Palace of Auburn Hills

The Palace of Auburn Hills is a large sports and entertainment venue in Auburn Hills, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. Since its completion in 1988, it has been the home of the Detroit Pistons of the NBA; since 1998 it has also hosted the Detroit Shock of the WNBA. It was also the home of the now-defunct Detroit Vipers of the IHL (1994 - 2001), Detroit Safari of the CISL (1994 - 1997), and the Detroit Fury of the AFL (2001 - 2004).

Related Topics:
Sports - Auburn Hills - Michigan - Suburb - Detroit - 1988 - Detroit Pistons - NBA - 1998 - Detroit Shock - WNBA - Detroit Vipers - IHL - 1994 - 2001 - Detroit Safari - CISL - 1997 - Detroit Fury - AFL - 2004

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Before the Palace's opening, the Pistons had lacked a suitable home venue. From 1957 to 1978, the team competed in Detroit's Olympia Stadium and Cobo Arena, both considered undersized for NBA purposes. In 1978, owner Bill Davidson elected not to share the new Joe Louis Arena with the Detroit Red Wings, and instead chose to relocate the team to the Pontiac Silverdome, a venue constructed for football, where it remained for the next decade. While the Silverdome could accommodate massive crowds, it offered substandard sight lines for basketball viewing. A group led by Davidson built the Palace for the relatively low cost of $70 million, using entirely private funding.

Related Topics:
1957 - 1978 - Olympia Stadium - Cobo Arena - Bill Davidson - Joe Louis Arena - Detroit Red Wings - Pontiac Silverdome - Football - $

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The Palace's large seating capacity (22,076 for basketball; higher still for any event in which part of the arena floor can be used for seating) and suburban location have also made it very popular for large concerts and, to a slightly lesser degree, major boxing matches. The Palace was built with 180 luxury suites, considered an exorbitant number when it opened, but it has consistently managed to lease virtually all of them. Presently, there are plans to add even more suites to the arena.

Related Topics:
Basketball - Boxing - Luxury suites

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The Palace has been used as the basis for the development of other luxury sports arenas elsewhere in North America, but the majority of these were built in downtown locations rather than suburban ones like the Palace's.

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The Palace was the scene of a serious disturbance at an NBA game on November 19, 2004.

Related Topics:
A serious disturbance - November 19 - 2004

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