Chase Center on the Riverfront
{{For|the venue in San Francisco|Chase Center}}
{{Short description|Convention center in Wilmington, Delaware, US}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Chase Center on the Riverfront
| address = 815 Justison Street
| location = Wilmington, Delaware
| opened = 1999
| architect = Gant Brunett Architects
| website = www.chasecenterontheriverfront.com
| capacity = 92,000 square feet
| publictransit = {{bus icon|12px}} DART First State bus: 25
}}
Chase Center on the Riverfront is a 92,000 square foot convention center in Wilmington, Delaware, United States. It hosts various local concerts, conventions, and banquets for the Wilmington area.
History
The facility was originally built as a ship assembly plant for the Dravo Corporation during World War II.{{Cite web|title=Chase Center on the riverfront|url=https://www.librarything.com/venue/79038/Chase-Center-on-the-riverfront|access-date=2020-08-21|website=www.librarything.com}} After the shipyard was closed, efforts were made to revitalize the Wilmington riverfront similar to the Inner Harbor in nearby Baltimore.TO THE SUN, S. (2004, May 6). Wilmington has its own Renaissance on the waterfront - Restaurants, shops and a stadium ... and free parking Trips: road trips, regional events. Sun, The (Baltimore, MD), p. 29T. Available from NewsBank: Access World News:
In 2002, the facility was occupied by the Delaware Art Museum as temporary exhibition space until their facility reconstruction opened in 2005. In January 2003, concurrent with the deprecation of the First USA brand by Bank One, the building was renamed the Bank One Center on the Riverfront. After the Delaware Art Museum moved out, renovation began to transition the facility into a convention center and banquet hall, and the center was rededicated in 2005. In 2007, after Chase Bank's merger with Bank One, the building was renamed the Chase Center on the Riverfront. In 2014, a 180-room Westin hotel, the first new hotel in Wilmington since 1980, opened adjacent to the Chase Center."Wilmington opens 1st new hotel built since 1980." Associated Press State Wire: Maryland (MD), sec. News, 20 Apr. 2014. NewsBank: Access World News, infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=AWNB&docref=news/14D51FAB9172CFE8. Accessed 21 Aug. 2020.
Events
Major shows include the Delaware Antique Show, one of the oldest shows in the state of Delaware,A PIECE OF THE PAST. (2008, November 7). Daily Local News (West Chester, PA), p. 6. Available from NewsBank: Access World News:
In 2020, part of the 2020 Democratic National Convention was held at the Chase Center, with the Democratic Party nominees for President and Vice President, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, performing their acceptance speeches from a closed stage inside the venue. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Democratic National Convention had been reformatted as a virtual event with no in-person gatherings in its formal host city of Milwaukee. Democratic Party activists and officials were invited to view the broadcast Biden's acceptance speech from their cars in the parking lot of the adjacent Frawley Stadium. Following the acceptance speech, Biden, Harris, and their families made an appearance before the parking lot, and there was a fireworks show.{{Cite web|last=Neiburg|first=Brandon Holveck and Jeff|title=DNC in Delaware: Biden delivers acceptance speech; fireworks close convention|url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/joe-biden/2020/08/20/democratic-convention-wilmingtons-black-residents-split-biden-and-more-updates/5594556002/|access-date=2020-08-21|website=The News Journal|language=en-US}}
On election night 2020 (November 3), Biden held a drive-in election night party in its parking lot.{{cite web |last1=Wagner |first1=Meg |last2=Macaya |first2=Melissa |last3=Rocha |first3=Veronica |last4=Mahtani |first4=Melissa |last5=Wills |first5=Amanda |title=Here's what the scene is like at Biden HQ in Wilmington, Delaware |url=https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/election-results-and-news-11-03-20/h_a585a8c0d16f44048a3c38c279e0979f |website=CNN |access-date=30 May 2021 |language=en |date=2020-11-03}} On the evening of November 7, 2020, after media outlets had projected him the winner of the election, President-elect Biden gave his victory speech from an outdoor stage by the Chase Center. Following the victory speech, there was a fireworks and drone light show.{{Cite web|last=Newman|first=Meredith|date=2020-11-07|title=CELEBRATIONS ERUPT AS DELAWARE'S JOE BIDEN ELECTED PRESIDENT|url=https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/07/joe-biden-elected-46th-president-united-states/6169366002/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108070043/https://www.delawareonline.com/story/news/politics/elections/2020/11/07/joe-biden-elected-46th-president-united-states/6169366002/|archive-date=2020-11-08|access-date=2020-11-08|website=The News Journal|language=en-US}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{official|https://centerontheriverfront.com/}}
{{coord|39.731148|-75.563060|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-DE|display=title}}
Category:Event venues in Delaware
Category:Buildings and structures in Wilmington, Delaware
Category:Tourist attractions in Wilmington, Delaware
Category:Wilmington Riverfront
Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1999