On opening night, Oct. 23, 1962, the Baltimore Arena was called the Civic Center. Mayor J. Harold Grady threw out a ceremonial first ice puck at 8:33 p.m. for the contest between the Baltimore Clippers and the Providence Reds. A capacity crowd of more than 10,000 was expected; 7,760 showed up. Baltimore won, 5-4. The workhouse arena is about to undergo a refurbishment to renew the place that hosted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., The Beatles, Luciano Pavarotti and decades of returning circus elephants and lions in its six decades.
