The arena was located at Mercer Street and 4th Avenue North and predated the Seattle Center Coliseum by about 35 years.

It was nicknamed "the House of Suds" because of the large underwriting contribution of local tavern owner James Osborne.

The Seattle Thunderbirds of the modern junior Western Hockey League originally played their games in Mercer Arena before using the Coliseum beginning in 1989, although they continued to use Mercer Arena on a part-time basis; in 1992 it played host to the CHL's Memorial Cup when games at the Coliseum failed to draw their expected crowds.

It hosted the Seattle SeaDogs of the Continental Indoor Soccer League in 1995 prior to their move to KeyArena.

Sharing a common wall with the opera's performance venue at McCaw Hall, the arena would allow sets to be built within the workshop, then transported directly to the stage.

[8] In February 2016, the Seattle Opera unveiled plans for a $60 million facility to replace the Mercer Arena.