| Compaq Center | |
|---|---|
 The Summit stands among the high-rise office buildings of Greenway Plaza, circa 1994 | |
| Location | 3700 Southwest Freeway, Houston, Texas 77027 |
| Broke ground | 1970s |
| Opened | 1975 (as The Summit) |
| Owner | City of Houston |
| Operator | Lakewood Church |
| Surface | Wood |
| Construction cost | $27 million |
| Former names | The Summit (1975-1998) Compaq Center (1998-2003) |
| Tenants | Houston Aeros (WHA) (1975-1979) Houston Summit (Major Soccer League) Houston Rockets (National Basketball Association) (1975-2003) Houston Aeros (IHL/AHL) (1994-2003) Houston Hotshots (Continental Indoor Soccer League) (1994-1997) Houston Comets (Women's National Basketball Association) Houston Thunderbears (Arena Football League) (1996-2001) Lakewood Church (2005-present) |
| Capacity | Basketball: 16,285 Ice hockey: 15,256 Current configuration for worship services: 16,000 |
The Lakewood Church Central Campus is a house of worship in Houston, Texas, United States. From 1975 until 1998, it was a multi-purpose sports arena known as The Summit, and from 1998 until 2003 it was known as the Compaq Center. This venue is located about five miles southwest of Downtown Houston next to the Greenway Plaza.
Construction of The Summit[]
In 1971, the National Basketball Association's San Diego Rockets were purchased by a new ownership group that moved the franchise to Houston. The city, however, lacked an indoor arena suitable to host a major sports franchise, so plans were immediately undertaken to construct the new venue that would become The Summit. The Rockets played their home games in various local facilities such as Hofheinz Pavilion during the interim.
Completed in 1975, The Summit represented a lavish new breed of sports arena, replete with amenities, that would help the NBA grow from a second-tier professional sport into the multi-billion dollar entertainment industry that it is today. The Omni in Atlanta (now the site of Philips Arena), McNichols Sports Arena in Denver (now a parking lot for Invesco Field), and the Coliseum at Richfield in Richfield, Ohio (now reclaimed forest) were all constructed during this period and remained in service until the continued growth of the NBA sparked a new arena construction boom in the late 1990s.
Notable events[]
The Summit housed the Houston Comets, Houston Aeros, Houston Rockets and several arena football sports teams until they vacated the arena in favor of the new Toyota Center in downtown Houston. Additionally, the arena was a prime Houston venue for popular music concerts and special events such as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus.
External links[]
| Preceded by Sam Houston Coliseum |
Home of the Houston Aeros 1975 – 1979 |
Succeeded by last arena |
| Preceded by first arena |
Home of the Houston Aeros 1994 – 2003 |
Succeeded by Toyota Center |