Ford Center
The Ford Center is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in Downtown Evansville, Indiana. Opened in November 2011, the arena serves as one of the primary sports, entertainment, and event venues in southwestern Indiana.
The Ford Center is home to the University of Evansville Purple Aces men’s basketball team and the Evansville Thunderbolts professional hockey team of the Southern Professional Hockey League. It also hosts major concerts, family shows, conventions, exhibitions, tournaments, and other large-scale events.
With a maximum capacity of approximately 11,000 spectators, the arena replaced Roberts Municipal Stadium as Evansville’s primary large indoor entertainment venue.
Location
The Ford Center is located at:
1 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Evansville, Indiana
The arena occupies a prominent site in the heart of Downtown Evansville near Main Street and the city’s convention and entertainment district.
Its location was intended to make the arena a centerpiece of Downtown Evansville’s redevelopment and to bring major sporting events, concerts, and visitors directly into the city’s central business district.
Planning a New Downtown Arena
For decades, Evansville’s primary indoor arena was Roberts Municipal Stadium, which opened in 1956 on the city’s east side.
By the early 2000s, city officials were considering whether Roberts Stadium should be extensively renovated or replaced.
A new Downtown arena eventually became the preferred plan.
On December 22, 2008, the Evansville City Council approved plans for construction of the new arena.
The project became one of the largest and most closely watched public construction projects in modern Evansville history.
Construction
Groundbreaking for the new arena took place in October 2009.
The project was designed by the internationally known sports architecture firm Populous, working with Evansville-based architectural firm Hafer Associates. Populous has designed numerous major sports arenas, stadiums, and entertainment venues around the world.
The Ford Center was designed specifically to accommodate multiple types of events rather than functioning solely as a basketball arena.
The building includes approximately 290,000 square feet of space and more than 20,000 square feet of adaptable arena-floor space.
The reported construction cost was approximately $127.5 million.
Naming the Ford Center
During planning and construction, the facility was generally referred to as the Evansville Arena.
On August 17, 2011, officials announced that the building would be known as the Ford Center.
The name resulted from a naming-rights agreement associated with local Ford automobile dealerships rather than from ownership by the Ford Motor Company.
The name quickly became the permanent public identity of the arena.
Opening
The Ford Center officially opened in November 2011.
The first public sporting event at the arena was an Evansville IceMen hockey game on November 5, 2011.
The IceMen defeated the Fort Wayne Komets 3–1, giving the new arena its first home-team victory.
The opening represented a major transition in Evansville sports history.
After more than half a century at Roberts Stadium, the city’s largest indoor sporting and entertainment events moved Downtown.
University of Evansville Basketball
The Ford Center became the home court of the University of Evansville Purple Aces men’s basketball team beginning with the 2011–12 season.
The Purple Aces had previously played their home games at Roberts Municipal Stadium.
Basketball seating at the Ford Center is approximately 10,000, depending on configuration.
The arena’s Downtown location and steep seating configuration were designed to create a more intimate atmosphere than the much larger Roberts Stadium.
The University of Evansville women’s basketball team also played home games at the Ford Center after the building opened before later returning primarily to campus facilities.
Evansville IceMen
The Evansville IceMen were the Ford Center’s original professional hockey tenant.
The team played at the arena from its opening in 2011 until 2016.
The IceMen competed in the ECHL during much of their Ford Center tenure and helped establish professional hockey as one of the arena’s regular attractions.
After the IceMen franchise left Evansville, another hockey team soon took its place.
Evansville Thunderbolts
The Evansville Thunderbolts began playing at the Ford Center in 2016.
The team competes in the Southern Professional Hockey League, commonly known as the SPHL.
The Thunderbolts continue to use the Ford Center as their home arena and have become one of the venue’s principal sports tenants.
For hockey, the arena’s seating capacity is smaller than its maximum concert configuration because of the rink and event layout.
Concerts and Entertainment
The Ford Center was designed from the beginning to serve as much more than a sports arena.
Its approximately 11,000-seat maximum capacity allows Evansville to host major national touring acts that might otherwise bypass the region.
Over the years, the arena has hosted nationally known musicians, comedians, family entertainment productions, wrestling events, religious gatherings, graduations, exhibitions, and other large public events.
For center-stage concerts, the building can accommodate approximately 11,000 spectators, while end-stage concerts generally use a somewhat smaller configuration.
The arena’s ability to rapidly change configurations allows the same building to host a basketball game, hockey game, concert, or exhibition within a short period of time.
NCAA Basketball
The Ford Center has also become an important neutral-site and championship basketball venue.
The arena has hosted multiple NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball Elite Eight championships, bringing teams and fans from around the United States to Downtown Evansville.
Evansville’s basketball history and the presence of a modern Downtown arena have made the city a recurring location for NCAA championship events.
The Ford Center has also hosted high-profile college basketball games involving regional universities and nationally recognized programs.
Arena Design
The Ford Center’s exterior was designed to complement its Downtown setting while creating a modern visual landmark.
The arena features large glass surfaces, brick and metal exterior materials, sweeping rooflines, and prominent entrances facing the surrounding Downtown streets.
Inside, the seating bowl was designed with spectators relatively close to the playing surface.
The building contains modern concessions, club areas, suites, locker rooms, media facilities, video displays, and other amenities expected of a contemporary arena.
At opening, the facility included numerous high-definition televisions throughout its concourses along with multiple concession areas and premium seating spaces.
Seating Capacity
The Ford Center’s capacity varies depending on the event configuration.
Approximate capacities include:
- Maximum / center-stage concert: 11,000
- Basketball: approximately 10,000
- End-stage concert: approximately 10,000
- Hockey: approximately 9,000
The venue’s flexible seating system allows capacity and floor arrangements to change depending on the event.
Downtown Development
The Ford Center was intended to serve not only as an entertainment venue but also as a catalyst for redevelopment in Downtown Evansville.
Thousands of spectators attending games and concerts bring regular foot traffic to nearby restaurants, bars, hotels, parking facilities, and other Downtown businesses.
The arena’s construction became part of a broader period of investment in Downtown Evansville that included development around the convention center, hotels, residential projects, restaurants, and entertainment venues.
Its placement Downtown represented a major change from Roberts Stadium, which was located several miles east of the city center.
Relationship to Roberts Stadium
The Ford Center effectively replaced Roberts Municipal Stadium, one of Evansville’s best-known 20th-century buildings.
Roberts had hosted generations of Purple Aces basketball games, concerts, circuses, professional wrestling, hockey, high school basketball, and community events.
After the Ford Center opened, Roberts Stadium no longer served as the city’s primary arena.
Roberts was eventually demolished in 2013.
The transition remains an important dividing point in Evansville sports and entertainment history: Roberts Stadium represented more than five decades of arena history, while the Ford Center began a new Downtown era.
Ownership and Operation
The Ford Center is owned by the City of Evansville.
The facility has been professionally managed as a regional sports and entertainment venue, hosting both locally based teams and national touring productions.
Its role goes beyond simply providing an arena for Evansville residents. The Ford Center draws visitors from across southwestern Indiana, western Kentucky, and southern Illinois.
Significance to Evansville
Since opening in 2011, the Ford Center has become one of the most recognizable buildings in modern Downtown Evansville.
It serves several roles simultaneously:
It is the home of Purple Aces basketball.
It is the home of professional hockey.
It is Evansville’s principal large indoor concert venue.
It is a host site for national and regional sporting events.
And it is one of the central anchors of Downtown entertainment activity.
While historic landmarks such as Bosse Field and the Victory Theatre represent earlier generations of Evansville entertainment, the Ford Center represents the city’s modern era of large-scale sports and entertainment.
Quick Facts
Name: Ford Center
Location: Downtown Evansville, Indiana
Address: 1 SE Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
Groundbreaking: October 2009
Opened: November 2011
Maximum capacity: Approximately 11,000
Basketball capacity: Approximately 10,000
Primary use: Sports, concerts and entertainment
Owner: City of Evansville
Architects: Populous and Hafer Associates
Construction cost: Approximately $127.5 million
Basketball tenant: University of Evansville Purple Aces
Current hockey tenant: Evansville Thunderbolts
Former hockey tenant: Evansville IceMen
Replaced: Roberts Municipal Stadium