Quicken Loans Arena, originally known as Gund Arena, and then later Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, now called Rocket Arena, is a multi-purpose arena in Cleveland, Ohio. The building is the home of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League (AHL). It also serves as a secondary arena for Cleveland State Vikings men's and women's basketball.
The arena opened in October 1994 as part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex with adjacent Progressive Field, which opened in April of that year. The facility replaced the Richfield Coliseum as the primary entertainment facility for the region and the home of the Cavaliers, and supplanted the Wolstein Center at Cleveland State University, which opened in 1991, as the primary concert and athletic venue in downtown Cleveland. From its opening in October 1994 until August 2005, it was known as Gund Arena, named for former Cavaliers owner Gordon Gund, after he paid for the naming rights. After purchasing a majority of the Cavaliers in March 2005, Dan Gilbert bought the naming rights in August 2005 and renamed the building Quicken Loans Arena after his mortgage lending company Quicken Loans. It was renamed in April 2019 for Quicken Loans' online mortgage lending service, Rocket Mortgage, as part of the facility's renovation and expansion.
The arena was preceded in downtown Cleveland by the Cleveland Arena, a facility built in 1937 with a seating capacity for basketball of approximately 12,000. It was best known as the site of the Moondog Coronation Ball in 1952, widely regarded as the first rock and roll concert. Cleveland Arena was the first home of the Cavaliers in 1970.
The Cleveland Arena was also the home of an earlier professional basketball team, the Cleveland Rebels of the Basketball Association of America, the original Cleveland Barons ice hockey team, and hosted several games of the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA in the 1960s. By 1970, however, Cleveland Arena was outdated and in disrepair. The Cavs played there their first four seasons. It was replaced in 1974 by the 20,273-seat Richfield Coliseum, located in Richfield, between Cleveland and Akron.
The arena has hosted several intercollegiate sporting events. It has been home to the Mid-American Conference (MAC) Men's Basketball Tournament since 2000 and the MAC MAC women's basketball tournament since 2001. "MAC Madness," as it is known, has become a strong draw for the arena. The men's semi-final and championship games routinely draw 10,000–15,000 attendees. In addition, the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has served as a host for games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, hosting early-round games in 2011 and regional semi-final and final games in 2015. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse has also hosted games for the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Championship, hosting regional semi-finals and finals for the 2006 tournament and the Final Four and national championship game of the 2007 tournament.
In 2015, it was announced that arena management and Cleveland State University came to an agreement where select Cleveland State Vikings men's and women's basketball games would take place at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, while the arena would essentially take over operations of the Wolstein Center, CSU's primary home arena, being in charge of promoting and booking events at the venue.
