Compaq Center
The Houston arena that housed the Rockets' NBA Finals victories in 1994 and 1995.
The Compaq Center was the name of a multi-purpose sports arena in Houston, Texas, five miles southwest of Downtown Houston and next to Greenway Plaza. From 1975 to 2003, the building served as a sports arena for professional teams, notably the NBA's Houston Rockets. It was known as The Summit until 1998, when technology firm Compaq bought naming rights and dubbed it Compaq Center. That name was dropped when Toyota Center opened as a new professional sports venue in the same city, and the building was leased to Lakewood Church. Seven years later, in 2010, the church bought the building outright.
- Role
- Primary Home Arena
- Affiliation
- Houston Rockets (NBA)
- Notable Achievement
- Hosted two NBA Championships (1994, 1995)
Verified Timeline
Lore & Background
The Summit, later renamed Compaq Center, was completed in 1975 at a cost of $18 million. It hosted the NBA Finals in 1986, 1994, and 1995, including the deciding games of 1994 and 1995, and the celebrations that followed. The arena also hosted the deciding games of the WNBA championships from 1997 through 2000, all won by the Houston Comets. In 1998, it became the first Houston sports arena to sell its naming rights. The Arena Operating Company entered into a five-year, $900,000 per year deal with then Houston-based Compaq Computer Corporation to change the name from The Summit to Compaq Center. The name remained even after the acquisition of Compaq by Hewlett-Packard in 2002. When the sports teams moved to the new Toyota Center in 2003, the City of Houston leased the arena to Lakewood Church, a megachurch, which invested $95 million in renovations to convert the arena. In March 2010, the church announced it would buy the campus outright from the city for $7.5 million, terminating the lease after 7 years. The Houston City Council voted 13–2 to sell the property to Lakewood on March 31, 2010.
In Their Own Story
The first professional wrestling event at the Summit was promoted by Houston Wrestling on May 29, 1977, headlined by the American Wrestling Association World Heavyweight Champion Nick Bockwinkel drawing Terry Funk. On January 7, 1979, Dusty Rhodes won the NWA Texas Brass Knuckles Championship from Mark Lewin. The World Wrestling Federation aired the first TV card from the venue on October 19, 1986, featuring Hulk Hogan defending his title against Paul Orndorff and a $50,000 tag team battle royal. It held the Royal Rumble on January 15, 1989, the first time the Royal Rumble, won by Big John Studd, was televised on pay-per-view. The newly renamed Compaq Center hosted the No Way Out of Texas: In Your House PPV on February 15, 1998, and Bad Blood on June 15, 2003. It hosted a live episode of SmackDown! on September 13, 2001, the first major entertainment event in the US after the September 11 attacks.
Reader's Guide
The Summit housed the NBA's Rockets, the now defunct WHA/IHL/AHL Aeros, the now also defunct WNBA Comets, and several now defunct arena football and indoor soccer sports teams until they vacated the arena in favor of the new Toyota Center in downtown Houston. Additionally, the arena was a prime Houston venue for popular music concerts and special events such as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, the Harlem Globetrotters, Sesame Street Live and Disney on Ice. Prior to the construction of Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and later, the Toyota Center, the Summit was the main Houston venue for large pop and rock music concerts. On each end of the arena was a Fair-Play scoreboard with a small two-line monochrome message center. Both scoreboards were upgraded in 1986 with the addition of three front-projection videoboards on top of each scoreboard. The center videoboard showed live game footage, fan shots, and replays while the left and right videoboards showed slides displaying advertisements for the Rockets' (and Aeros') sponsors.
Did You Know?
- The building was known as The Summit until 1998, when Compaq bought naming rights and dubbed it Compaq Center.
- The Summit hosted the NBA Finals in 1986, 1994, and 1995, including the deciding games of 1994 and 1995.
- The arena hosted the deciding games of the WNBA championships from 1997 through 2000, all won by the Houston Comets.
- A September 13, 2001 tribute show at the Compaq Center is sometimes mistakenly cited as the first major US entertainment event after 9/11; in reality, the live SmackDown! taping on September 11 was interrupted by the att
- Lakewood Church invested $95 million in renovations to convert the arena into a church, and bought the building outright from the city for $7.5 million in 2010.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the primary role of the Compaq Center for the Houston Rockets?
It served as the team's main home arena located in Downtown Houston, Texas, from 1993 to 2003. This venue provided the backdrop for the franchise during a decade defined by regular season success and playoff contention.
Did the Houston Rockets win any NBA titles while playing at this stadium?
Yes, the arena hosted two championship victories for the team in the years 1994 and 1995. These wins marked the peak of the mid-90s dynasty that is still celebrated by fans today.
Why was the venue named Compaq Center instead of The Summit?
Corporate sponsorship deals with Compaq Computer Corporation led to the renaming of the facility during its tenure as an NBA home. This branding change coincided with the team's relocation from previous venues like the Astrodome.
How long did the Rockets call this location their home court?
The franchise utilized the stadium for exactly ten years, spanning from 1993 until it closed in 2003. After that period, the team moved to a different venue to continue their operations.
What makes the Compaq Center culturally important to Rockets supporters?
Many fans view the hallowed hardwood as sacred ground where the dynasty of the mid-90s reached its absolute zenith. It remains a nostalgic symbol of Hakeem Olajuwon’s prime and the team's greatest era.