In February 1973, a civic center in Wheeling was proposed,[5] and in May 1973, Mosser Construction Inc. was announced to be the architectural firm for the arena.

[7] On September 16, 1974, a petition by Wheeling residents James R. Kucera and Robert J. Haberfield, who opposed the construction of the civic center, was turned down by the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia.

During Nailers hockey games and some other events the "Health Plan Pavilion" is open to all ticketed patrons featuring a full-service restaurant and bar.

[citation needed] The Robert C. Byrd Intermodal Transportation Center can accommodate cars for the arena's maximum capacity.

The arena hosted games three, four and five of the 2016 Kelly Cup Finals, featuring the hometown Nailers taking on the visiting Allen Americans.

These cases display memorabilia from all schools past and present in the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference, as well as memorabilia from Ohio Valley natives, who have gone on to professional sports careers, including Bill Mazeroski, Bobby Douglas, Chuck Howley, Phil Niekro and Joe Niekro, among others.

This arena has also played host to high action entertainment events such as Monster Jam, WWE, Thunder Nationals, Freestyle Motocross, PBR and others every year.

On November 12, 1977, a concert by Emerson, Lake & Palmer was recorded for a future broadcast by the King Biscuit Flower Hour.