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History

History of Five Flags Center

The Five Flags Center is a multi-purpose facility in downtown Dubuque, which was named for the five flags of countries that have, at one point in time, flown over the city of Dubuque.
  • The Fleur de Lis of France (1673–1763)
  • The Royal Flag of Spain (1763–1803)
  • The Union Jack of Great Britain (1780, during a brief interruption of Spanish rule)
  • The French Republic Flag of Napoleon (1803)
  • The United State's of America's Stars and Stripes (1803–Present)
Formally known as the Majestic Theatre, the existing theater was designed and built around 1911 by C.W. and George L. Rapp of Chicago, who then went on to become America's premier theater architects. From 1929 to 1933,the theater was owned and operated by local prominent businessman Harker Brentnal Spensley, Sr. Spensley, who was the president and manager, named the theater "The Spensley." Four years later, it became part of the RKO film theater circuit and was renamed the RKO Orpheum. By 1969, the building had fallen into disrepair and was scheduled for demolition during Urban Renewal.

A committee of concerned citizens, led by Wayne Andrew Norman, Sr. launched a fundraiser to save the theater, which was integrated into the Five Flags Center project in 1972. Restoration begun in 1975, and the theater reopened in 1976 as the Five Flags Theater. It is currently the home of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, high school musicals, as well as concerts and ballet productions.

The Five Flags Arena was conceived as part of a project to rehabilitate the Five Flags Theater. Construction of the arena began in 1976, and the facility had its grand opening on March 24, 1979. The $3.7 million complex wrapped around the theater and extended north between Locust and Main Streets.

The Center features an arena with seating capacity of 4,700. The arena be converted for use as an exhibition hall and an ice rink with the removal of an insulated floor laid over the ice. The Five Flags Center was the former home of the Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980-2001) of the United States Hockey League from 1980–2001 and the home of the Dubuque Thunderbirds hockey team of the Central States Hockey League from 2001–2010.

In 2004, the City of Dubuque exchanged management of the building to SMG Worldwide Entertainment and Convention Venue Management. SMG merged with AEG in late 2019 to form ASM Global, which currently manages the Five Flags Center.

By 2015, the size and age of the building began to limit potential revenue opportunities. In 2016, the Dubuque City Council approved $50,000 for a building and market evaluation for the identification of better uses for the facilities. In December 2016, city council members were asked to approve a request for proposals prepared by a committee of city and economic development officials to determine the future of the building. In May 2018 council members were given a draft report to be used as a guiding document for future decisions. Against the backdrop of the facility being expected to cost the city nearly $900,000 in taxpayer-funded subsidy in the year ending in June, consultants were asked to evaluate the following: maintain the status quo, limited renovation of the arena. renovation of the theater and expanding the arena, or renovating the theater and building a new arena.

The City of Dubuque's Civic Center Advisory Commission has recommended a $74.3 million plan for expansion and upgrading the Five Flags Center. Improvements would include expanding the Five Flags Arena to a 6,500 seat configuration and performing needed renovations to the historic Five Flags Theater. Dubuque voters will be asked to approve a referendum authorizing the purchase of the bonds to pay for the expansion. The referendum was originally set for September 2020, but has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


Source: encyclopediadubuque.org

Past Shows at Five Flags

Bob Hope

Bob Hope

April 7, 1979
AC/DC

AC/DC

May 11, 1979
Van Halen

Van Halen

July 26, 1979
Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings

August 9, 1979
Rush

Rush

August 18, 1979
February 21, 1981
September 5, 1982
Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin

September 28, 1979
Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash

October 24, 1979
November 4, 1981
Harlem Globetrotters

Harlem Globetrotters

December 14, 1979
March 30, 1981
March 28, 1983
April 16, 1984
January 24, 1989
April 6, 1990
April 2, 1992
January 3, 1994
January 9, 1997
April 22, 1999
January 8, 2001
December 30, 2003
December 29, 2005
January 12, 2009
January 1, 2011
December 30, 2012
January 4, 2015
April 6, 2016
April 11, 2019
March 21, 2022
Heat East

Heat East

February 1, 1980
November 29, 1980
Hank Williams, Junior

Hank Williams, Junior

March 24, 1980
REO Speedwagon

REO Speedwagon

April 25, 1980
July 22, 1987
October 21, 2003
November 15, 2018
February 23, 2022
George Burns

George Burns

May 15, 1980
The Statler Brothers

The Statler Brothers

May 30, 1980
Judas Priest

Judas Priest

July 28, 1980
Def Leppard

Def Leppard

July 28, 1980
The Scorpions

The Scorpions

July 28, 1980
May 20, 1983
Mickey Gilley

Mickey Gilley

August 16, 1980
Cheap Trick

Cheap Trick

March 19, 1981
June 23, 1982
.38 Special

.38 Special

May 18, 1981
November 30, 1988
Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

July 24, 1981
Air Supply

Air Supply

September 8, 1981
July 6,1982
May 22, 2021
The Marshall Tucker Band

The Marshall Tucker Band

January 22, 1982
Loverboy

Loverboy

February 22, 1982
Pure Prairie League

Pure Prairie League

April 16, 1982
Merle Haggard

Merle Haggard

July 13, 1982
Rick Springfield

Rick Springfield

July 17, 1982
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

July 28, 1982
KISS

KISS

February 16, 1983
February 11, 1984
March 16, 1985
February 9, 1988
September 30, 1990
The Plasmatics

The Plasmatics

February 16, 1983
Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar

March 11, 1983
George Jones

George Jones

March 13, 1983
Alabama

Alabama

September 10, 1983
Janie Fricke

Janie Fricke

September 10, 1983
Queensryche

Queensryche

October 13, 1983
Twisted Sister

Twisted Sister

October 13, 1983
Conway Twitty

Conway Twitty

November 18, 1983
November 13, 1987
Burl Ives

Burl Ives

March 8, 1984
Adam Ant

Adam Ant

March 23, 1984
The Romantics

The Romantics

March 23, 1984
Michael Martin Murphey

Michael Martin Murphey

April 14, 1984
The Bellamy Brothers

The Bellamy Brothers

April 14, 1984
October 15, 1987
April 18, 2019
Huey Lewis & The News

Huey Lewis & The News

May 18, 1984
Aerosmith

Aerosmith

July 24, 1984
Wayne Newton

Wayne Newton

August 9, 1984
The Beach Boys

The Beach Boys

September 6, 1984
Ratt

Ratt

October 12, 1984
Tony Bennett

Tony Bennett

October 28, 1984
Chicago

Chicago

November 5, 1984
March 9, 2018
Minnie Pearl

Minnie Pearl

November 9, 1984
Dionne Warwick

Dionne Warwick

February 28, 1985
Dokken

Dokken

March 16, 1985
Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris

May 20, 1985
Tom Jones

Tom Jones

July 29, 1985
Night Ranger

Night Ranger

July 31, 1985
The Oak Ridge Boys

The Oak Ridge Boys

April 10, 1986
October 15, 1987
April 6, 2000
November 28, 2011
November 29, 2014
November 29, 2016
December 19, 2019
Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood

July 17, 1986
December 4, 2009
Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire

July 17, 1986
Kenny Loggins

Kenny Loggins

August 24, 1986
The Fabulous Thunderbirds

The Fabulous Thunderbirds

July 22, 1987
Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn

November 13, 1987
Mel Tillis

Mel Tillis

October 25, 1988
Randy Travis

Randy Travis

March 23, 1989
Anne Murray

Anne Murray

November 3, 1989
Winger

Winger

September 30, 1990
Slaughter

Slaughter

September 30, 1990
Bad Company

Bad Company

February 14, 1991
Damn Yankees

Damn Yankees

February 14, 1991
Great White

Great White

April 1, 1991
Nelson

Nelson

July 17, 1991
George Thorogood

George Thorogood

August 14, 1991
Travis Tritt

Travis Tritt

April 25, 1992
October 27, 2018
April 30, 2021
Skid Row

Skid Row

May 31, 1992
Pantera

Pantera

May 31, 1992
Alan Jackson

Alan Jackson

June 20, 1992
Firehouse

Firehouse

August 5, 1992
March 20, 2021
March 12, 2022
Tim McGraw

Tim McGraw

February 25, 1995
Foreigner

Foreigner

July 19, 1995
Nazareth

Nazareth

July 19, 1995
Gin Blossoms

Gin Blossoms

March 15, 1996
Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan

November 12, 1996
Martina McBride

Martina McBride

November 23, 1996
December 1, 2017
Crosby, Stills, and Nash

Crosby, Stills, and Nash

April 30, 1997
Collective Soul

Collective Soul

April 9, 1999
The Goo Goo Dolls

The Goo Goo Dolls

October 6, 1999
Tonic

Tonic

October 6, 1999
The Wallflowers

The Wallflowers

Novemeber 28, 2000
Collin Raye

Collin Raye

April 19, 2001
September 13, 2018
Fuel

Fuel

October 24, 2001
Saliva

Saliva

October 24, 2001
Lonestar

Lonestar

April 27, 2002
November 29, 2007
Trace Adkins

Trace Adkins

April 13, 2003
April 14, 2005
Blake Shelton

Blake Shelton

April 13, 2003
Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson

August 23, 2003
December 4, 2008
April 13, 2018
Rodney Carrington

Rodney Carrington

April 24, 2004
March 6, 2021
Joe Diffie

Joe Diffie

June 2, 2004
February 20, 2020
Wayne Brady

Wayne Brady

October 23, 2004
Larry the Cable Guy

Larry the Cable Guy

March 11, 2005
Montgomery Gentry

Montgomery Gentry

April 14, 2005
Ron White

Ron White

May 5, 2005
Jo Dee Messina

Jo Dee Messina

November 3, 2005
Sugarland

Sugarland

November 3, 2005
Kenny Rogers

Kenny Rogers

December 13, 2005
September 23, 2017
BB King

BB King

March 10, 2006
Alice Cooper

Alice Cooper

July 1, 2006
July 9, 2019
ZZ Top

ZZ Top

October 23, 2007
August 23, 2022
Blackberry Smoke

Blackberry Smoke

November 23, 2007
September 5, 2021
Dierks Bentley

Dierks Bentley

November 24, 2007
Bret Michaels

Bret Michaels

April 19, 2008
Puddle of Mudd

Puddle of Mudd

November 28, 2008
Buckcherry

Buckcherry

February 28, 2009
August 5, 2021
Papa Roach

Papa Roach

February 28, 2009
October 28, 2010
Gaelic Storm

Gaelic Storm

March 10, 2009
March 14, 2012
Joel McHale

Joel McHale

December 5, 2009
Godsmack

Godsmack

August 23, 2011
Mannheim Steamroller

Mannheim Steamroller

December 6, 2012
December 18, 2014
December 5, 2018
November 17, 2022
The Band Perry

The Band Perry

February 13, 2014
April 15, 2019
Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles

Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles

April 9, 2014
March 31, 2022
Casting Crowns

Casting Crowns

July 21, 2016
August 3, 2019
Chase Rice

Chase Rice

November 18, 2016
Billy Currington

Billy Currington

March 10, 2017
Scotty McCreery

Scotty McCreery

May 6, 2017
Josh Turner

Josh Turner

November 18, 2017
Lee Brice

Lee Brice

February 9, 2018
March 13, 2021
Bill Engvall

Bill Engvall

February 15, 2018
Newsboys

Newsboys

March 10, 2018
Three Dog Night

Three Dog Night

March 15, 2018
Lisa Lampanelli

Lisa Lampanelli

March 31, 2018
Dwight Yoakim

Dwight Yoakim

April 13, 2018
January 17, 2019
Charlie Daniels Band

Charlie Daniels Band

October 27, 2018
Daughtry

Daughtry

August 7, 2018
Ronnie Milsap

Ronnie Milsap

September 21, 2018
Jewel

Jewel

November 29, 2018
Cody Jinks

Cody Jinks

November 30, 2018
July 17, 2021
Chris Lane

Chris Lane

January 10, 2019
June 16, 2022
Gary Allan

Gary Allan

January 24, 2019
Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox

February 12, 2019
December 8, 2021
Brothers Osborne

Brothers Osborne

March 9, 2019
The Temptations

The Temptations

May 18, 2019
The Four Tops

The Four Tops

May 18, 2019
Morgan Wallen

Morgan Wallen

June 21, 2019
Nelly

Nelly

June 29, 2019
Chingy

Chingy

June 29, 2019
Wynonna Judd

Wynonna Judd

September 6, 2019
Cody Johnson

Cody Johnson

October 11, 2019
Charley Pride

Charley Pride

October 18, 2019
Little River Band

Little River Band

November 15, 2019
Louis C.K.

Louis C.K.

November 17, 2019
September 28-29, 2021
Michael Carbonaro

Michael Carbonaro

December 13, 2019
Jordan Davis

Jordan Davis

February 8, 2020
Kassi Ashton

Kassi Ashton

February 8, 2020
Mark Chesnutt

Mark Chesnutt

February 20, 2020
David Lee Murphy

David Lee Murphy

February 20, 2020
The Choir of Man

The Choir of Man

March 6, 2020
January 10, 2022
Clay Walker

Clay Walker

May 20, 2021
Tracy Lawrence

Tracy Lawrence

May 20, 2021
Corey Taylor

Corey Taylor

June 15, 2021
Styx

Styx

July 3, 2021
Lindsey Stirling

Lindsey Stirling

July 5, 2021
Whitey Morgan

Whitey Morgan

July 17, 2021
Koe Wetzel

Koe Wetzel

August 28, 2021
The Texas Tenors

The Texas Tenors

September 10, 2021
James "Murr" Murray

James "Murr" Murray

September 11, 2021
Kip Moore

Kip Moore

December 4, 2021
Lainey Wilson

Lainey Wilson

December 4, 2021
Sara Evans

Sara Evans

December 17, 2021
Chris Janson

Chris Janson

February 10, 2022
Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis

February 20, 2022
Whiskey Myers

Whiskey Myers

March 9, 2022
Blippi: The Musical

Blippi: The Musical

March 19, 2022
Steel Panther

Steel Panther

March 26, 2022
Killer Queen

Killer Queen

April 1, 2022
Dustin Lynch

Dustin Lynch

April 7, 2022
Baby Shark Live

Baby Shark Live

May 5, 2022
Home Free

Home Free

June 3, 2022
Brett Young

Brett Young

June 16, 2022
for King + Country

for King + Country

July 15, 2022
Larry Fleet

Larry Fleet

August 19, 2022
49 Winchester

49 Winchester

August 19, 2022
Charlie Berens

Charlie Berens

September 11, 2022
Clint Black

Clint Black

November 20, 2022
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