Climate Pledge Arena sits at Seattle Center in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, on the same site where the Washington State Pavilion opened for the 1962 Century 21 Exposition. After a $1.15 billion redevelopment led by architecture firm Populous, the venue reopened on October 19, 2021, keeping the original building’s iconic curved roof and window curtain walls while replacing everything underneath with an entirely new arena bowl dug deeper into the ground.
Named for The Climate Pledge, the sustainability initiative co-founded by Amazon and Global Optimism, the arena is now home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, along with the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent and Seattle University basketball. It also carries the legacy of the building’s earlier life as KeyArena, home to the Seattle SuperSonics, who won the NBA championship there in 1979.
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Seattle Kraken (NHL), Seattle Storm (WNBA), Seattle Torrent (PWHL)
- Location: Seattle Center, Seattle, Washington
- Opened: October 19, 2021 (as Climate Pledge Arena); original building opened 1962
- Capacity (Hockey): About 17,151
- Capacity (Basketball): About 18,300
- Capacity (Concerts): About 17,200
- Owner/Operator: City of Seattle (owner); Oak View Group (operator)
- Notable Fact: First arena in the world certified net-zero carbon by the International Living Future Institute
The Ride Experience
Because the arena bowl was excavated roughly 15 feet below the original floor level to fit under the preserved roof, sightlines were built from scratch rather than retrofitted, giving fans steep, close-in views for Kraken hockey and Storm basketball. The building’s ice comes from reclaimed rainwater captured off the roof and stored on site, a system the arena calls “Rain to Rink.”
All arena operations run on renewable electricity, and concessions eliminated single-use plastics as part of the venue’s sustainability push. The mix of a historic 1962 silhouette with a modern, all-electric interior gives the building a distinct identity among NHL and WNBA venues.
A Building With Two Lives
Before it became Climate Pledge Arena, the building spent decades as KeyArena, hosting the Seattle SuperSonics from 1967 to 1978 and again from 1985 to 2008, including the team’s 1979 NBA championship run. When the Sonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008, the arena sat without a major pro tenant until the city and Oak View Group struck a deal to redevelop it for a returning NHL franchise.
Rather than demolish the site, crews preserved the original 44-million-pound roof structure to cut down on construction waste and embodied carbon, then rebuilt everything beneath it. The result reopened in 2021 as the anchor venue for Seattle’s NHL expansion team, the Kraken.
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Climate Pledge Arena FAQs
Is Climate Pledge Arena the same building as KeyArena?
Yes. It’s the same 1962 structure at Seattle Center, redeveloped from 2018 to 2021 while keeping the original roof and exterior walls.
Who plays at Climate Pledge Arena?
The NHL’s Seattle Kraken, the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, and the PWHL’s Seattle Torrent all call it home, along with Seattle University basketball.
Why is it called Climate Pledge Arena?
Amazon secured the naming rights in 2020 to honor The Climate Pledge, its sustainability initiative, and the venue became the first arena certified net-zero carbon by the International Living Future Institute.
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Photo: Sea Cow / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.