of these open dates were awarded to the Virginia Tech, Radford University and Roanoke College hockey clubs, the arena's current primary tenants.

In 2014, Berglund Automotive Group bought naming rights to the arena.

Overview

Built at the same time as the Scope and Richmond Coliseum, the Roanoke Civic Center is the area's premier sports and entertainment venue. However, the facility is showing its age on both the exterior and interior giving a look that it was built many decades ago. There are 8 restrooms and 6 concession stands at the arena, which has a 60-foot (18 m) ceiling height and 10 spotlights as well as a portable stage that is no larger than 60-by-40 feet. There are 8,372 permanent seats at the arena; the arena floor measures over 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²). The Eclipse forms the Coliseum's half-house configuration. The arena recently began a $6.2 million renovation project expected to last until 2016. The arena's heating system has been replaced, and plans call for upgrades to the arena's electrical system and to all arena entrances, as well as for all seats to be replaced.

Adjacent are a 14,396-square-foot (1,337.4 m²) exhibit hall with 10,000 square feet (930 m²) of column-free space, and a 2,440-seat theatre that can be used for concerts, Broadway shows, the Roanoke Symphony Orchestra and other special events. The theatre features a 55-foot (17 m)-by-105-foot stage; 1,625 seats in the theatre are in the orchestra level, 295 in the loge and 520 in the balcony. After recent renovations, the facility became known as the Roanoke Performing Arts Theatre.

A 46,000-square-foot (4,300 m²) special events center was added to the Civic Center in 2007; it is be used for trade shows, meetings, conventions and other special events. It can hold up to 3,066 seated, 5,850 standing. The ceiling height is 32 feet.

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The interior of the arena with its hockey configuration in place for a Virginia Tech Hokies ice hockey game.

Preceded by Hampton Coliseum	Home of the Virginia Squires 1971 – 1976	Succeeded by last arena
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Roanoke Express 1993 – 2004	Succeeded by last arena
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Roanoke Dazzle 2001 – 2006	Succeeded by last arena
Preceded by first arena	Home of the Roanoke Valley Vipers 2005 – 2006	Succeeded by last arena

External links

• Official website