Fast FACTS

Climate Pledge Arena, located at Seattle Center, is the complete redevelopment of an historic landmark, originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. The arena is home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken, WNBA’s Seattle Storm, and the world’s biggest performers of live music and events. Climate Pledge Arena serves as a long-lasting and regular reminder of the urgent need for climate action and will be the first net zero carbon certified arena in the world. The Climate Pledge, which was founded by Amazon and Global Optimism in 2019, is a commitment from companies globally to be net zero carbon by 2040. Climate Pledge Arena opened October 22, 2022.

This transformational project is the most significant private investment in Pacific Northwest sports and entertainment history. In partnership, Oak View Group and the City of Seattle set out to reimagine and redevelop an arena constructed under an historic landmarked roof originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair.

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The Grand Opening

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Arena FAQs

Who is Oak View Group?

Oak View Group (OVG) is a global sports and entertainment company founded by Tim Leiweke and Irving Azoff in 2015. OVG is focused on being a positive disruption to business as usual in the sports, live entertainment, and hospitality industries and currently has eight divisions across five global offices (Los Angeles, New York, London, Philadelphia, and Toronto).

OVG oversees the operations of Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, NY, Moody Center in Austin, TX, Acrisure Arena in Greater Palm Springs, CA, as well as arena development projects for Co-op Live in Manchester, UK; and projects for Arena São Paulo in São Paulo, BZ; CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, MD; FirstOntario Centre Arena in Hamilton, ON; a New Arena and entertainment district in Las Vegas, NV; and a New Arena in Cardiff, Wales.

More information at OakViewGroup.com, and follow OVG on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Does Climate Pledge Arena meet the requirements of the NBA?

Climate Pledge Arena meets NBA standards and has been designed with basketball in mind.

OVG assembled a world-class project team in partnering with Populous, one of the world’s premier sports architecture firms, and ICON, the foremost project manager/owner’s representative, and MA Mortenson, the preeminent general contractor, in the field of sports facility construction.

The combination of OVG’s executive team’s experience, led by Tim Leiweke, with that of the experience of Populous, ICON, and Mortenson should leave no doubt Climate Pledge Arena is compliant with NBA standards.

Why did OVG keep the historic roof?

OVG has respectfully retained the iconic roof of the Seattle Center Coliseum, originally built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair and designed by renowned architect Paul Thiry.

By maintaining the historic roof, Climate Pledge Arena takes its rightful place alongside other iconic landmarks, like the Space Needle, Pacific Fountains and others.

Recycling the roof also allows the arena to consume less embodied carbon than most other new arena construction projects and while reducing landfill waste, a key initiative of The Climate Pledge for which the arena is named.

OVG’s vision is to have the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its association with the World’s Fair. OVG has achieved the first hurdle by having Washington’s State Historic Preservation Office declare the arena eligible for the national designation.

How is the arena mitigating traffic concerns in the neighborhood?

Seattle Center Coliseum/KeyArena had been hosting events at this site for over fifty years. Seattle Center serves over 12-million visitors each year. Climate Pledge Arena replaces an existing arena, increasing the capacity of Seattle Center by less than ten-percent.

Our goal is to be the leader for responsible, efficient, multi-model transportation choices. To do so, we’ve worked to ensure our guests have access to a diverse set of transportation choices that reduce our emissions and improve access to the arena.

Please visit our Transportation page for more details.

What is The Climate Pledge?

In 2019, Amazon and Global Optimism announced The Climate Pledge, which calls on signatories to be net zero carbon across their businesses by 2040—a decade ahead of the Paris Agreement.

Visit www.climatepledge.com for more information.

What is the capacity of the new arena?

Climate Pledge Arena is designed to hold up to 18,100. Capacities for different events vary.
– Hockey Capacity – 17,100
– Basketball Capacity – 18,300
– Concert Capacity – up to 17,200

Who owns the land the arena sits on?

The City of Seattle and OVG have signed a 39-year lease with two, eight-year renewable options (for a potential total lease of 55 years).

Is the City or its taxpayers at risk for any portion of the project?

The Arena was entirely privately financed by OVG with no City financing; the current project cost estimate is $1.15 Billion. All costs and potential cost-overruns of construction and arena operations are the responsibility of OVG.

The City (Seattle Center) receives rent payment to cover the revenue generated by KeyArena and the 1st Avenue North Parking Garage operations, as well as campus sponsorship rights.

OVG assumed the risk of cost overruns during construction including the risk increased cost due to unknown environmental conditions.

OVG is responsible for arena operations and maintenance of the facility over the life of the Lease Term; OVG assumes the risks and costs of operating and maintaining the arena.

How does the arena attract world-class talent to Seattle?

Climate Pledge Arena is built for music as a tenant. Elements including thoughtful backstage production design and acoustical panels in the rafters improve live sound, making the arena a must-play for the biggest performers in the industry.

On top of that, OVG partnered with Live Nation who touches 71 million fans at 26,000 events in nearly 200 venues worldwide. The Live Nation team exists on local, regional and national levels and consists of experienced industry veterans as well as young emerging talent, each with a track record of success.

The local Live Nation team is led by Jeff Trisler, president of the Seattle division, who is a Seattle native with 36 years of concert promotion experience in Seattle. For the first time in its history, Live Nation made an investment in an arena because of opportunity here at Seattle Center.

Why is the arena named Climate Pledge Arena?

The naming rights for Climate Pledge Arena were secured through a partnership between Amazon, Oak View Group, and Seattle Kraken. It is the first net zero carbon certified arena in the world and harnesses the power of sports and entertainment to inspire change on the climate crises. Visit Sustainability to learn more about how Climate Pledge Arena is the first net zero certified arena in the world.

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Fast FACTS

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Oct 22, 2021

The Grand Opening

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