The Five Flags Center is a multipurpose facility, in downtown Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque, Iowa

Dubuque is a city in and the county seat of Dubuque County, Iowa, United States, located along the Mississippi River. In 2010 its population was 57,637, making it the ninth-largest city in the state and the county's population was 93,653....

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It is named for the five flags that have flown over Dubuque; the Fleur de Lis of France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 (1673-1763), the Royal Flag of Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

 (1763-1803), the Union Jack of Great Britain

Great Britain

Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...

 (1780, during a brief interruption of Spanish rule), the French Republic Flag of Napoleon (1803) & America's Stars and Stripes

Flag of the United States

The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...

 (1803-Present).

Theater

The Five Flags Theater was constructed as the Majestic Theater in 1910, replacing a theatre originally built in 1864, that was destroyed by fire that year. It had been purchased then renovated by local prominent businessman Harker Brentnal Spensley, Sr. and his partner, C. H. Eighmey. The rebuilt theater was designed by George L. Rapp, who eventually became one of the nation's premier theater architects. It was converted to a movie house in 1920 and renamed 'Spensley Theater' in 1929. Constructed in a Renaissance Revival style with French influences, it was later renamed the RKO

RKO Pictures

RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...

 Orpheum and used to show movies. Eventually, it fell into disrepair and was slated for demolition during urban renewal

Urban renewal

Urban renewal is a program of land redevelopment in areas of moderate to high density urban land use. Renewal has had both successes and failures. Its modern incarnation began in the late 19th century in developed nations and experienced an intense phase in the late 1940s – under the rubric of...

 in 1969.

A committee made up of concerned citizens began a fund drive to save the theater, which was incorporated in the Five Flags Center project in 1972. Restoration was begun in 1975, and the theater was reopened in 1976 as the Five Flags Theater. It is currently the home of the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, high school musicals, and occasional concerts and ballet productions.

Arena

Five Flags Arena was conceived as part of a project to rehabilitate the Five Flags Theater. Construction began in 1976, and the facility opened in 1979. The first event was a concert, by Bob Hope

Bob Hope

Bob Hope, KBE, KCSG, KSS was a British-born American comedian and actor who appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in radio, television and movies. He was also noted for his work with the US Armed Forces and his numerous USO shows entertaining American military personnel...

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The arena can seat up to 5,200 for basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

, although in its primary use, ice hockey

Ice hockey

Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...

, actual seating capacity is only about 2,500.

It features one side of permanent seating; the other three sides are bleachers, some for Loras College

Loras College

Loras College is a four-year Catholic college located in Dubuque, Iowa, with a general attendance of approximately 1,700 students. The school offers both undergraduate and graduate degree programs...

 basketball, and most of Dubuque's major concerts.

High school graduation ceremonies for Hempstead High School and Senior High School have been held at the center.

The Five Flags Center was formerly the main convention center in Dubuque, but construction of the Grand River Event Center

Grand River Event Center

The Grand River Event Center is a convention center located in Dubuque, Iowa. It is on the riverfront of the Mississippi River, and is part of the America's River Campus at the Port of Dubuque. The center is located at 500 Bell Street....

 in 2003, moved many events away from Five Flags.

It was also the former home of the Dubuque Fighting Saints (1980-2001) of the United States Hockey League

United States Hockey League

The United States Hockey League is the top junior ice hockey league in the United States. The USHL has 16 member teams located in the Midwestern United States, consisting of players who are 20 years of age and younger...

 from 1980-2001 and the home of the Dubuque Thunderbirds

Dubuque Thunderbirds

The Dubuque Thunderbirds replaced the Dubuque Fighting Saints and prceeded the Dubuque Fighting Saints . The Thunderbirds played in the CSHL from 2001-2010. They won the Hurster Cup in 2007, 2008 and 2009....

 hockey team of the Central States Hockey League

Central States Hockey League

The North American 3 Hockey League is an American Tier III Junior "A" ice hockey league that consists of 16 teams from Illinois, Ohio, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri and Pennsylvania....

 from 2001-2010.

Dubuque opened a new Ice Arena, the Mystique Ice Center

Mystique Ice Center

The Mystique Community Ice Center is a 3,000-seat ice arena in Dubuque, Iowa that opened to the public on September 18,2010. Owned by the City of Dubuque and operated by the non-profit Dubuque Community Ice and Recreation Center, Inc. developers and managers, the facility is Dubuque's first...

, which opened in Fall of 2010, and now hosts the expansion Dubuque Fighting Saints

Dubuque Fighting Saints

The Dubuque Fighting Saints joined the United States Hockey League for the 1980–1981 season. They rejoined the USHL in 2010.The Saints glory years lasted from 1980–1981 through to 1984–1985, when they played under the coaching supervision of Jack Barzee who left to become a central figure in the...

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SMG took over operations of the arena in 2004, which were formerly handled by the City of Dubuque.

In 2005, the arena was closed during the summer for concession, entrance, and concourse renovation.