Battelle Hall (originally known as the Ohio Center) is a 6,864 seat multi-purpose exhibit hall located in Columbus, Ohio, part of the Greater Columbus Convention Center. It opened as the Ohio Center on September 10, 1980, and although sometimes considered a white elephant because of its small size and seating capacity (concert fans usually found themselves driving to Cincinnati Riverfront Coliseum, Indianapolis Market Square Arena, Detroit Joe Louis Arena, Cleveland Richfield Coliseum or Pittsburgh Mellon Arena), it has been used for a variety of events, including concerts (Conway Twitty, Devo, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Stray Cats, Rick Springfield, Kiss (2/19/84), Culture Club, Ratt, The Pointer Sisters, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, Billy Ocean, Richard Marx, Queensrÿche), trade shows, and sporting events such as the 1993 and 1994 Mid-American Conference men's basketball tournaments. The exhibit hall was also the home of professional wrestling cards from the early 1980s to mid-1990s with monthly visits from the WWF and the occasional WCW event. The hall totals of exhibit space - 65,000 on the main floor and 25,000 on the balcony, and can be divisible into two halls. The first entertainment event at the facility was comedian Rodney Dangerfield and special guest McGuffey Lane on September 20, 1980 attended by 6,677 persons. Seating Unlike arenas, Battelle Hall has no permanent seats. Instead, inexpensive plastic seats attached to metal bleachers are positioned into place for scheduled events. Seating capacities: Bleacher seats: Main floor - 3,116 Balcony - 3,679 Soccer set - 5,074 Concert set (with obstructed seats) - 7,588 Concert set (without obstructed seats) - 6,400 Concert in the round - 7,918 Basketball - 6,500 Ice Show (Ice Capades) - 5,464 North Hall set - 3,801 South Hall set - 2,494 Other Dimensions: With risers set for concerts - Full hall beginning at columns - / Battelle Hall North - / Battelle Hall South - / Balcony railing to Wall - From floor to underside balcony - Main floor to underside of hoisting grid - The exhibit hall features a portable stage. See also Greater Columbus Convention Center Columbus Capitals (indoor soccer) Columbus Horizon Columbus Invaders Columbus Quest References External links Greater Columbus Convention Center Convention centers in Ohio Basketball venues in Columbus, Ohio Indoor arenas in Columbus, Ohio Sports venues in Columbus, Ohio