Arco Arena, the former home of the Sacramento Kings, is no longer in use as a venue, and will soon only exist as a memory. For Kings fans, those memories are fond. Via the Sacramento Bee:
It wasn’t a wake Saturday afternoon as much as it was a celebration of life for an old building.
Hundreds of Kings fans stopped by Arco Arena for one final peek as the venerable venue will soon be demolished to make way for a teaching hospital. If Kings fans know three things especially well, it’s this: They know how to cheer, they know how to tolerate heartache and they know how to say farewell…
The Arco parking lot was reflective of lack of usage: weeds sprouting everywhere. The Kings logos have long since been pulled off, but the shadow of them remains permanent on the walls. Arco was built for $40 million in 1988 and closed for basketball business in 2016. During its run, Arco aged quickly, but fans didn’t notice or they simply did not care. Their focus was on the product in front of them, and for all of the Kings misery, there were those eight magical playoff seasons in succession, from 1999-2006. The Kings haven’t fielded a winner or a playoff team since.
To stir up some additional memories of some really fun Kings history, hit the Bee link above.
