Orlando Magic at the Orlando Arena, 1991

OC00172.jpg
OC00173.jpg

Dublin Core

Title

Orlando Magic at the Orlando Arena, 1991

Alternative Title

Orlando Magic at the Orlando Arena

Subject

Orlando (Fla.)
Basketball--United States
Sports--Florida
Cheerleading--United States

Description

The Orlando Magic playing the Milwaukee Bucks at the Orlando Arena, located at 1 West Amelia Street in Orlando, Florida, on December 19, 1991. The game ended with the Bucks defeating the Magic 95 to 87. Following the 1991-1992 season, the Magic would gain popularity as it acquired Shaquille O'Neal (b. 1972). Other notable Magic superstars over the years include Penny Hardaway (b. 1971), Tracy McGrady (b. 1979), and Dwight Howard (b. 1985).

Planning for the Orlando Arena, colloquially nicknamed "The O-Rena", began in 1983, but the project was delayed for several years due to financial issues. A groundbreaking ceremony was held in January of 1987. Shortly thereafter, the National Basketball Association (NBA) approved the creation of a franchise in Orlando. Construction was completed in 1989 and cost $110 million. The Orlando Magic was founded that same year, becoming the first major-league professional sports franchise in the Orlando area. On September 19, 1991, the DeVos family, with Richard DeVos (b. 1926) as the head, bought the franchise for $85 million. Although the arena originally seated nearly 15,300 spectators, renovations between 1994 and 1995 increased the arena's capacity to approximately 17,500 guests.

The name of the arena was changed to the TD Waterhouse Centre in 2000. In December of 2006, the venue was briefly named The Arena in Orlando and then the Amway Arena, after the City of Orlando and Orange County agreed to construct a new arena. The old Amway Arena closed on September 30, 2010, and operations moved to the new Amway Center, located at 400 West Church Street. Demolition of the old structure began on December 15, 2011. As of 2014, the City of Orlando has made plans to create a "Creative Village" on the site. This new complex would offer space for offices, residences, educational centers, hotels, retail stores, and entertainment venues.

Source

Original color photographs, December 19, 1991: Private Collection of Nancy Lynn Cepero.

Date Created

1991-12-19

Contributor

Cepero, Nancy Lynn

Is Format Of

Digital reproduction of original color photographs, December 19, 1991.

Is Part Of

Orlando Collection, Orange County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.

Format

image/jpg

Extent

132 KB
131 KB

Medium

2 color photographs

Language

eng

Type

Still Image

Coverage

Orlando Arena, Orlando, Florida

Accrual Method

Donation

Mediator

History Teacher

Rights Holder

Copyright to this resource is held by Nancy Lynn Cepero and is provided here by RICHES of Central Florida for educational purposes only.

Curator

Cepero, Laura

Digital Collection

External Reference

"Magic History." National Basketball Association. http://www.nba.com/magic/history/magic_history.html.

Transcript

DELTA PEPSI Pizza Hut [illegible] SPORTS Winston [illegible]

MAGIC [illegible] BUCKS

BUD

ORLANDO ARENA

Orlando
Magic

Collection

Citation

“Orlando Magic at the Orlando Arena, 1991,” RICHES, accessed November 9, 2024, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/4442.

Locations

Categories