Moda Center Information
About Moda Center
The Rose Quarter is an entertainment district occupying 30 acres of land in Portland, Oregon. Moda Center was previously called the Rose Garden Arena, and many people still refer to it as such. Sports games have been hosted at Moda Center since 1995, including hockey, basketball and lacrosse. You’ll see concerts and ice shows here, plus the circus, dinosaurs and rodeos.
The entire Moda Center is built on a vast scale that can seat almost 20,000 sports fans or concert-goers. Its clever design and internal structures mean that it can be divided up into separate sections, each still accommodating thousands of people. It offers multiple event configurations, including using the whole area for conventions, football or monster truck rallies.
Moda Center Location
Moda Center at Rose Quarter is in an attractive area near the Willamette River and the Old Town, but also incorporates easy access to roads and transit stations. It’s accessible from I-5 and I-84, between N. Interstate Ave and N.E. Wheeler Ave. The Rose Quarter is served by yellow, red, blue and green MAX Light Rail lines and several buses also run by this district.
Moda Center History
Close by Moda Center is the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Originally known as just The Memorial Coliseum, this 12,000-seat City of Portland venue opened in 1960. It was the original home of the Portland Winterhawks and Trail Blazers and played host to the world’s greatest artistes. Elvis, The Beatles and Led Zeppelin all appeared here, as well as charismatic figures like Billy Graham, Barack Obama and the Dalai Lama.
It’s too small for many modern events, though, and needs renovating. The city’s solution was to build a new arena, as an alternative home for the games and larger concerts. $267 million was invested in the Moda Center project to produce a multi-purpose arena just across the way.
The Rose Garden, as it was then called, opened in the fall of 1995. The launch concert starred David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails, and they’ve been followed by hundreds of household names. Past performers at Moda Center include Neil Diamond, Linda Ronstadt, Eric Clapton and James Taylor, not to mention Miley Cyrus, Avril Lavigne, Snoop Dogg and Lady GaGa.
The Trail Blazers relocated to the larger Moda Center stadium, along with the Winterhawks, and the arena is a community icon in Portland. In 2005, the U.S. Figure Skating Championships took place in the Rose Quarter. In 2009 & 2015, Moda Center hosted the early rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament.
In 2013, the Trail Blazers unveiled a 10-year community partnership with Moda Health, giving the venue a new sponsored name. This energized Portland’s sports and entertainment hub, tying together the venue and the community.
What Makes Moda Center Special
Everything about Moda Center is special, from its great location to its friendly staff.
Moda Center is ADA equipped, and you can make specific requests for audio or visual aids when booking your tickets. Seating is infinitely variable, depending on what type of event is being staged, but there’s always plenty of room. It’s designed with plentiful restroom facilities and several concourses where you’ll find food and beverage concessions.
Moda Center Sound System
Moda Center has a JBL sound system, and also boasts a unique acoustical cloud feature designed to recreate the roar of sporting NBA crowds. It’s formed with 160 rotating, 10-foot square acoustic panels that hang from the ceiling. One side of each panel absorbs sound and the other reflects it, so the noise of a game is absorbed from the upper levels and bounced back down to the court. These panels are fully flexible, so the arena acoustics can be adjusted according to what each event requires.
Who owns Moda Center?
Moda Center is owned by Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, a holding company that was originally owned by entrepreneur Paul Allen.