Rushmore Plaza Civic Center – Summit Arena at The Monument

The Rushmore Plaza Civic Center opened in Rapid City in 1977, consisting of the Barnett Arena, conference space, and a fine arts theater. Through the years, the civic center has expanded the convention hall, added a food court and ice area, and renovated the fine arts theater and the conference hall. However, due to the age of the Barnett Arena, it no longer met the requirements of today’s entertainment industry — low ceiling heights, safety concerns, reconfiguration limitations, limited seating, among other issues, caused sales to decline and operational and maintenance costs to rise. The City of Rapid City brought on JLG Architects as the local architect along with Perkins+Will to redesign the Barnett Arena and boost the economic force in the community. With nearly 250,000 square feet, Summit Arena is home to Rodeo Rapid City, Black Hills Powwow, Lakota Nation Invitational and countless other sports and entertainment events. Other features of this multi-purpose venue include the flexibility to host end-stage and center stage concerts, family shows, circuses, and large-scale basketball and wrestling tournaments.