Continuing with our section focused on NBA arenas, we have to talk about one of the busiest arenas in the nation: State Farm Arena, formerly known as Philips Arena, and the home of the Atlanta Hawks, and multiple other entertainment events in the Georgia area. With 92 luxury suites, 9 party suites, and 1,866 club seats, this beautiful indoor arena can host up to 21,000 fans.
Its first event was none other than a Sir Elton John concert and, even though they couldn’t host the planned All-Star game after the NHL announced its lockout due to a labor dispute, this beautiful place has witnessed some of the most iconic sporting events in recent Atlanta history. It also endured an unfortunate event when an EF2 tornado but, albeit the widespread panic, only received minor exterior damage.
This arena has some unique design features. It has angled steel columns supporting the roof facing a downtown spell out ATLANTA. It was originally laid with quite a unique design. It would feature the general admission seating over three sides of the arena with the club seats and luxury boxes for high-end customers aligned at the other.
Needless to say, this rather unusual manner was a bit shocking at the time, as most arenas usually feature their revenue-raising club seats and revenue-generating luxury boxes aligned solely at the center of the arena. But after some arena renovations in 2018, State Farm Arena now features premium seating spread throughout the arena, with club seats located on the lower decks.
So, if you’re looking to dig deep into certain features of the beautiful State Farm Arena and also get to know what happened to Phillips Arena, how to get there using public transportation, and all the modern amenities in this place, you just need to keep scrolling.
State Farm Arena Tickets: How Much Does It Cost To Attend An Atlanta Hawks Basketball Game?
As of now, State Farm Arena tickets start at just $13, way down from the 2020-21 season when they reached an average of $150. Obviously, seats closer to the floor will be more expensive, not only for Atlanta Hawks games but for any event.
When did Philips Arena become State Farm Arena?
Even though some people tend to think that the State Farm Arena and Philips Arena are different, they’re not. It would be a big coincidence to have two arenas constructed in the same year and in the very same location. This venue opened its doors in 1999 and it wasn’t until 2018 that it became a “new arena.” Philips’ naming rights agreement with the arena expired after paying them $185 million over 20 years. Then, in 2018, State Farm bought the rights for $175 million to rename it State Farm Arena for the next 20 years, putting an end to the Phillips Arena name.
What part of Atlanta is State Farm Arena in?
The State Farm Arena is located at 1 State Farm Drive in Atlanta, GA 30303, near the intersection of Centennial Olympic Park Drive and Marietta Street. You can get there using the MARTA (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority). If you’re southbound or northbound, you must take it to Five Points Station, then transfer onto any westbound train and get down at GWCC/Philips Arena CNN Center Station. If you’re eastbound or westbound, then you need to get to Vine City Station or the GWCC/Philips Arena/CNN Center Station.
How many people does Philips Arena hold?
Even though the first event ever at State Farm Center (then known as Philips Arena) was a concert, this arena is popular for being the home of the Atlanta Hawks and Atlanta Dream. And even though Philips Arena held up to 20,233 for Hawks games at first, that number has gone down to 16,600 after arena officials withdrew the upper levels of the suite wall. Its largest crowd ever was 20,425 during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference First Round playoffs against the Celtics.
Who is the owner of State Farm Arena?
State Farm Arena is owned by Atlanta-Fulton County Recreation Authority. However, it’s operated by the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks signed a lease extension lasting through June 2046; with an early termination penalty of $200 million in the event they want to move to another arena.
Where did the Hawks play before Philips Arena?
After traveling across many cities, the Atlanta Hawks played their first games in Atlanta in the Alexander Memorial Coliseum. Then, they moved to the Omni Coliseum. However, it reached a point where the Coliseum failed to keep up with more modern arenas that even featured practice facilities on-site and posh-club level concourses, so the arena was eventually replaced.
Also, even though it’s no longer known as Omni Coliseum, the lobby of the arena still features Omni’s logo, as well as the center-hung scoreboard they featured from back in the day. This backboard still works and displays information relevant to what’s going on in the court.
State Farm Arena is way more modern, though, as video advertising panels replaced the traditional scrolling panels and it features top-notch technology with see-through shot clock units which help fans get a clear view of game action and the playing surface even if they’re sitting behind the backboards.
Is State Farm Arena connected to CNN Center?
Yes, the State Farm Arena is directly connected to Omni Atlanta Hotel at CNN Center. On the exterior, the side facing the Georgia World Congress Center originally spelled out CNN. However, it’s not the same building
Atlanta Hawks: An Up-And-Coming Team Looking To Take The League By Storm
The Atlanta Hawks are one of the historically richest franchises in the National Basketball Association. Originally founded as the Buffalo Bisons in 1946, the team later became the Tri-Cities Blackhawks from 1946–1951, then the Milwaukee Hawks from 1951–1955, St. Louis Hawks from 1955–1968, and finally the Atlanta Hawks we know nowadays. Throughout their history, they’ve won just one championship (that event took place in 1958 when they were still in St. Louis) and have never made it back to the NBA Finals, which is a vast contrast from the contending team they used to be. Even so, they have 12 Division Titles. The Hawks had their best years in the early stages of the Association.
Players like Bob Pettit put them on the map and even helped them beat the almighty Boston Celtics in the Finals. Nonetheless, they made arguably the worst mistake in NBA history by trading away their second-overall pick in the 1956 NBA Draft to the Celtics, as that pick would turn out to be 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell, arguably the greatest player of all time.
The Hawks were on and off of the playoffs for decades, with Dominique Wilkins putting them on his back year in and year out again but to no avail, mostly because Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dominated the league during Wilkins’ prime. Nonetheless, even despite their struggles, their home venue is often full of spectators seated rooting for them, especially now with Trae Young and their young core leading the way for them night in and night out.
But it wasn’t always like that. In fact, just a couple of years ago when their stadium was still known as Phillips Arena, the Hawks had one of the worst attendances in the league, with the upper deck of the venue often showing empty seats. Hawks management did an outstanding job of quickly turning the franchise around and rebuilding around young stars. Trae Young, Cam Reddish, De’Andre Hunter, and John Collins look all like stars in the making, and they were just two wins away from making it to the NBA Finals in 2021.
Sadly, injuries, bad luck, and great adjustments by coach Mike Budenholzer were just too much to overcome for them but it looks like a matter of time before they make it to the ultimate event again. So, if you’re ever in Atlanta and are looking forward to witnessing one of the most promising and exciting young teams in the league, don’t give it much consideration and visit State Farm Arena. The same applies to other events, as they’ll always make you feel like a special guest.
