Oracle Arena and Its Historic Oakland Location

Do you know that the Golden State Warriors play in the oldest arena in the NBA?

Originally constructed in 1966, the venerable Oracle Arena has been the permanent home of the Warriors since 1971, with the exception of the 1996-1997 season, when the building underwent a massive renovation. During that period, GSW played their home games in the then San Jose Arena, which is now known as the SAP Center.

In 1966, the city of Oakland opened a multi stadium sports complex, just east of I-880, three miles northeast of Oakland International Airport. The development included the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (longtime home of the Raiders and A’s) and the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena. From that point forward, the indoor portion of the property became the most widely used arena in the San Francisco Bay Area. Though the opening of the San Jose Arena in 1993 siphoned off some of the Coliseum Arena’s business, the Oakland venue’s far closer proximity to downtown San Francisco (15 miles versus 48 miles) has allowed it to remain the signature indoor stadium of the big and sprawling Bay Area.

This will all change come 2019, when the Warriors relocate to the $1 billion Chase Center, situated a little ways south of AT&T Park, in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood. At the moment, San Francisco is the only one of the 25 most populated US cities not to have an arena with a seating capacity of more than 12,000. GSW owners are privately financing the project. 

From 1966 through its 1996-1997 renovation, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena had a seating capacity of 15,000, with little to no suite, club or restaurant areas. Post Oracle Arena renovations addressed this issue, with the building now boasting of 19,500 seats, along with 72 luxury suites, as well as a bevy of club areas, including spaces sponsored by Stella Artois, BMW and Budweiser.

Redwood Shores, California based Oracle entered into a venue sponsorship agreement in 2006.

Some of Oracle Arena’s unique Bay Area concession fare includes Dungeness crab, Vietnamese BBQ, Po’ boy sandwiches, quinoa salads and Chinese food options.

A tour of local microbrews and Northern California wines are also available for purchase.

Since the Oracle Arena shares the same plot of land with the nearly 60,000-seat home of the Raiders and A’s, the surrounding parking lots come equipped with 9,500 parking spots. In addition, the complex's location is easily accessible via its own Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) station.

 The Oracle Arena sits five miles down I-880 from downtown Oakland (site of the Warriors practice facility), 15 miles from downtown San Francisco and 37 miles north of downtown San Jose.