Pepsi Center was constructed as part of a massive 6-year sporting venue upgrade in Denver along with Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies, and Invesco Field, home of the Denver Broncos. The complex was constructed in order to be readily accessible. The arena sits on Speer Boulevard, a main thoroughfare in downtown Denver, and is served by a nearby exit off of Interstate 25. There is also a light rail station on the western side of the complex.
Ground was broken for the arena on November 20, 1997, on the 4.6 acre site. Its completion in October of 1999 was marked by a Celine Dion concert. Capacity for the building is listed at 19,309 for basketball games, 18,007 for hockey and lacrosse, and 17,210 for arena football games. Also included in the complex are a basketball practice facility used by the Nuggets, and the Blue Sky Grill, a restaurant accessible from within and outside the Center itself. The atrium of the building houses a suspended sculpture depicting various hockey and basketball athletes in action poses.
