Blazers Rename Rose Garden: Moda Center
The Blazers announced Tuesday that the Rose Garden will be renamed to the Moda Center.
Team President and CEO Chris McGowan announced the news in a morning press conference at the arena.
“The Rose Garden put us on the map,” McGowan said. “The Moda Center’s going to take us into the future.”
McGowan continued that although the name is changing the arena itself will largely remain the same. The atmosphere and vibe will continue inside, even as the name outside changes. The Blazers posted on Twitter that they’ll still incorporate a Rose into the logo:
A rose will be integrated into the final logo as a tribute to the fans and the city #ModaCenter #RipCity
— Trail Blazers (@trailblazers) August 13, 2013
According to the Blazers’ official press release, physical transformation of the renamed arena and Rose Quarter will begin immediately, with new signage and other visual elements being added gradually. New graphics for the home court surface of the Trail Blazers will debut in time for the team’s 2013-14 regular season home opener on November 2 versus the defending Western Conference Champion San Antonio Spurs.
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, in sounding his endorsement of the agreement, sees the new Moda Center as pivotal to the city’s plans for the Northeast Portland neighborhood that has been the home of the Rose Quarter since 1995.
“We know it’s always a blend of the right civic organizations and the right business partners,” Mayor Hales said. “In that, I suppose, it’s not too different from a coach picking a starting five. The Trail Blazers and Moda Health: that’s a great combination.”
Founded in 1955, Moda Health provides to almost 2 million members in Oregon, Washington and Alaska a wide range of medical, dental, pharmacy and vision health plans and services.
