Reunion Arena was the beating heart of Dallas sports and entertainment for nearly three decades. Located at 777 Sports Street in the Reunion district of downtown Dallas, Texas, this $27 million indoor arena opened on April 28, 1980, and quickly became one of the most beloved multi-purpose venues in the American South, hosting Stanley Cup Finals games, an NBA All-Star Game, a Final Four, two national political conventions’ worth of campaign energy, and concerts by nearly every major touring act of the era.
From the Dallas Mavericks’ first season in 1980 to Brett Hull’s triple-overtime Stanley Cup clincher in 1999, and from Queen filming a music video on its hardwood floor to presidents and presidential candidates working its crowds on the campaign trail, Reunion Arena’s 28-year run was defined by unforgettable moments before its demolition in November 2009.
- Dallas Mavericks played here 1980–2001. See every Mavericks arena →
- Dallas Stars played here 1993–2001. See every Stars arena →
Quick Answer
Reunion Arena was built in downtown Dallas, Texas — groundbreaking was March 15, 1978, and it officially opened April 28, 1980. Its capacity was 18,190 for NBA basketball, 17,000 for NHL hockey, and up to 19,070 for center-stage concerts. Reunion Arena is no longer standing: it closed June 30, 2008, and demolition was completed November 17, 2009. The site is now part of Reunion Park and sits inside Hunt Realty Investments’ roughly $5 billion plan to redevelop the surrounding Reunion district with apartments, hotels, offices, and retail.
Construction and Design: When Was Reunion Arena Built?
Ground broke on March 15, 1978, and the arena was completed at a cost of $27 million — roughly equivalent to over $100 million in today’s dollars. It was designed by the Dallas firm Harwood K. Smith & Partners, which later rebranded as HKS, Inc. and grew into one of the largest architecture firms in the world; general contractor Henry C. Beck Co. built the structure. It opened to the public on April 28, 1980, with the expansion Dallas Mavericks tipping off their first NBA season there that fall.
Reunion Arena holds a notable design distinction: it was the last major-league NBA or NHL arena built without luxury suites, a decision that gave it a democratic, fan-forward bowl but ultimately capped its long-term revenue compared with newer arenas. Its original American Sign & Indicator scoreboard served the building for more than a decade before Sony Jumbotron screens were installed in 1991 to modernize the in-game experience.
Reunion Arena Capacity: How Many Seats?
Reunion Arena seated 18,190 spectators for NBA basketball and 17,000 for NHL hockey. For live music, configuration options ranged from a 9,663-seat half-house to 18,630 for end-stage shows and a maximum of roughly 19,070 for center-stage, in-the-round setups — the format many headlining acts preferred for its 360-degree sightlines.
That flexible capacity made Reunion Arena a perennial stop on major concert touring routes throughout the 1980s and 1990s, letting it scale from intimate, half-house shows up to nearly 20,000-seat spectacles in a way most single-purpose venues of its era couldn’t match.
Sports Tenants: Mavericks, Stars, and Beyond
The Dallas Mavericks called Reunion Arena home from their 1980 NBA debut through the 2000-01 season, a 21-year run. The Dallas Stars, who relocated from Minnesota in 1993, played there through that same final 2000-01 season before both franchises moved to the newly opened American Airlines Center in 2001.
The Dallas Sidekicks indoor soccer team were longtime tenants from 1984 until going inactive in 2004, making them the arena’s final major occupant. Reunion Arena also hosted the Dallas Tornado (indoor soccer, 1980-81), the arena-football Dallas Texans and later Dallas Desperados, and a short-lived Dallas Stallions roller hockey team. After 2001, a non-compete clause tied to the new American Airlines Center restricted which events Reunion Arena could book, directly accelerating its financial decline and eventual closure.
Championships and Defining Sports Moments
The 1999 Stanley Cup Finals brought the Dallas Stars to the brink of their first championship on home ice: Dallas hosted Games 1, 2, and 5 against the Buffalo Sabres at Reunion Arena before Brett Hull’s famous triple-overtime goal in Game 6 at Buffalo clinched the Cup on June 19, 1999. The Stars returned to the Finals in 2000, hosting Games 3, 4, and 6 at Reunion Arena against the New Jersey Devils, but lost the series in six games. Those two consecutive Finals runs remain the pinnacle of the building’s hockey legacy.
On the basketball side, Reunion Arena hosted the 1986 NBA All-Star Game, won by the Eastern Conference, as well as the 1986 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four. The arena also served its community in crisis: on September 11, 2001, it opened immediately as an emergency blood drive location, and in late 2005, following Hurricane Katrina, Reunion Arena and the adjacent Dallas Convention Center functioned as shelters for thousands of Gulf Coast evacuees.
Concert History: A Stage for Music Legends
Reunion Arena’s very first concert, on May 9, 1980, was headlined by Parliament-Funkadelic, and the building went on to host nearly every major genre and generation of popular music through its closing in 2008. Artists who performed there include Michael Jackson, Paul McCartney, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Queen, U2, Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Madonna, Elton John, David Bowie, Dire Straits, Fleetwood Mac, Bruce Springsteen, Gloria Estefan, Mötley Crüe, Journey, R.E.M., Radiohead, and Whitney Houston, among many others.
The building made music-video history too: Queen filmed part of its “Another One Bites the Dust” video on the arena floor in August 1980, the Scorpions shot “Still Loving You” there in 1984, and Mötley Crüe filmed “Home Sweet Home” during an October 1985 show — turning a few ordinary tour stops into some of the most-replayed concert footage of the MTV era.
Political Rallies and Historic Visits
Beyond sports and music, Reunion Arena became a regular stage for national politics. Ross Perot used the arena for a presidential campaign rally in 1992, Bill Clinton visited in 1994, George W. Bush held a 2006 midterm rally that drew roughly 13,000 supporters, and Barack Obama packed the building to a capacity crowd on the 2008 campaign trail just months before it closed for good.
Wrestling, Tennis, and Other Spectacles
Throughout the 1980s, World Class Championship Wrestling ran bi-monthly “Star Wars” supercard events at Reunion Arena that became a cornerstone of the regional wrestling scene. The building later hosted WWF/WWE SmackDown tapings in December 1999 and November 2000, plus the WWF Fully Loaded pay-per-view in July 2000. Reunion Arena was also a WCT professional tennis tour stop through much of the 1980s, and from 1993 to 1996 the streets surrounding the venue hosted the Dallas Street Circuit, a Trans-Am and IMSA GT motorsports race.
Closure, Demolition, and What Stands There Now
Stripped of its anchor tenants after 2001 and boxed in by the American Airlines Center’s non-compete clause, Reunion Arena closed on June 30, 2008, and was demolished on November 17, 2009. For years the cleared footprint operated informally as outdoor event space known as Reunion Park, hosting occasional concerts on the open lot.
Today the former arena site sits inside Hunt Realty Investments’ roughly $5 billion plan to redevelop around 20 acres of the Reunion district, including the land around Reunion Tower and the historic Union Station, with new apartments, a hotel, offices, and retail meant to bring thousands of new residents into downtown Dallas. The project has been discussed in tandem with possible changes to the nearby Dallas Convention Center, though exact construction timelines continue to shift as planning moves forward.
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Reunion Arena Dallas FAQs
Is Reunion Arena still standing?
No. Reunion Arena closed on June 30, 2008, and was demolished on November 17, 2009. The site is now part of Reunion Park and sits within Hunt Realty Investments’ multibillion-dollar Reunion district redevelopment.
Why was Reunion Arena demolished?
Reunion Arena lost its two major tenants, the Mavericks and Stars, when both moved to the new American Airlines Center in 2001. A non-compete clause tied to that new arena then restricted what Reunion Arena could book, and without luxury suites or a modern revenue model, the city found it no longer financially viable to keep running.
How many seats did Reunion Arena have?
Reunion Arena seated 18,190 for NBA basketball, 17,000 for NHL hockey, and could be configured for concerts anywhere from 9,663 (half-house) up to roughly 19,070 for center-stage, in-the-round shows.
What NBA and NHL teams played at Reunion Arena?
The Dallas Mavericks played there from their 1980 NBA debut through the 2000-01 season, and the Dallas Stars played there from their 1993 relocation from Minnesota through that same 2000-01 season, after which both moved to American Airlines Center.
Did Reunion Arena host a Stanley Cup Finals?
Yes. The Dallas Stars hosted Games 1, 2, and 5 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals (won in Game 6 at Buffalo) and Games 3, 4, and 6 of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals against the New Jersey Devils.
What presidents or presidential candidates spoke at Reunion Arena?
Bill Clinton visited in 1994, George W. Bush held a 2006 rally, and Barack Obama drew a capacity crowd during his 2008 campaign, in addition to Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign rally.
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