Westchester County Center is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena in White Plains, New York. It hosts various local concerts and sporting events for the area. The County Center was conceived by the Westchester Recreation Commission in 1924 as a multi-purpose indoor recreational facility to host community programs and income-producing commercial events. It was designed by the architectural firm of Walker & Gillette, and built and decorated in the Art Deco style. The construction project cost of approximately $785,000. A $16-million rehabilitation was completed in 1988. For nearly 80 years the County Center has been Westchester's premier setting for thousands of concerts, trade shows, sports events, meetings, seminars, theatrical presentations, conventions and civic and community events. On the weekend of May 22, 1930, the Westchester County Center Grand opening gala was held, attracting thousands from all over Westchester to hear such notable musicians as the pianist Percy Grainger, Metropolitan Opera Company tenor Edward Johnson, organist Palmer Christian and more than 1,500 local choral group performers. In the ensuing years, generations of County Center audiences have been treated to performances by such greats as Judy Garland, Liza Minnelli, Joan Sutherland, James Brown, Kenny Rogers, and John Sebastian, along with the Harlem Globetrotters, World Wrestling Entertainment, and the Royal Hanneford Circus, one of the longest running events at the Center to date.