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.]] vs. New Orleans Hornets ), January 20 , 2006 .]] The Verizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C. , named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon . The name of the arena was previously '''MCI Center''', but when MCI was acquired by Verizon Communications , the name was changed to "''Verizon Center''" effective March 5 , 2006 {Link without Title} . The arena has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies. HISTORY The arena opened on December 2 , 1997 in downtown Washington, in Chinatown . Some complained that the building's construction, by closing off a block of G St, corrupted the historic L'Enfant layout of the Washington city streets. Others were concerned it would lead to the displacement of Chinese businesses in Chinatown. While largely considered a commercial success, the Verizon Center was the catalyst that led to gentrification of Washington's Chinatown, with rent increases after construction of the Arena forcing many small Chinese businesses to close. On the other hand, the Arena is not only a popular venue for sports and concerts, but helped to turned "Gallery Place/Chinatown" neighborhood into one of the prime sites for commercial development in Washington. Virtually all Chinese residents in the D.C. area already live in the suburbs, and displacement that occurred over the years has been mostly commercial rather than residential. TENANTS game on March 8 , 2006 featuring the Verizon Center markings on the ice surface.]] The Verizon Center is the home arena of the NBA 's Washington Wizards , the NHL 's Washington Capitals , the WNBA 's Washington Mystics , and the NCAA 's Georgetown University Hoyas mens basketball. It seats 20,173 for basketball, and 18,277 for hockey. NOTABLE EVENTS As well as the home games of the Center's four sports tenants, the arena also hosts numerous special events, from concerts to Champions On Ice to the Ringling Brothers & Barnum And Bailey Circus .
OWNERSHIP The arena is owned by Washington Sports & Entertainment (which owns the Wizards and formerly owned the Capitals), but on land leased from the city of Washington . At the end of the 30 year lease, the land is set to revert back to the ownership of the city, with the mayor of Washington to make mandatory biennial reviews of the city's continuing need for the arena. METRO The Verizon Center sits atop the Gallery Place-Chinatown station on the Red , Yellow , and Green lines of the Washington Metro . EXTERNAL LINK |
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