Nationwide Arena (Columbus, Ohio)

Primary tenants and events

The arena is widely known as the home of the Columbus Blue Jackets, a franchise of the National Hockey League (NHL). It has also hosted indoor football, most notably the Columbus Destroyers when the team competed in the Arena Football League (AFL). Beyond professional teams, the facility stages concert tours, family shows, collegiate basketball, wrestling, and periodic special events.

History and site

Nationwide Arena was constructed as part of a broader effort to revitalize a former industrial and institutional area of downtown Columbus. The site formerly housed the Ohio Penitentiary, a historic prison that was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for redevelopment. The arena’s opening helped catalyze the surrounding Arena District, a mixed-use neighborhood of restaurants, residences and entertainment venues.

Design, capacity and facilities

The building was designed to be flexible: seating and floor arrangements are reconfigured depending on whether the event is a hockey game, concert or other performance. For hockey the seating plan accommodates roughly eighteen thousand spectators, while concert setups and standing-floor configurations can increase total attendance. The arena includes premium suites, club seats, public concourses, concession areas and modern audiovisual systems to support a variety of productions.

Uses and community role

• Professional and amateur sporting events, including NHL games and special college matchups.
• Concerts by national and international touring artists and large-scale family shows.
• Community gatherings, graduations, conventions and corporate events that benefit from an arena-scale footprint.

Nationwide Arena has become more than a single-use sports building: it is a landmark for downtown Columbus and a key driver of economic and cultural activity in the Arena District. For event listings, tickets and venue services, visitors typically consult the arena’s official site or local event guides (venue profile). Historical context about its site and redevelopment is covered in regional histories and municipal planning resources.