American Airlines Center

American Airlines Center (AAC) is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Victory Park neighborhood of Downtown Dallas, Texas. The arena serves as the home of the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League and the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association. It opened on July 17, 2001, at a total cost of $420 million. The 850,000-square-foot facility can accommodate over 20,000 patrons and hosts over 260 events each year. One of the busiest arenas in the United States, American Airlines Center has anchored Victory Park's development as an urban entertainment district and served as the backdrop for some of the most significant sporting events in Dallas history.

History and Development

By 1998, the Dallas Mavericks, then owned by H. Ross Perot Jr., and the Dallas Stars were indicating their desire for a new arena to replace the aging and undersized Reunion Arena. The two franchises needed a modern, purpose-built venue capable of meeting the demands of both an NBA and an NHL team under one roof.

Dallas taxpayers approved a new hotel tax and rental car tax to pay for a new arena to cover a portion of the funding, with the two benefiting teams — the Mavericks and the Stars — picking up the remaining costs, including cost overruns. The new arena was to be built just north of Woodall Rodgers Freeway near Interstate 35E on the site of an old power plant. The Center is located in Victory, a sixty-acre development converted from a railroad yard to a pedestrian-oriented mixed-use community adjacent to downtown Dallas.

On March 18, 1999, American Airlines announced that it would be acquiring the naming rights for the arena for US$195 million. American Airlines is headquartered in nearby Fort Worth and is based at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The naming rights deal was one of the largest in sports history at the time, and the carrier's prominent presence in the Dallas-Fort Worth region made it a natural fit.

On July 27, 2001, the facility opened with the largest ribbon-cutting ceremony ever recorded, according to the Guinness Book of Records. The first public event occurred the next day with an Eagles concert. On the following night, the arena hosted the last show of Michael Flatley's Feet of Flames tour, and the first sporting event took place on August 19, 2001, with the Dallas Sidekicks of the World Indoor Soccer League taking on the San Diego Sockers.

Architecture and Design

Principal design work was carried out by Driehaus Prize winner and New Classical architect David M. Schwarz of Washington, D.C. American Airlines Center was designed to be the heart of a new urban, commercial area intended to reinvigorate the city of Dallas — the development that would become Victory Park. Schwarz collaborated with HKS, Inc. of Dallas on the project.

The facility features a conservative, traditional design with sweeping brick façades and smooth arches. The double-barrel vaulted roof provides an instantly recognizable image against the Dallas skyline and proved to be the most economical structural form based on the amount of steel required for its design. Because of the roof's distinctive curved profile, some fans have taken to calling the arena "The Hangar." The architects also designed the building to be cohesive with adjacent neighborhoods: Downtown Dallas, the West End Historic District, the Arts District, and the McKinney Street corridor.

Because of its design, American Airlines Center has won numerous architectural awards. Among its honors are the 2002 ACEC National Honor Award for Structural Engineering Excellence and the 2002 Consulting Engineers Council – Texas Eminent Conceptor Award.

On the south side of the arena, PNC Plaza (formerly called Victory Plaza and AT&T Plaza) serves as the principal entrance into the facility. Designed by artist Athena Tacha in 2000, the plaza provides an open space with fountains flanked by retail and office buildings. PNC Plaza has hosted watching parties, press conferences, concerts, private events, and the 2018 NHL Draft.

Facilities and Amenities

American Airlines Center displays its versatility through a retractable seating system that transforms the venue from a 20,000-seat basketball arena into an 18,532-seat hockey rink. Changing the basketball floor to an NHL ice rink can be accomplished in less than two hours.

The arena's amenities include 105 luxury suites, 78 theater boxes, 2 Ford party boxes, a retractable seating bowl for closer viewing, five wide concourses, and 10 locker rooms. The arena features a 1080 HD centerhung scoreboard as well as two massive video boards at each upper end and an audio system with surround sound capabilities. The full facility totals 840,000 square feet and includes 2,000 club seats, a 200-seat large meeting room, multiple smaller meeting rooms, and a 2,000-car parking garage.

The AAC also includes a practice court for the Mavericks, who used it for regular practices until 2017 when a separate facility was built in the Dallas Design District near the arena.

The venue features various concession-stand options, as well as in-house bars and restaurants, ranging from taco stands to specialty whiskey and craft beer bars.

Sporting Events and Championships

American Airlines Center has been the site of numerous high-profile sporting milestones for both of its primary tenants.

American Airlines Center hosted the 2006 and 2011 NBA Finals, in which the Dallas Mavericks played the Miami Heat in both franchises' first two Finals appearances. The Heat won the 2006 series 4–2, closing out in Dallas, and the Mavericks won the 2011 series 4–2, closing in Miami. Because American Airlines held the naming rights to both venues involved in those Finals, the two series were nicknamed by some as the "American Airlines series." The arena also hosted the 2024 NBA Finals, in which the Boston Celtics split the two games played in Dallas.

The arena hosted the 55th NHL All-Star Game on January 24, 2007. The AAC also hosted the Big 12 Basketball Tournament in 2003, 2004, and 2006.

On the combat sports front, UFC 103: Franklin vs. Belfort was held at the Center on September 19, 2009; UFC 171: Hendricks vs. Lawler on March 15, 2014; and UFC 185: Pettis vs. dos Anjos on March 14, 2015.

The Mavericks played their first game at the arena on October 30, 2001, against the Detroit Pistons. The Mavericks' lease on the AAC runs through 2031. Afterward, the team could potentially move to a new arena in Irving, which could be part of a new integrated resort being proposed by Las Vegas Sands.

Victory Park and Economic Impact

American Airlines Center was conceived not just as a sports venue but as the centerpiece of an entirely new Dallas neighborhood. The construction of the arena seamlessly integrated a 60-acre development into a historic district while also introducing amenities designed to stimulate economic growth. The arena has spurred the revitalization of the West End district by drawing jobs and tourism to the area.

The arena was built on and in the shadows of the former Dallas neighborhood of Little Mexico, which represented the beginnings of the Mexican American population in the Dallas area. This historical context has shaped ongoing conversations about urban renewal and community memory in the Victory Park district.

Year after year, American Airlines Center continuously ranks among the world's busiest arenas. The Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail system provides direct access to the venue via the Victory Station stop on the Green and Orange lines, making the arena one of the most transit-accessible sports facilities in North Texas.

PNC Plaza, located just south of the arena, serves as a fan-gathering hub, having hosted watching parties, press conferences, concerts, private events, and high-profile occasions such as the 2018 NHL Draft. Able to fit 3,000 people, the plaza accommodates a wide range of public events.