Warriors Fete Chase Center with Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony

By Zach Spedden on September 5, 2019 in Basketball, NBA

The Golden State Warriors cut the ribbon on Chase Center Tuesday, a major milestone for the long-anticipated arena.

Beginning with the 2019-2020 NBA season, the Warriors will play their games in the new Chase Center. Located in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood, the privately financed venue arrives after years of planning by the Warriors—who first announced their intention to build an arena at San Francisco’s Pier 30-32 in 2012, only to scrap that concept amidst opposition and shift their efforts to the Mission Bay site. Ground was eventually broken on Chase Center in 2017, ultimately setting the pace for the arena’s opening this month. In planning the arena, the Warriors worked with architectural firms MANICA, Kendall Heaton, and Gensler.

“Today is the beginning of an exciting new era for the Warriors and our franchise,” Warriors Co-Executive Chairman and CEO Joe Lacob said in a press statement. “We’ve officially transitioned from a basketball team to a sports and entertainment company with this incredible state-of-the-art arena. Chase Center will provide not only our players and coaches with first-rate facilities, but our fans from around the Bay Area—and fans of all forms of entertainment—with unforgettable experiences. It has surpassed my wildest expectations.”

The Warriors will headline Chase Center’s offerings, but the venue is also going to make concerts a focal point of its event slate. Starting with Friday’s concert featuring Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony—which will be the arena’s first event—shows during the opening month will include Janet Jackson, Elton John, and Chance the Rapper.

Chase Center will anchor the surrounding sports and entertainment district Thrive City, which is named as part of a partnership with Kaiser Permanente. It is expected that, after the arena opens, Thrive City will see the debut of more than two dozen restaurant and retail options over the course of the first year. Among the options already confirmed for Thrive City include a Concept by Chef Michael Mina, b8ta, Belly & Sweet Belly, Dumpling Time, Gott’s Roadside, Nachoria, Mission Bay Wine Bar, a 10,000-square-foot Warriors Shop, Warriors Hooptopia, and Chase Bank.

“When this process started in 2012, we wanted to build something for everyone, a gathering place to create milestones and memories,” Warriors Co-Executive Chairman Peter Guber said in a press statement. “Chase Center and Thrive City will accomplish just that, whether it’s via basketball, a concert, a restaurant experience or simply a place to shop and relax. It’s not a stand-alone venue, but rather a venue that, we think, will stand alone.”

Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting ceremony comes about a month before the first NBA games will be played at Chase Center. The Warriors will host the Los Angeles Lakers in their first preseason game there on October 5. Chase Center’s first regular-season game will take place on October 24, when the Warriors square off against the Los Angeles Clippers.

“This is a historic day in the Bay Area,” Warriors President and Chief Operating Officer Rick Welts said in a press statement. “Our vision was to build a unique venue that would become one of the must-see destinations in the world from both a sports and entertainment perspective. After seven years, that vision has become a clear reality with the opening of Chase Center.”

Image courtesy Golden State Warriors.

Chase Center, golden state warriors, nba

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