Battelle Grand (originally known as Battelle Hall) is a 6,864 seat multi-purpose exhibit hall located in Columbus, Ohio, part of the South Building at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. It opened as Battelle Hall as part of the Ohio Center on September 10, 1980,Columbus Dispatch, September 11, 1980, "8,000 Attend Ohio Center Opening", pg. A1 and although sometimes considered a white elephant because of its small size and seating capacityColumbus Citizen-Journal, July 3, 1985, "Poor ticket sales cloud Columbus concert outlook", pg. 12Columbus Dispatch, September 6, 1987, "Few superstars booked, but pop shows run gamut", pg. 4GColumbus Dispatch, December 27, 1987, "Columbus held own with rock", pg. 6EColumbus Dispatch, May 25, 1986, "Columbus needs more than seats to draw big-name talent" pg. F4Columbus Dispatch, May 11, 1986, "Progress, growth are not in 'Hicksville' dictionary", pg. B2 (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),Columbus Dispatch, September 7, 1980, "Lillyman Ready To Direct Newly Finished Complex", Supplement pg. 4 it has been used for a variety of events, including concerts (Conway Twitty,Columbus Dispatch, September 29, 1980, "Lewis, Twitty Strictly Country At Ohio Center", pg. C3 Devo,Columbus Dispatch, October 19, 1981, "Devo tries for simple, but stays weird", pg. C6 Elvis Costello & The Attractions,Columbus Dispatch, August 14, 1982, "Elvis is back - Costello, that is", pg A7 The Stray Cats,Columbus Dispatch, March 21, 1983, "Stray Cats, Busboys full of fun, excitement", pg. C6 Rick Springfield,Columbus Dispatch, July 9, 1983, "Springfield: More than meets the eye", pg. A9 Kiss (2/19/84), Culture Club,Columbus Dispatch, April 6, 1984, "Singing not main attraction at Culture Club performance", pg. D7 Ratt,Columbus Dispatch, October 4, 1984, "Ratt: Loud sounds and a good laugh", pg. D10 The Pointer Sisters,Columbus Dispatch, June 21, 1985, "Columbus excited over Pointer Sisters", pg. D9 Cyndi Lauper,Columbus Dispatch, December 15, 1986, "Money's show was better", pg. B8 Billy Idol,Columbus Dispatch, April 23, 1987, "Despite his appearance, Idol knows how to rock", pg. C6 Billy Ocean,Columbus Dispatch, June 30, 1988, "City sleeps, Ocean rocks", pg. D8 Richard Marx,Columbus Dispatch, October 18, 1989, "Marx sticks to his formula for success", pg. D9 Queensrÿche),Columbus Dispatch, May 25, 1991, "Queensryche was...well...not as bad as it might have been", pg. H3 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 WWE 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.Columbus Dispatch, September 22, 1980, "Dangerfield Out Of Place At Ohio Center", pg. C2
In 1996, the Franklin County Convention Facilities Authority took ownership of the Ohio Center (including Battelle Hall) and made it part of the Greater Columbus Convention Center.
Battelle Hall was also home to the Columbus Quest from 1996-1998, where the team won both championships in the now-defunct American Basketball League. Former players include Katie Smith, Sonja Tate, Tonya Edwards, Andrea Lloyd, Valerie Still, Shannon Johnson, and Nikki McCray.
Battelle Hall was renovated and reopened as Battelle Grand in 2010.
Seating
Unlike arenas, Battelle Hall has no permanent seats.Columbus Dispatch, September 7, 1980, "Lillyman Ready To Direct Newly Finished Complex", Supplement pg. 10 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