Chase Center: Warriors' Arena in San Francisco

Not only basketball lives the Chase Center. The huge and modern arena, home of the Golden State Warriors, has a range of restaurants and retail shops, in addition to hosting games, concerts and events of all kinds.

A BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT THE CHASE CENTER

This arena broke ground, January 17, 2017, and opened September 6, 2019. Chase Center’s grand opening featured a concert by Bay Areas own, Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony.

The crowning gem in the Mission Bay neighborhood of San Francisco. On April 19, 2014, the Warriors abandoned plans for the pier site and purchased a 12-acre site owned by Salesforce.com. The purchase of the land was for an undisclosed amount and the arena was financed privately.

The original site location was announced May 22, 2012 and was met with much consternation. San Francisco’s then Mayor Ed Lee, then-California Lt. Governor Gavin Newsome, then-NBA Commissioner David Stern, and owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber, revealed their plans. A $500 million, 17,000 – 19,000-seat arena, located on Pier 30-32 along the San Francisco Bay waterfront, between the Ferry Building and Oracle Park. A month after the plans were disclosed, the idea was met with much opposition. Concerns surrounding two major sports arenas, being in such proximity, adding to the already burdensome traffic conditions. Once the community started to rally support for the discontinuance of the project, the plans were discarded.

The location of this arena is at Third St. and 16^th St. The arena is composed of multiple layers and floors, has a seating capacity of 18,064 for Basketball games, and 19,500 for concerts.

The architect for the project was MANICA Architecture. The venue contains 580,000 square feet of office space and lab space and has 100,00 square feet of retail space. Chase Center also includes a 35,000 square foot public plaza/recreation area designed by landscape architecture firm SWA Group.

The Chase Center is a very modern arena, with the capacity to accommodate up to 18,064 people at a basketball game and up to 19,500 people during a show or spectacle.

THRIVE CITY

Chase Center anchors Thrive City, a 3.2 acres of public plazas and open space with over two dozen retail locations. The outdoor area hosts a variety of festivals, local farmer’s markets, community events and more.

Chase Center Superlatives:

11 – Number of acres that make up Chase Center and Thrive City
Nearly 200 – Number of events Chase Center will host per year
3.2 – Acres of publicly accessible plazas and open space
18,000 +– Number of seats
8 – Number of full kitchens
23 – Number of bars
552 – Number of taps
Over 20 – Number of restaurants and retailers planned for Thrive City
36 – Number of eateries
136 – Number of premium spaces (Traditional Suites, Courtside Lounges and Theater Boxes)
274,000 – Linear feet of beer line
1,111 – Number of TVs
425 – Number of toilets

SEEING SPHERES BY OLAFUR ELIASSON

From the triangular square of more than 2,300 m² located in front of the East Entrance of the Chase Center it is possible to see (without great difficulty, as you can imagine) the artwork “Seeing spheres” by Olafur Eliasson.

In fact, much more than just seeing, it is possible to experience the Eliasson’s largest public artwork in the United Sates. The five super-polished steel balls are fifteen-and-a-half-feet-tall and eache sphere supports a flat, circular mirrored face that allow visitors to see their reflection, as well as the other spheres, from various unexpected angles.

Whether viewed up close or from the center of the installation, the pieces appear and disappear, overlap and distort the surrounding landscape. The oversized circular frames also feature edges with LED lights that glow at night.

The structures were made using a fabrication process known as hydroforming, an economical way to shape metals using highly pressurized fluid.

THE NBA’S LARGEST SCOREBOARD

Chase Center features the NBA’s largest scoreboard with over 9,500 square feet of LED space. Fully retracts into the ceiling for optimal concert going experience. Huge indeed! During the game, the screen displays real-time scenes as well as all the statistics of the game and the players on the court.

The Thrive City video board, which measures 74 feet wide and 42 feet tall, covers 3,108 square feet of space and has a total of nearly 2.2 million pixels.

HOW TO GET TO THE CHASE CENTER

There are many ways to get to the arena. On game days or big events, traffic is quite intense, so plan to leave in advance.

Visit the Chase Center website for up-to-date information on transportation options.

IMPORTANT INFORMATIONS

Chase Center

Address: 1 Warriors Way, San Francisco, CA 94158, United States
Thrive City operating hours: Monday to Sunday from 7am to 10pm
Events: Check out upcoming events at the Chase Center by clicking this link.