War Memorial at OnCenter, Syracuse, New York

During the 1940's and 1950's there were some hard times in the United States. To honor fellows lost in war Syracuse, New York decided to create a much needed arena and call it the Onodaga War Memorial. The facility officially opened in 1951 with Onodaga County owning and operating it. Eventually the facility was renamed the War Memorial at OnCenter.

The arena is slated for multipurpose meaning that it has more than just sports games to entertain. The facility only has 6,230 seats, unless there is a floor event which can seat up to 8,000 people. The memorial arena is home to the Syracuse Crunch Ice Hockey Team. The NBA Syracuse Nationals and a few AHL teams used to call the facility home. These teams have either folded or moved to other locations. Since the arena is rather small some teams no longer fit in the arena. Kiss is one of the more popular shows to come through the arena. They have appeared at the 50's stadium in each decade. The facility also hosted NBA All Star Games, NCAA Frozen Four, and the WWF with Monday Night Raw. Some renovations were done in 1994 to update the facility.

The region the facility is based in is close to the Syracuse Convention Center and Civic Center Theaters. Depending on the type of event you may have to visit one of these places. The convention center is the newest building, while the theater was built around the same time as the arena. The War Memorial Arena has three levels. The shape of the interior is almost egg shaped, except for the entrance being on one site. This is one reason why the number of seats is less than other newer locales. The upper level is only in one section of the arena instead of being all around.

Events at the arena have or will include Syracuse I Day, Latino Upstate Summit, Syracuse Crunch versus Binghampton, The Dead, Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, Syracuse Symphony Orchestra, The Derek Trucks Band, and The Rat Pack is Back.

Parking at the facility is possible with the 1,000 car parking garage. There is an enclosed walkway to use in order to get to the convention center, arena, and theater. The garage is on South State Street and Adams Street for those who will be attending an event.

The War Memorial at OnCenter provides a few concessions. They will offer your typical event food such as hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza, sandwiches, and popcorn. In fact all the New York favorites can be found at the concessions. Beverage options are just as plentiful with beer, soda, bottled water, and much more.

Like most arenas after September 11, 2001 the arena has come up with new code of conduct rules. Anyone attending an event in the three facilities is unable to bring their own food or drink. All backpacks or large bags will be searched and may be held until after the event. It is also possible that visitors will be unable to bring the packs in at all.