The Times Union Center is an indoor arena located in Albany, New York, with a maximum seating capacity of 17,500 for sporting events. Current tenants include Siena College's men's basketball team, the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League, and the Albany Conquest of af2.
The building, designed and built by Clough Harbour & Associates at a cost of $68.6 million, was opened on January 30, 1990 as the Knickerbocker Arena with a performance by Frank Sinatra. The naming rights of the arena were sold to Pepsi in 1997, and it was known as Pepsi Arena from 1998-2006. In May 2006 the naming rights were sold to the Times Union, a regional newspaper, and the name of the arena became the Times Union Center on January 1, 2007. The building is managed by SMG.
Previous tenants have included the Albany Firebirds of the Arena Football League, the Albany Patroons of the Continental Basketball Association, the Albany Choppers of the International Hockey League, the Albany Attack of the National Lacrosse League, and the New York Kick of the National Professional Soccer League. The University at Albany has used the facility for past games against Syracuse University and has been approached to use the facility for some dates in the future in the wake of their participation in the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The Times Union Center also regularly hosts exhibition games of major sports leagues. The NBA, WNBA, and NHL have all played games at the arena.
