Oracle Arena is old and cramped, and the Cow Palace is…well…the Cow Palace. The Bay Area isn’t exactly known for its arena facilites, but that could change in coming years.
Don’t get us wrong: we love the Cow Palace and its historic place in the arena world. And the then-modern now-retro design of Oracle Arena makes us a little nostalgic for the round arenas of our youth.
But neither are big-time arenas. Part of the reason why the Golden State Warriors (NBA) have always had financial issues is the limited nature of Oracle Arena, which lacks many of the amenities found in modern arenas.
If the team is sold to a San Francisco group, look for the talk to immediately begin about a new arena on the downtown waterfront, near Pier 48 and AT&T Park. Who pays for this remains to be seen; there’s talk a new arena could be part of a new convention-center complex that would replace Moscone Center. There’s also talk that the sale of the Cow Palace to a developer — who would tear down the historic venue to make way for a multiuse development — could help fund this project.
We hope not. Interestingly, the Cow Palace isn’t as financially obsolete as some in the Bay Area think: it’s geared for smaller events that would make no sense in a new, modern arena.
