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Amica Mutual Pavilion
The Amica Mutual Pavilion (originally Providence Civic Center and formerly Dunkin' Donuts Center ("The Dunk")) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the Providence College Friars men's basketball program, due to the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for a home arena for the then–Providence Reds, who played in the nearly 50-year-old Rhode Island Auditorium. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins ice hockey team, of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team, of the Big East Conference. The center is operated by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which also operates the Rhode Island Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
The idea for a Civic Center in Providence had been proposed as early as 1958, on the site of what later became the Providence Place Mall. The project was proposed as a joint federal-state-city project, which would create jobs and bring economic benefits. However, the plan failed due to the inability to secure federal funds.
The plan was revived again as a statewide bond issue in the 1968 general election; voters outside of Providence soundly defeated the referendum. Finally, mayor Joseph A. Doorley Jr. pushed through a citywide special referendum in 1969, which passed. When this amount proved to be inadequate, Doorley pushed through another referendum in 1971, which also passed. The project became so closely associated with Mayor Doorley that it was referred to in the press as "Doorley's Dream".
The Providence Civic Center was constructed in 1972 on the site of an old jewelry factory. The opening ceremony was held November 3, 1972, with a Providence Reds hockey game. President Richard Nixon, campaigning in the area, was invited to the attend the opening, but he declined. In its first year, the center hosted concerts by Pink Floyd and Frank Sinatra, as well as hockey games and political rallies, and was considered a success.
In October 1974, Civic Center director Harold Copeland was convicted of soliciting a $1,000 bribe from a concert promoter. The conviction, occurring a month before election day, thrust prosecutor Vincent Cianci into the mayor's office and ended Doorley's political career.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Civic Center fell into decline; it required city bailouts and was seen as a financial problem. The Rhode Island Convention Center and adjacent Omni Providence Hotel (then named the "Westin") were completed next door to the Civic Center in 1993 in an attempt to lure visitors to the city.
In 2001, as a means of increasing financing, the arena was named the Dunkin' Donuts Center as part of a naming-rights deal with Dunkin' Donuts. In December 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the city of Providence and spent $80 million on an extensive renovation. Major elements of the construction included a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Rhode Island Convention Center, a new center-hung LED video display board, a new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, four new bathrooms, and all-new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Behind-the-scenes improvements included a new HVAC system, ice chiller, and a first-of-its-kind fire suppression system. These renovations were completed in October 2008.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 resulted in the cancellation of most of its normal sports and concert programming. Instead, the arena was rented by the state for emergency measures, including assembly of COVID tests, a COVID testing walk-in clinic, and classes to teach local businesses how to conduct tests. In February 2021, the state announced that the Dunkin Donuts Center would be used as a large-scale COVID vaccination site.
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Amica Mutual Pavilion
The Amica Mutual Pavilion (originally Providence Civic Center and formerly Dunkin' Donuts Center ("The Dunk")) is an indoor arena located in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. It was built in 1972, as a home court for the Providence College Friars men's basketball program, due to the high demand for tickets to their games in Alumni Hall, as well as for a home arena for the then–Providence Reds, who played in the nearly 50-year-old Rhode Island Auditorium. Current tenants include the Providence Bruins ice hockey team, of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Providence College Friars men's basketball team, of the Big East Conference. The center is operated by the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority, which also operates the Rhode Island Convention Center and Veterans Memorial Auditorium.
The idea for a Civic Center in Providence had been proposed as early as 1958, on the site of what later became the Providence Place Mall. The project was proposed as a joint federal-state-city project, which would create jobs and bring economic benefits. However, the plan failed due to the inability to secure federal funds.
The plan was revived again as a statewide bond issue in the 1968 general election; voters outside of Providence soundly defeated the referendum. Finally, mayor Joseph A. Doorley Jr. pushed through a citywide special referendum in 1969, which passed. When this amount proved to be inadequate, Doorley pushed through another referendum in 1971, which also passed. The project became so closely associated with Mayor Doorley that it was referred to in the press as "Doorley's Dream".
The Providence Civic Center was constructed in 1972 on the site of an old jewelry factory. The opening ceremony was held November 3, 1972, with a Providence Reds hockey game. President Richard Nixon, campaigning in the area, was invited to the attend the opening, but he declined. In its first year, the center hosted concerts by Pink Floyd and Frank Sinatra, as well as hockey games and political rallies, and was considered a success.
In October 1974, Civic Center director Harold Copeland was convicted of soliciting a $1,000 bribe from a concert promoter. The conviction, occurring a month before election day, thrust prosecutor Vincent Cianci into the mayor's office and ended Doorley's political career.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Civic Center fell into decline; it required city bailouts and was seen as a financial problem. The Rhode Island Convention Center and adjacent Omni Providence Hotel (then named the "Westin") were completed next door to the Civic Center in 1993 in an attempt to lure visitors to the city.
In 2001, as a means of increasing financing, the arena was named the Dunkin' Donuts Center as part of a naming-rights deal with Dunkin' Donuts. In December 2005, the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority purchased the building from the city of Providence and spent $80 million on an extensive renovation. Major elements of the construction included a significantly expanded lobby and concourse, an enclosed pedestrian bridge from the Rhode Island Convention Center, a new center-hung LED video display board, a new restaurant, 20 luxury suites, four new bathrooms, and all-new seats with cupholders in the arena bowl. Behind-the-scenes improvements included a new HVAC system, ice chiller, and a first-of-its-kind fire suppression system. These renovations were completed in October 2008.
The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020–2021 resulted in the cancellation of most of its normal sports and concert programming. Instead, the arena was rented by the state for emergency measures, including assembly of COVID tests, a COVID testing walk-in clinic, and classes to teach local businesses how to conduct tests. In February 2021, the state announced that the Dunkin Donuts Center would be used as a large-scale COVID vaccination site.
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