The Toyota Center is the most popular arena in Houston, TX right now. Located at 1510 Polk Street and designed by Morris Architects, this indoor arena had a total cost of $235 million, which would translate to $331 million in 2020. And even though it’s not owned by the Rockets, they reached an agreement with the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority to pay for construction costs.
This venue is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Nonetheless, it also served as the home of the Houston Aeros of the AHL and Houston Comets of the WNBA.
This facility has hosted multiple events, NBA games, concerts, and all related to sports. It’s one of the most iconic sports buildings in the country and has played a major part in the recent history of the Rockets. Also, this venue has nearly 2,500 parking spaces in its parking garage and it’s one of the most modern sports buildings in the nation. That’s why it won the Allen Award for Civic Enhancement by Central Houston.
Whether they’re playing the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Lakers, or playing a Texas derby against the San Antonio Spurs or Dallas Mavericks; it’s not unusual to see this venue with sold-out tickets. And even though it will be a while before the city hosts the NBA Finals again after James Harden’s departure, the Houston Toyota Center will continue to be the home of the Houston Rockets for many years to come.
Toyota Center: Houston Rockets’ Home In Downtown Houston
The Houston Toyota Center is the best arena in Houston Tx right now. It features multiple unique perks, such as the Sterling Vineyards Red & White Wine Bistro located on the south side of the arena. There, diners and club seat holders can even get a clear view of the arena floor.
The Toyota Center also features the Lexus Lounge, Golden Nugget Club (both located at the west side of the level floor of the venue), and Bogarts Platinum Lounge (east side of the arena); three private clubs lounges with exclusive access for court-side ticket holders. Among the concessions, you can find Space City Dogs, Clutch City Pizza, and Baskets Grill. You can get ethnic foods from Italian, Asian, and Mexican restaurants and many more.
The Toyota Center is also home to the largest video board in indoor arenas, measuring 58 feet x 25 feet on the sidelines, and 25 feet x25 feet on the ends, making it not the most modern concert venue in Houston Tx and the ultimate sporting events place as well.
Toyota Center parking options are also inviting. The parking garage for this venue, called Toyota Tundra Garage, is located at 1515 Jackson Street Houston, TX 77002, also in downtown Houston. It’s also worth noting that parking isn’t available for non-pass-holders during Houston Rockets game days. This parking garage includes a private entrance for premium guests. It’s a 2,500-space, seven-story parking garage adjacent to the arena. If not, attendees can find up to 10,000 spaces in a parking lot right next to the venue.
What was the Houston Rockets’ old arena called?
The city of Houston has seen more than one venue hosting Houston Rockets games. When the team first moved to Houston Tx, they played at the Astrodome, AstroHall, Sam Houston Coliseum, and Hofheinz Pavilion, the venue that eventually became their home for four years. But as it usually happens in pro sports, teams often need to move to a bigger, better, newer arena with more parking options and perks, and the Houston Rockets weren’t the exception to that rule.
The Houston Rockets moved to The Summit (then known as Compaq Center and Lakewood Church Central Campus) for the next 28 years. Then, in a not-so-shocking turn of events, they moved to the new arena in 2003: the Toyota Center.
Houston Rockets: Getting Back On Track After James Harden’s Departure
The Houston Rockets have been through a lot throughout their history. Along with the Houston Astros, they’re the most popular team in Houston. They’re also the team responsible for most major events around the south of the state, bringing thousands of fans to their home venue. Sadly for them, their state rivals Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs are going through a better moment right now.
Founded in 1967, the Houston Rockets’ history started afar from the Toyota Center. As a matter of fact, this franchise was actually born in San Diego. They relocated to Houston, TX in 1971, instantly becoming a huge sensation and one of the most popular teams in Texas. However, it wasn’t until Moses Malone came to town that they found some success.
Malone turned the Rockets around and made them a perennial contender but he wasn’t able to lead them to an NBA Championship. Then, Hakeem Olajuwon and Ralph Sampson came into the picture and took the Rockets to a whole new level.
Olajuwon was one of the most dominant two-way players in NBA history, retiring as the all-time leader in blocks (3,830 total; 3.1 blocks per game). He brightly lit among all big men and put the arena on their feet night in and night out, with people traveling from other cities to attend their home games.
The Dream, as he was known, sure made the most of Michael Jordan’s retirement, dominating the Western Conference over the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, and Phoenix Suns to win back-to-back NBA championships.
As it usually happens, the post-superstar era was tough for the franchise The Rockets couldn’t instantly compete after Hakeem’s retirement and it took several major events for them to become a relevant sports team again. Attendance went south as soon as the team started losing.
Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming brought people back to the arena after years of struggles. Word on the street was that this duo was going to be as good as Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and, even though they failed to live up to that hype, they were still a massive success when it come sot tickets sales. Together, Ming and McGrady took the game to new borders, as countless fans in Asia (more specifically in China) started growing interest in the NBA and rooting for their compatriot. They were one of the most exciting duos to watch in the history of the league, although they could never fulfill their true potential.
The Rockets once again struggled to win after that time, being more of a bottom-feeder than something else. They tried to stay competitive during their rebuild but often failed to land a star in the draft or in free agency.
Then, they orchestrated a franchise-changing trade, and James Harden entered the building. The Oklahoma City Thunder couldn’t keep both Harden and Serge Ibaka so Sam Presti decided to move him to Houston along with Cole Aldrich, Daequan Cook and Lazar Hayward. All the Rockets had to give up for him was Kevin Martin and Jeremy Lamb, two first-round picks and a second-round pick, which looks like a bargain deal now.
Tickets sales at Toyota Center went off the roof again as Harden graced this venue with his street-like play and turned Houston into the ultimate basketball city in Texas again. Harden led the league in scoring multiple times and watching him play was a country-wide major event night in and night out. But that didn’t translate into championships.
So, in an unsurprising turn of events, Harden demanded to be traded. The Rockets had no choice but to eventually let him go and that’s where things went south for them. They moved him to the Brooklyn Nets in yet another franchise-changing event.
The Rockets are now rebuilding thanks to a wide variety of young players such as Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr., and Alperen Sengun. But even if some fans are still hopeful and continue to attend Toyota Center to watch them play, it’ll be quite a long time before this venue hosts a playoff game again. Hopefully, Jalen Green will turn out to be the generational scorer that most scouts think he can be, as it’s been a while since Clutch City last celebrated an NBA championship and the fans sure deserve it.
Who owns the Toyota Center in Houston?
It’s owned by the Harris County Houston Sports Authority. Toyota has owned the naming rights of this venue since its opening in 2003.
