No reasonab person would suggest that attendance has anything to do with the arena. When the Gophers win, the seats are full. Hasn’t been a hot ticket for a long time. Wasn’t under Pitino, and won’t be until the team contends. Could be a long wait (no matter who the coach is).
If the U switched back to Pepsi, I could see this thing turning around.
Tall people get the girls, the sports glory, and the promotions at work. All us short guys have is comfort on airplanes and at Williams Arena. Deal with it.
But can they add cup holders?
So you build a bigger lobby with more concessions and bathrooms, that has zero to do with needing a whole new arena. It also doesn't take a new arena or even a renovated lobby to switch out concessions if the food isn't currently what you're looking for. The new arena would lack all of the history that Williams has and would certainly not have the overhangs that Williams has meaning the fans would be farther away from the action. That's an amenity lost, not gained.
www.yardbarker.com
By the time you do all that, I'm pretty sure it's cheaper to demolish it and start over. And we only need about 12K seats anyway.I think Im in the same camp as most of you. Im glad they are looking at a renovation or new arena for nothing else than to land on a long term vision on what the basketball experience on campus would be for the next 30 years.
Personally I hope a remodel of Williams is the best outcome but would also accept a new on campus arena. My ideas of a remodel would include:
- Removal of all the current concession stands under the seats and widen all the concourses
- On west side above students. Remove all of the seats and create a modern suite level that looks both into Williams and Maturi Pavillion. Above that suite level, would be the "youth basketball center" Which would be a youth basketball gameday expereince, (limited access) where tickets would only be given for free to youth basketball associations.
- Create underground walkway under University avenue at both Oak Street, and right by fieldhouse) Both are open to street level but Oak Street also has direct access from alumni center. (then fence off University like by football stadium)
- Create Food hall concession on south side of Williams where ticket lobby is. Including game day activities.
- Shrink dedicated student seats. Making the diagonal seats by the students open to recent alumni at a severly discounted price. Helping transition students to season ticket holders. Other side would be new press area.
- Update all TV's and expereinces for any upstructed level seating.
- Remove press row around floor.
- Remove all current seats. Explore changing the elevations with raised floor making a 3/4 around the floor 2 rows standing room student tickets.
- Renovate all bathrooms.
- Remove all standing food vendors from concourses.
- Demolish East ticket atrium. Build new multi level grand ticket entrance with
- main floor food court that could be used on non-game days as well (Football, hockey etc)
- Second level, create Goldy Club ticket expereince that extends further into the arena on main level. This would be a seperate tickets with Food, Beverages included.
- Third level have rooftop outside that overlooks football stadium to be used for weddings, corporate rentals etc.
Im sure there is more that I have thought about over the years. But that is my current list.
If only we had a dollar for every time the little birdie was wrong...
Wow, the Barn was only 30 years old when you first attended. The Kohl center is 26 years old on a side note.
Interesting that their court is 90 degrees different than the typical layout like the barn. I wonder if their court was always in that position.
What drink cup holders?
Sounds like they need to eminent domain a bunch of frat houses around the area and cut off several blocks of Fourth Street and convert to pedestrian traffic only.
Quite true! The activity patterns for the different venues are very different, and you have to design for that.
It is odd. I don't know the answer to that.
They changed it in ‘33 because the light was bothering the players.
Downside appears to be the distance from the court if you’re sitting up near the windows in that photo. The pitch of the first 20 or so rows is really shallow. Could cause issues seeing over people in front of you. Ironically a raised floor would help for that.
As ive stated in previous posts about the barn, the court needs to be turned 90 degrees, similar to Hinkle and Welsh-Ryan at Northwestern. It would create so much more room under the grandstands and put more seats between the baselines. The suites could go between lower & upper deck instead of the lofts. Might reduce capacity by 1 or 2k but the sign lines would be much better.
Coach Norman Dale had the boys from Hickory measure the court in Hoosiers and it was the same size as their little gym in the little hometown
