Palace of Auburn Hills
From Hoopedia
The Palace of Auburn Hills, home of the Detroit Pistons (NBA), Detroit Shock (WNBA) and numerous concerts, family shows and special events, opened in 1988.
Built and operated by Arena Associates, The Palace was headed by Pistons managing partner, William Davidson, along with the late David Hermelin and the late Robert Sosnick. An all-encompassing entertainment venue, it quickly became one of the nation’s top concert facilities. After just one season, The Palace was honored by two entertainment trade publications, being named “New Venue of the Year” by Performance and “Best New Concert Venue” by Pollstar.
Overall, The Palace has been nominated “Arena of the Year” 10 times by Performance magazine and won the award seven times. It has also earned 10 “Arena of the Year” nominations from Pollstar magazine and won the honor in 1992. Since its inception, The Palace has hosted almost every major touring concert act.
Now in its 19th year of operation, The Palace has undergone more than $77 million in venue renovations and improvements in an effort to uphold its reputation as one of the world’s premier entertainment arenas. Included is the building’s addition of a large atrium, which was completed in 1996. It contains three levels of offices, a storage facility and an expanded entrance with numerous amenities. This was followed by the addition of the 12,000 square-foot Casino Windsor Club on the concourse level and the Traverse Bay Entertainment suite levels for both the 100 and 300-level suites. In 2004, a Light Emitting Diodes (LED) board was installed, allowing for the display of electronic signage around the entire arena and around the state-of-the-art hanging scoreboard during events.
The Palace is continuing its legacy as America’s most innovative arena this year by undertaking its largest enhancement project since its opening. This new phase includes the addition of an exclusive courtside lounge and club, under the arena’s east seating area, which will open in fall 2005. The Key Bank Club will service the five luxury suites built at The Palace over the summer of 2005 and all front row season ticket holders. The new phase also includes the expansion of the North Entrance. This project will create a new grand entrance, which will provide guests with additional concourse space, increased dining options and amenities, additional box office windows, and a new retail area to open in 2006.
