Reunion Arena set to close its doors

For Dallas Stars fans, memories of their successful 1999 Stanley Cup championship run can be traced back to Reunion Arena, the first sports venue the team called home after playing their first regular season game in North Texas on October 5, 1993.

Exactly eight years later, the Stars hosted the Nashville Predators in their first game in the American Airlines Center and have been playing at the $420 million facility ever since.

Those that enjoyed watching the Stars at Reunion Arena through 2001 will soon not be able to physically see it standing in the southwest corner of downtown Dallas. KXAS-TV originally reported on April 3rd that Reunion Arena would cease operations after a 28-year run since opening in 1980. The last scheduled event is Una Voz Profectica (a Spanish-language Christian rally) on June 21st.

Yesterday's edition of the Dallas Morning News reported that the Dallas City Council's economic development committee unanimously recommended closing the arena at the end of the month. So June 30, 2008 will go down as a day many in Dallas will never forget. But the final day in Reunion Arena history has yet to be determined. When that day arrives, the building will be demolished.

Much of the reason for the recommendation to close Reunion Arena is obviously the majority of the major sports and entertainment events being booked at American Airlines Center. Plus, according to the city, Reunion Arena has lost $6 million over the last 5 years. Today's tough economic climate felt across the entire country makes keeping the city's two arenas in operation nearly impossible.