The Target Center, official home to the Minnesota
Timberwolves and the Minnesota Lynx, was the first indoor arena designated to
be a completely non-smoking facility. At a cost of $104 million dollars, the Target Center first opened its doors on October 13th, 1990, and hosted its first
Timberwolves game on October 16th of that year, in which the team
played the 76ers. Construction took a total of 27
months, and the facility currently takes up 1.5 square blocks in downtown Minneapolis. The total square footage adds up to over 830,000 square feet, and the arena
weighs over 4.1 million pounds. It is capable of holding 19,000 people at any
given time. There are approximately 18,500 permanent, theatre-style seats in
the Target Center, with additional temporary seating possibilities.
Restrooms are scattered throughout the two concourse
levels of the venue, with over 60% of these designed for women. Changing
levels within the center is made with ease through the use of the eighteen
escalators and 9 elevators in their floor-to-floor transport system. There are
possibilities for ten different floor set-ups, and a 2600 foot linear catwalk.
The backstage area of the Target Center can hold up to five semi trucks
unloading at the same time, and has ten dressing rooms each equipped with its
own shower and restroom for the convenience of any performer set.
Additionally, the downtown location for the Northwest Athletic Club is located
in the basement of the Target Center, utilizing approximately 160,000 square
feet of the arena’s space.
The venue was originally owned by Mary Wolfenson and
Harvey Raftner, and was sold to the City of Minneapolis in March of 1995.
Management of the arena was turned over to SFX Entertainment in 2000, which was
sold to Clear Channel, owner of many local radio stations, in 2001. Management
of the Target Center again changed hands in May of 2004, when the Minnesota
Timberwolves and Nederlander concerts created a joint-venture management
company called Midwest Entertainment. The arena was designed to fit the needs
of all types of entertainment, and plays host to events ranging from basketball
to concerts, family shows to moto-cross. The Target Center has hosted a wide
range of big name acts, including U2, Motley Crue, Snoop Dogg, Elton John,
Coldplay, Bon Jovi, Celtic Tiger, Josh Groban, Green Day, Sting, Jimmy Buffett,
Beyonce and Disney on Ice.
The Target Center boasts ownership of one of only two
movable arena floors in the country, which can be fully raised or lowered in 25
minutes. There are over 20 concession stands located throughout the venue, and
if none of these fit your fancy, the arena is in a central location to some of
the best eateries in the Twin Cities. The Target Center is connected by skyway
to many of the surrounding parking ramps, ensuring that its patrons never have
to step outside in the arctic winter conditions.
The front lobby of the Target Center, located off of First
Street in Minneapolis across from the Graves hotel, is an enormous 11,000
square feet, and features a state of the art neon lighting sculpture that
dominates the décor. This piece of art is one of the largest neon sculptures
in the United States, and is a must-see attraction when visiting this arena
When the Big Ticket isn?t in town, it?s a good bet that the Target Center is playing host to a big-ticket show. Sesame Street Live, Cirque Du Soleil and Disney on Ice all play multiple shows when they come to the Target Center. Besides multi-night productions, one can see their favorite arena-rock acts in Minneapolis thanks to the Target Center. Fall Out Boy, The Fray, Guns N? Roses, Nickelback and even Prince are all purveyors of an elaborate show at the Target Center. If you want to see a different brand of basketball aside from the NBA, look no further than the Target Center, as it frequently hosts the Harlem Globetrotters. Target Center is one of Minneapolis? star venues; get tickets and see for yourself!
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