Reusse: Unlike the Gophers’ coaching situation, the solution for Williams Arena is simple: Blow up The Barn

[disco]

This. I was thinking about it last night when some were saying it affects recruiting. In a specific cases, maybe a kid cares.

But the discussion about the Barn really shouldn't have anything to do with that. All the issues with the Barn are related to fan experience. None of those things affect the kids on the floor, and if it's loud, they will feel it and love it.

I agree. Which is one of the reasons I brought up that youtube piece on odd college arenas. I think it MAY have been a factor in the pre-NIL, pre-athletes facilities era, but honestly, they aren't spending much time in the arena itself. It's kind of like if you ever tour US Bank Stadium. The players don't even have permanent nameplates on their dressing areas - because they're only there 8-12 times a year (also because people would steal them). Most of their work is done at the practice facility.

 

[Ope3]

Williams arena has zero effect on recruiting and does not prevent the Gophers from winning.

The only effect it has is on the fan experience.

This. I was thinking about it last night when some were saying it affects recruiting. In a specific cases, maybe a kid cares.

But the discussion about the Barn really shouldn't have anything to do with that. All the issues with the Barn are related to fan experience. None of those things affect the kids on the floor, and if it's loud, they will feel it and love it.

While I generally agree, however, if the Barn is empty resulting in poor atmospheres that can certainly impact why a recruit/Portal player would choose Minnesota or not.

Also if revenue streams are impacted by their home arena, that can also impact the caliber of recruits/Portal acquisitions.

In this day in age of NCAA D1 sports, I don't see how a teams playing facility can have ZERO impact with the on court product.

 

[DMB123]

If only the U had a newish, beautiful arena on campus that seats around 10-11k.

 

[ShushPush]

In the case of the old Highway 100, PBS did a documentary film, and that was considered mitigation for losing all those old structures. Although legal and proper, it was a shame. Part of Graesser Park was desrroyed just so we could have a longer queueing length on a ramp. That makes me cry.

Sorry to hear that it hurts. Infrastructure projects have a big tendency to wreck things. On the other hand, Spaghetti Junction was the result of unreasonable preservation efforts.

 

[ShushPush]

This. I was thinking about it last night when some were saying it affects recruiting. In a specific cases, maybe a kid cares.

But the discussion about the Barn really shouldn't have anything to do with that. All the issues with the Barn are related to fan experience. None of those things affect the kids on the floor, and if it's loud, they will feel it and love it.

This. I was thinking about it last night when some were saying it affects recruiting. In a specific cases, maybe a kid cares.

But the discussion about the Barn really shouldn't have anything to do with that. All the issues with the Barn are related to fan experience. None of those things affect the kids on the floor, and if it's loud, they will feel it and love it.

The fan experience is less than satisfactory. The main entrance is also a transit hub for traveling team buses. The diesel exhausts next to fans entering or exiting the building. It is a crappy way to great people and as their first impression. The next impression is the excessively crowded walkways jammed with people in line ordering food. There are people who deliberately try to avoid crowds who will not go to games just to avoid the mezzanine, which seems cramped from its low ceiling compared to other floors, which is really the auditorium itself. The iron walkways are very narrow and feel claustrophobic to many. The raised floor has issues of its own. Fan experience is the only thing to care about. It supersedes everything else. If fans are an afterthought, let's just have the team play in a small gymnasium without fans at all.

 

[GopherWeatherGuy]

While I generally agree, however, if the Barn is empty resulting in poor atmospheres that can certainly impact why a recruit/Portal player would choose Minnesota or not.

Also if revenue streams are impacted by their home arena, that can also impact the caliber of recruits/Portal acquisitions.

In this day in age of NCAA D1 sports, I don't see how a teams playing facility can have ZERO impact with the on court product.

The Barn isn't empty when they put a team that can win on the floor. That can be done while still playing in the Barn.

I agree that they would likely generate more revenue streams with a remodel or rebuild, but that's also going to cost them a lot of money to get there.

I think a lot of college basketball arenas in general are pretty average, or generic, even new ones. This is why it doesn't move the needle much for recruits. The right coach can sell the Barn as a unique place to play, and that when they win, it will be one of the loudest environments in the B1G.

 

[NotAFanOfBecky]

Show of hands who thinks the city and/or state is going to be willing to pick up half the tab on a billion dollar arena downtown? Hard to see it happening in today's environment.

Agree 100! But the thinking is, oh they will just add another .75% tax to all us small business owners who are so flush with cash to go with the extra city taxes, county taxes and metro taxes. It’s already 2% more to buy anything in the metro, even more in Minneapolis. It’s rather nuts how inefficient this state is with its tax funds. I certainly wouldn’t support additional funding by the citizens. You want a new arena with extra revenue? Build it yourself and charge more for the people using it. Now the U is a different story, that team isn’t leaving if it doesn’t get a new building. That team is the State’s team so let’s get them competitive again and that will pay for the needed renovations/stadium if we get back to what Gophers hoops used to be.

 

[NotAFanOfBecky]

And *that* is why academics and administrators get their undies in a bunch over athletics. If the Athletic Department provides other economic benefits for the then it is an actual contributor to the university.

What do you mean? (Not being snarky I just may not understand what you are saying and you may have a better grasp of what I’m thinking) They definitely are not in favor of athletics but with all the TV money and revenue from events does it not fund itself?

 

[ShushPush]

Crazy idea: Build between 15th and 17th. The stadium would be built partly underground, where the playing floor would be below street level. The facility would hold only 8,000 seats surrounding the court only on three sides. The arena would have a glass facade that looks into the arena from ground level. Above the stadium would be student housing, entertainment and meeting facilities. It would allow the facility to be built on a smaller footprint, give it a unique appeal, and a public face that invites everyone to participate. A short plaza on the south side could prevent gawkers from seeing the games for free and allowing for inflow to the building, facing the length of the court. Because of the smaller footprint, more money could be utilized for higher end amenities, giving every user a better experience. It would also give the arena a sense of theater, which it could easily accommodate and convert into a musical venue. If it was designed with acoustics in mind, it could be the best multiuse facility on earth.

 

[bmb5270]

Crazy idea: Build between 15th and 17th. The stadium would be built partly underground, where the playing floor would be below street level. The facility would hold only 8,000 seats surrounding the court only on three sides. The arena would have a glass facade that looks into the arena from ground level. Above the stadium would be student housing, entertainment and meeting facilities. It would allow the facility to be built on a smaller footprint, give it a unique appeal, and a public face that invites everyone to participate. A short plaza on the south side could prevent gawkers from seeing the games for free and allowing for inflow to the building, facing the length of the court. Because of the smaller footprint, more money could be utilized for higher end amenities, giving every user a better experience. It would also give the arena a sense of theater, which it could easily accommodate and convert into a musical venue. If it was designed with acoustics in mind, it could be the best multiuse facility on earth.

Do we dare build a second glass stadium/arena in this town? There will be no birds left.

 

[GoodasGold]

Crazy idea: Build between 15th and 17th. The stadium would be built partly underground, where the playing floor would be below street level. The facility would hold only 8,000 seats surrounding the court only on three sides. The arena would have a glass facade that looks into the arena from ground level. Above the stadium would be student housing, entertainment and meeting facilities. It would allow the facility to be built on a smaller footprint, give it a unique appeal, and a public face that invites everyone to participate. A short plaza on the south side could prevent gawkers from seeing the games for free and allowing for inflow to the building, facing the length of the court. Because of the smaller footprint, more money could be utilized for higher end amenities, giving every user a better experience. It would also give the arena a sense of theater, which it could easily accommodate and convert into a musical venue. If it was designed with acoustics in mind, it could be the best multiuse facility on earth.

What does your house look like?

 

[Ewert86PC]

What do you mean? (Not being snarky I just may not understand what you are saying and you may have a better grasp of what I’m thinking) They definitely are not in favor of athletics but with all the TV money and revenue from events does it not fund itself?

Ego. They feel it is dirty money, not from academic accomplishments.

 

[NotAFanOfBecky]

Ego. They feel it is dirty money, not from academic accomplishments.

Gotcha, that makes sense. Agree 100%!

 

[ShushPush]

What does your house look like?

Something between a cardboard box and the Taj Mahal.

 

[ShushPush]

Do we dare build a second glass stadium/arena in this town? There will be no birds left.

Birds, ah. They only dirty the walls and sidewalks of Johnson Hall anyway.

 

[MaxyJR1]

Agree 100! But the thinking is, oh they will just add another .75% tax to all us small business owners who are so flush with cash to go with the extra city taxes, county taxes and metro taxes. It’s already 2% more to buy anything in the metro, even more in Minneapolis. It’s rather nuts how inefficient this state is with its tax funds. I certainly wouldn’t support additional funding by the citizens. You want a new arena with extra revenue? Build it yourself and charge more for the people using it. Now the U is a different story, that team isn’t leaving if it doesn’t get a new building. That team is the State’s team so let’s get them competitive again and that will pay for the needed renovations/stadium if we get back to what Gophers hoops used to be.

Medved would come in and sing praises of arena and focus on NIL and winning. If he wins then they will talk about lost revenue due to lack of arena amenities.

 

[Ope3]

The Barn isn't empty when they put a team that can win on the floor. That can be done while still playing in the Barn.

I agree that they would likely generate more revenue streams with a remodel or rebuild, but that's also going to cost them a lot of money to get there.

I think a lot of college basketball arenas in general are pretty average, or generic, even new ones. This is why it doesn't move the needle much for recruits. The right coach can sell the Barn as a unique place to play, and that when they win, it will be one of the loudest environments in the B1G.

A winning Gophers team can make the Barn less empty, but in this day in age I don't think there's any amount of winning that will fill it up (approach a 14,000 Sell Out) on a consistent basis. A winning program might be able sell out the place 2 or 3 times per season. Maybe a couple more if they were truly Big 10 Championship contenders or made serious second weekend noise in the NCAA Tournament.

They will have to win a ton to get 12,000 to show up on a random Tuesday at 8pm to see them square off against Rutgers, Penn St, Maryland, Northwestern, Washington, USC etc.

Then there's the half dozen random Non-conference slappys scheduled each season. They would still have trouble getting to 4 digits for those contests.

 

[tikited]

In the case of the old Highway 100, PBS did a documentary film, and that was considered mitigation for losing all those old structures. Although legal and proper, it was a shame. Part of Graesser Park was desrroyed just so we could have a longer queueing length on a ramp. That makes me cry.

Fyi .. Graesser Park has been fixed up in the last few years. They are even rebuilding the fountain part of it.

 

[NateDawgUM]

Crazy idea: Build between 15th and 17th. The stadium would be built partly underground, where the playing floor would be below street level. The facility would hold only 8,000 seats surrounding the court only on three sides. The arena would have a glass facade that looks into the arena from ground level. Above the stadium would be student housing, entertainment and meeting facilities. It would allow the facility to be built on a smaller footprint, give it a unique appeal, and a public face that invites everyone to participate. A short plaza on the south side could prevent gawkers from seeing the games for free and allowing for inflow to the building, facing the length of the court. Because of the smaller footprint, more money could be utilized for higher end amenities, giving every user a better experience. It would also give the arena a sense of theater, which it could easily accommodate and convert into a musical venue. If it was designed with acoustics in mind, it could be the best multiuse facility on earth.

The area around the U is not ideal for underground construction due to the high water table and the soil, that's why the football stadium sits relatively at ground level.

 

[Bad Gopher]

Fyi .. Graesser Park has been fixed up in the last few years. They are even rebuilding the fountain part of it.

My colleague and friend is leading that.

My regret is that, when the interchange was still in the design phase, I was in a position to raise a stink about the impact of that ramp, and I didn't. One of the great regrets of my career. Our daughters have now settled in Crystal, and whenever we drive over and visit them, we drive right past it, and I feel bad all over again.

 

[Bad Gopher]

The area around the U is not ideal for underground construction due to the high water table and the soil, that's why the football stadium sits relatively at ground level.

The floor under the ice at Mariucci is just above the water table.

 

[Jack jones]

Remove the first 12 rows of seating around the floor. Fill in the empty space so as to extend the floor and eliminate the raised floor aspect of the area. Right now, we are just “a lawsuit” away from paying out more money than would be needed to pay for the renovations.

 

[ShushPush]

The area around the U is not ideal for underground construction due to the high water table and the soil, that's why the football stadium sits relatively at ground level.

Damn. It must be why the civil engineering building went down and not up and why there is no waterfall coming out of the hill carved out by the rail yard, a mere block away.

 

[NateDawgUM]

Damn. It must be why the civil engineering building went down and not up and why there is no waterfall coming out of the hill carved out by the rail yard, a mere block away.

You're right, I'm wrong. Forget I said anything.

 

[ShushPush]

You're right, I'm wrong. Forget I said anything.

The point, Nate, is that is was a crazy fantasy anyway. Let's just go with that. We don't need a hydrologic study over an amusement.

 

[ShushPush]

The floor under the ice at Mariucci is just below the ice-water table.

Fixed it for you.

Yeah, on any given day the water table can be between 6 inches and 60 feet around campus. I tried to navigate the USGS and Hennepin Geological Survey. It's like reading Greek, which is EXACTLY what I am looking for. For having a hair-ball of an idea, this water table thing is choking me up. I want answers!

 

[bga1]

This is interesting. The original sketch of the Barn looked like this:

Happy 90 years, Williams Arena! - UMN Libraries News & Events

From its dedication as the Field House in 1928 to its remodeling and re-naming as Williams Arena in 1950 to today, "The Barn" has held a special place on campus.

libnews.umn.edu

Lots of additional space on the University Ave side. Could the whole lobby space issue get fixed with an addition on that side and the use of the pavilion space (build a new wrestling and VB somewhere else) be just as good and a lot cheaper?

 

[USAF]

You're right, I'm wrong. Forget I said anything.

Don't feed the troll

 

[Spaulding!No!]

This is interesting. The original sketch of the Barn looked like this:

Happy 90 years, Williams Arena! - UMN Libraries News & Events

From its dedication as the Field House in 1928 to its remodeling and re-naming as Williams Arena in 1950 to today, "The Barn" has held a special place on campus.

libnews.umn.edu

Lots of additional space on the University Ave side. Could the whole lobby space issue get fixed with an addition on that side and the use of the pavilion space (build a new wrestling and VB somewhere else) be just as good and a lot cheaper?

I love the place and love the folks around us. We sit by those 2 older twin sisters. Coming In and out of it on cold mpls nights…magical.