EVENTS

Inside American Airlines Center

American Airlines Center's seating bowl features a one-of-a-kind retractable seating system. This unique, patented design reduces the conversion time between hockey and basketball floor configurations. The result is great sightlines for basketball and hockey fans on the north and south ends.

Another unique feature of the seating bowl is the roof structure. The 150,000 square foot roof is supported only at its four corners. In order to resist the forces generated by the weight of the roof, columns are tied together at the corners by a series of steel rods embedded in the floor of the upper concourse.

Each of American Airlines Center's concourses are highly finished with terrazzo floors, windows, crown molding and painted walls. Avoiding the typical "racetrack" configuration, the venue has five concourses full of wide, open space. The building's four lobbies are points of references each with its own theme. The American Airlines Lobby looks over the public plaza and has spectacular views of the downtown skyline, the North Lobby looks toward the Design District, the East Lobby looks to the Crescent complex, and the West Lobby view stretches over Stemmons Freeway to the Trinity River.

In 2009, American Airlines Center installed the first and largest 1080 high-definition video replay system in an NBA or NHL venue. The new system included a high-definition center video display/scoreboard, two stadium-sized video displays that dominate the upper end walls and an audio system that has the ability to create custom surround sound effects.

The owners of the project strongly supported the inclusion of Public Art in American Airlines Center. The ownership group matched the City of Dallas' commitment to provide an estimated $3 million for public art. The artwork was integrated as part of the building rather than applying works after the building was completed.