Nearby landmarks include the Steel and Broadway bridges, the Oregon Convention Center, and the Eastbank Esplanade.

The arena is divided into two major sections, an upper and lower bowl, separated by a level of luxury boxes.

Three NBA Finals have been played within its walls, and twice the Larry O'Brien Trophy has been secured on its hardwood, once by the Trail Blazers in 1977, and once by the opposing Detroit Pistons in 1990.

It remained the Blazers home court until the team moved into the larger and more modern Rose Garden Arena (since renamed to Moda Center) in 1995.

The arena is also used for concerts, circuses, rodeos, ice shows, and conventions,[3] and hosted the 2007 Davis Cup final between the United States and Russia.

The Rose Quarter was created in 1993, when significant parts of the parking lot of the Memorial Coliseum were transferred to the Oregon Arena Corporation, an operating company owned by Paul Allen, to facilitate construction of the Rose Garden Arena, later renamed the Moda Center.

The City of Portland hoped that the building of the arena would lead to other renovation or development in the Rose Quarter district, but as of 2007 this has yet to materialize.

[12] Oregon Arena Corporation managed the entire Rose Quarter, including those portions still owned by the city, until it was dissolved in a 2004 bankruptcy.

[13] In 2007, Allen repurchased the arena from the creditors, along with the Rose Quarter management rights; Global Spectrum was retained as the site operator.