The Bangor Auditorium was a 5,948-seat multipurpose arena located in downtown Bangor. It became a statewide icon by hosting the
Maine Principals' Association basketball tournament each February, which is broadcast by the
Maine Public Broadcasting Network. Beginning sometime in the late 2000s, the city began discussing replacing the arena. In May 2011, the city held a public referendum in which voters supported building new facilities to replace the Auditorium and
Civic Center by a margin of 3 to 1. Demolition began at the Bangor Auditorium and Civic Center on June 3, 2013, with the new arena completed. The facility is managed by
Spectra, a division of
Comcast. On July 20, 2012, it was announced that Cross Insurance Agency had purchased
naming rights to the arena (previously referred to only as "Bangor Arena") for $3 million. On July 31, 2013, the
University of Maine announced that the
Maine Black Bears basketball teams would play "over half" of their games at the new arena. ==Noted performers==