Снос Capital Centre в Ландовере, Мэриленд

Demolished arena in Landover, Maryland

The Capital Centre (later USAir Arena and US Airways Arena) was an indoor arena in the eastern United States, located in Landover, Maryland, a suburb east of Washington, D. C. The seating capacity was 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey. Opened in late 1973, it closed in March 2002, and was demolished that December. It was located just outside (east) of the Capital Beltway (Interstate 495) at exit 16, less than a mile (1.6 km) southeast of FedExField, the home of the Washington Commanders of the National Football League, which opened in 1997. The elevation at street level was approximately 160 feet (49 m) above sea level. The U. S. Census Bureau defined the land later occupied by The Boulevard at the Capital Centre as being in the Mitchellville census designated place as of the 1990 U. S. Census, while in the 2000 U. S. Census the area was placed in the Lake Arbor CDP. In 1993, the air carrier USAir purchased the naming rights for the building and the arena became known as USAir Arena. The rename was initially not popular with Washington area residents. When the airline went through its 1996 rebranding and became US Airways, the name of the arena accordingly changed to US Airways Arena which remained in use until its demolition in December 2002.

Capital Centre was the primary home of the Washington Bullets of the NBA, the Washington Capitals of the NHL, and Georgetown University men's basketball. All three teams departed for the MCI Center (now Capital One Arena), just north of the National Mall in D. C., when it opened in December 1997.

Capital Centre hosted its first NBA game on December 2, 1973, as the Capital Bullets defeated the Seattle SuperSonics, 98–96 in a sellout crowd. During October and November 1973, the Bullets held their home games at nearby Cole Field House on the campus of the University of Maryland in College Park. The arena hosted games of three NBA Finals; the first was in 1975, when the favored Bullets were swept by the Golden State Warriors. The Bullets returned to the Finals in 1978 and 1979, in tilts against the Seattle SuperSonics. In 1978, the Bullets won Games 2 and 6 at the Capital Centre on their way to claiming the championship, taking Games 4 and 7 in Seattle. The Bullets won the Finals' opener at home in 1979, but then dropped four straight to the Sonics, who celebrated their only NBA title after the Game 5 victory at Capital Centre. Footage of past Washington Bullets games held at the Capital Centre was used in the 1979 comedy film The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh. The arena was also the host of the 1980 NBA All Star Game. The Washington Wizards were known as the Bullets until 1997 and played the first five home games of the 1997–98 season at the old arena under their new name.

The ACC men's basketball tournament was held at Capital Centre in 1976, 1981, and 1987. On December 5, 1981, the Georgetown Hoyas men's basketball team played against San Diego State with a 71–53 win in their first game at the arena after moving from the McDonough Gymnasium. They played at the arena as their primary home until their last game at the venue on November 25, 1997, against Cleveland State.

The arena also hosted the NHL's Washington Capitals. The Capitals joined the league alongside the Kansas City Scouts as an expansion team for the 1974 75 season, making this arena their first to play their home games in. The Capitals hosted the 1982 NHL All Star Game. The arena also was home to a few noteworthy NHL playoff games, including the Easter Epic in 1987. The Capitals played their final game at the venue in a 6–5 loss against the Montreal Canadiens on November 26, 1997.

The Washington/Maryland Commandos of the Arena Football League also called the arena home in 1987 and 1989. The Maryland Arrows, Washington Wave, and Washington Power lacrosse teams used the arena, as did the Washington Warthogs CISL professional indoor soccer team.

A boxing World Heavyweight Championship bout took place at the venue in 1976 with Jimmy Young challenging the champion Muhammad Ali. The Friday night fight on April 30 went the full fifteen rounds and was awarded unanimously to a sluggish Ali. A year later, 35 year old Ali defeated Alfredo Evangelista in another unanimous decision to retain the title on May 16, 1977. WWF wrestling matches were held at the arena throughout the 1980s and early 90s. The arena hosted WWF's Survivor Series in 1995. Two WCW events were also held at the arena in 1989.

Other events there included monster truck shows, Arenacross shows, and tractor pulling shows. The arena also hosted family friendly events, such as the Harlem Globetrotters and Ice Capades. In the late 1970s, the arena hosted a circus named Circus America, which was created by Abe Pollin to compete with Feld Entertainment's Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Numerous graduation ceremonies for high schools in Prince George's County were also hosted here. On January 21, 1985, the arena hosted inaugural festivities celebrating President Ronald Reagan's second inauguration. Reagan, Vice President George H. W. Bush, and their wives attended. Bitterly cold weather had forced the cancellation of the previous day's inaugural parade in Washington, D. C. As a result, the alternative indoor event at the Capital Centre afforded the parade's expected participants—including an estimated 9,000 students—an opportunity to perform for the president. On January 19, 1993, a cast including Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Elton John, the Alvin Ailey Dance Troupe, comedians Chevy Chase and Bill Cosby, and actors Jack Lemmon and James Earl Jones, performed at the 42nd Presidential Inaugural Gala in Bill Clinton's honor. A specially re formed Fleetwood Mac performed "Don't Stop", Clinton's campaign song.

The Capital Centre arena was imploded on December 15, 2002, by Controlled Demolition, Inc. It was replaced by The Boulevard at the Capital Centre, a town center style shopping mall that opened in Landover in 2003, which was also demolished July 2019 to make way for Carillon, a new lifestyle oriented mixed use development on the same site.

Opened in late 1973, the Capital Centre was the first indoor arena to have a video replay screen on its center hung scoreboard. The four sided projection video screen was known as the "Telscreen" (or "Telescreen") and predated the Diamond Vision video screen at Dodger Stadium by seven years. It was also the first indoor arena to be built with luxury boxes, and a computerized turnstile system.