Sid: Kaler not interested in building a new arena and tearing down Williams Arena

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station19 said:
Other than being old, what is so special/great about the Barn? It is 85 years old. Other than the front addition 20 years ago it's a Quonset hut. Kohl Center no - - the new arena at Missouri is beautiful.
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Seriously...Did you just ask that? Do you have no sense of history...NEW is not important in all cases.
 

Parski1 said:
Seriously...Did you just ask that? Do you have no sense of history...NEW is not important in all cases.
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Neither is old.

Should the football team still be playing at Northrup Field?

I first started attending games in the Barn 50 years come Feb. All arenas need to be replaced at sometime. That time may or may not be now but all options need to be considered. To not consider all options would be fool hardy.
 

Parski1 said:
Seriously...Did you just ask that? Do you have no sense of history...NEW is not important in all cases.
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I'm with Parski on this one. Fenway and Wrigley are pretty awesome despite being old. I love the Barn.
 


I think for long-time fans, the nostalgia cannot be excused. I have great memories of attending games at Williams Arena, starting in the early 70's.

But, I also have great memories of attending Twins' games at Met Stadium. Would anyone argue that Target Field is not a better ballpark and a better fan experience?

As much as we might love Williams, it's not "new," it's not "flashy," and it's not going to be a selling point for recruits. Plus, getting around during a game is a mess. And too many seats have obstructed views.

It all comes down to a cost-benefit analysis. If the cost of a remodeled Williams is more than the cost of a completely new building, go with a new building. (And if the U has any hope of state funding, they will have to go with the less expensive option - unless they plan to do private fundraising for the whole nut.)
 

bleedsmaroonandgold said:
I'm with Parski on this one. Fenway and Wrigley are pretty awesome despite being old. I love the Barn.
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Fenway and Wrigley are awesome, unless you want to sit and watch a game with a tiny bit comfort. Wrigley is like a big party bus; I still get chills going to Fenway, but there are some awful seats there.

Much like Williams Arena... there is some magical "emotional appeal" with both of these ballparks.. but as a facility, none of these venues are very good.

Maybe it's like a little kid with his blanky. It's tattered, dirty and doesn't function well as a blanky. But he LOVES it and swears he always will. I'm ready to move on, though (although five years ago I wouldn't have said that).
 

Gopher Warrior said:
Fenway and Wrigley are awesome, unless you want to sit and watch a game with a tiny bit comfort. Wrigley is like a big party bus; I still get chills going to Fenway, but there are some awful seats there.

Much like Williams Arena... there is some magical "emotional appeal" with both of these ballparks.. but as a facility, none of these venues are very good.

Maybe it's like a little kid with his blanky. It's tattered, dirty and doesn't function well as a blanky. But he LOVES it and swears he always will. I'm ready to move on, though (although five years ago I wouldn't have said that).
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I confess. If you try to take my binky or the Barn away from me I will have one hellacious tantrum :)
 

There may be some obstructed seats in Williams, but the 14,625 in Williams are all much closer to the action than the same number in any of the new cookie cutter gyms. You couldn't build an intimate arena like Williams again. Getting around Williams even when busy is a ton easier and quicker than moving around the metrodome. There isn't the same need for upgrade.
 



AO54 said:
There may be some obstructed seats in Williams, but the 14,625 in Williams are all much closer to the action than the same number in any of the new cookie cutter gyms. You couldn't build an intimate arena like Williams again. Getting around Williams even when busy is a ton easier and quicker than moving around the metrodome. There isn't the same need for upgrade.
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Will people get off this kick that any new arena will be an ugly 'cookie cutter' arena(not gym). Has our technology gone so far backwards that we are no longer able to design and construct buildings like was done in the 'Golden Age' of 85 years ago?

It's new, therefor it will be ugly. WTF
 

WindyCityGopher said:
Kentucky, Duke and Kansas have a few other things to sell about their basketball programs that the Gophers don't, no? Their arenas are ancillary to things like being able to challenge for a national title every year, elite coaches, new practice facilities and decades of rich tradition.
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I think the point is that even if we built a flashy new area, those teams would still have those things, and we still wouldn't be able to recruit with them. Has TCF stadium really done that much to help recruiting? Doesn't seem like it. Kids want to play on television in front of big crowds with a chance to win national titles. I tend to agree that the ancillary facilities matter more to recruits than the gameday ones, since that's where they would be spending most of their time.
 






does anyone have the breakdown of upper deck seats vs lower deck seats? Cuz I don't have much of a problem getting around and getting to the concessions and restrooms from my seats in the lower deck. I can see the hassle of no concessions etc for the upstairs people tho, but if that is 5000 of the 14,000 it probably isn't worth demolishing the whole stadium over. If there is enough room on the Washington ave side, I can see moving the wall out to the sidewalk and using that 50ft or so for all the concessions and restrooms on both levels. As long as Drew's popcorn stays in the corner right by my seats, I don't care what happens on the other side of the building.
 


My preference would be not to tear down Williams Arena, but that doesn't take precedence over my desire to see a long term solution for the men's basketball team. The question is can enough be done to Williams Arena so that we are not wondering about its future five or ten years after a renovation? I am not an architect or an engineer and have no idea what is capable of being done on to the Barn to to modernize it at this point.
 

EG#9 said:
My preference would be not to tear down Williams Arena, but that doesn't take precedence over my desire to see a long term solution for the men's basketball team. The question is can enough be done to Williams Arena so that we are not wondering about its future five or ten years after a renovation? I am not an architect or an engineer and have no idea what is capable of being done on to the Barn to to modernize it at this point.
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+1 I love the barn, but I do recognize that the concession area is lacking, there are many obstructed seats and a lot of people in our area complain about the leg room. It will be interesting to see what the U can do to refresh the barn without losing the charm. If they did replace the barn, it would be interesting to know if they could keep some of the features fans love while adding the new amenities available in new structures.
 

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I apologize if this has already been brought up, but how about this as a solution:

1. Gophers Men and Women play their home games at Xcel (shiny new arena with all the bells and whistles) that will now be connected to campus by the LRT.
2. Gut the current Williams and Pavilion
3. Turn Williams/Pavilion into a world class practice facility for Men/Wmens Bball, wrestling, etc.

I know this is kind of a "splitting the baby" solution, but given the fiscal and logistical realities, this may be the best solution. Recruits get to play in an NBA caliber arena; Williams Arena is kept for posterity and turned into something useful.

I know everybody loves Williams Arena..I do too. Some of my best college memories were spent in the 4th row of the student section during that 1998 Final Four run. But we have to face the facts...today's recruits could care less about the "tradition" of a given bldg. What they want is a great coach, a winning program with great facilities, exposure, and a chance to make it to the next level. The tradition of a bldg is way down their list of priorities, especially for non-MN recruits. Our quaint antique, full of memories 'Barn' looks like a complete dump to any kid who didn't grow up in the 7 county metro.

As far as cost goes, to gut and turn Williams into a modern facility would be almost as costly as building a brand new arena. There are trough/urinal cakes in that joint older than Vaughn or Jones! You've got pre-WW2 pipes/plumbing in there for God's sakes...no way that stuff is still up to code.

So is Williams good for 1-2 wins a year due to "home court advantage"? It's certainly possible. But you know what gives us an even better home court advantage? Getting 4 and 5 stars recruits!
 

goofernation98, wow. first post suggests that the gophers take up permanent residency at the X, says we went to the Final Four in 98 (it was 97). wow. must be a badger or iowa troll.

moving the program to the X permanently is the worst idea ever. how many students do you think would make the trek to a mid-week 8pm tip-off against north dakota state? 35-40?
 

My bad Go4...I was typing fast and should have re-read before hitting post. Of course it was 96-97 season.

Anyway, my argument is not this is the ideal solution; only that this may be the best solution given the financial realities. Sure with unlimited funds we could turn Williams into a Taj Mahal, build a new practice facility, etc, etc. That would be great! But in light of the Vikings stadium debacle, there's NO WAY the state is going to fund a new/remodeled basketball arena for the U.
 

This has nothing to do with the price of tea in China but the U really dropped the ball facilities wise when the Barn was last renovated, "old" Mariucci became the Women's pavillion and the "new" Mariucci was built. New Mariucci should have been a multi-purpose venue like Value City or Kohls Arena. Cookie cutter venues? Yes. Do the teams that play in them succeed nonetheless? Yes. Until Target Field came along, the Barn was my favorite sporting venue, hands down. But, who wouldn't trade the Barn for sustained and lasting success? The Barn is a certainly a unique facility but is it a "storied" venue? Has it played host to multitudes of monumental games or events? No, not unless you are from Edgerton and are old enough to remember 1960. The only difference between the Barn and other old venues is that the other, old venues have been torn down. The Barn has no more significance nationally or even to its locale than any other of these long forgotten facilities.

The result of the myopic vision of the administration in the days of Barn remodeling and the Mariucci shuffle is that the U has a multitude performance of facilities and the attendant costs of maintaining and operating all of the same on an athletic budget that is not always healthy. The women's hoops team has since moved back to the Barn and we've added an ice rink for the female skaters. Meanwhile, there is a great need for practice facilities with a corresponding dearth of real estate upon which to put them. A single, major performance facility should have been built instead of new Mariucci, a smaller, auxiliary arena like Ridder could have been part of the plan as well, and then practice facilities for the programs using those facilities should have followed shortly thereafter. Instead, we will ultimately have four performance facilities and practice facilities for all those teams to boot and a larger line item for facilities operations and maintenance over all these years.

But then again, foresight is not something the U has exhibited in athletics.
 

Women's Basketball doesn't draw many people. Could Ridder Arena be used for Women's Basketball?
 

Not sure what kind of true Gopher fan would have a sn with "goofer" in it. That would be like a Badger fan having a sn with "becky" in it, or a Hawkeye fan having a sn with "hogeye" in it.
 

Moving the basketball team to Excel if a REALLY STUPID IDEA.

Building a multi-purpose arena - BB and Hockey is a REALLY STUPID IDEA.

What exactly is this VIKING DEBACLE you speak of, and how does it affect a new BB arena or remodeled Barn?

The Barn hosted the NCAA Championship game in the past(1950 I believe)....a bigger story than Edgerton in the national perspective.
 

I love the barn and think we should keep the "bowl" area intact. The concession areas could grow much larger moving towards University Ave, and towards the Pavillion side. Build men's and women's practice basketball facilities inside the Pavillion. If that displaces wrestling or volleyball, they can be moved to Bierman or some other campus location. The space in the Pavillion is woefully underused; a second level could be built and the the old hockey grandstands removed. There is potential in the Pavillion which could be turned into a very useful and attractive space.
 

What part of "we're building a new practice facility for multiple sports and renovating, not replacing the barn" don't some of you understand. There is no financial crisis, and playing in a new gym DOES NOT HELP YOU WIN OR RECRUIT.
 

Redbird said:
I love the barn and think we should keep the "bowl" area intact. The concession areas could grow much larger moving towards University Ave, and towards the Pavillion side. Build men's and women's practice basketball facilities inside the Pavillion. If that displaces wrestling or volleyball, they can be moved to Bierman or some other campus location. The space in the Pavillion is woefully underused; a second level could be built and the the old hockey grandstands removed. There is potential in the Pavillion which could be turned into a very useful and attractive space.
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The pavilion is the perfect size for volleyball and wrestling. There is not a space (besides Williams) at the U that can hold the 3-5 thousand that those teams draw.
 

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