Gophers talking about modernization of Williams Arena, similar to Purdue

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Holy Man said:
Trough urinals are underrated for their efficiency.
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That's cause you're not a kid about 8 years old like I saw this season. Not sure what bothered him most--the view from his angle or the mist.
 

I think they should redesign the upper deck seating. A lot of those seats have crap views with the scoreboard! obstructed view seats on the lower deck?!!! Terrible. Fix it, widen the concourses. Keep the weird HVAC ducts everywhere. Looks like a background setting on street fighter. Sort of like a Steampunk basketball court where Lonny Haskins fights. A street tough gym rat who happens to be a pipefitter's apprentice.
 

Tear it down and build a new 11,000 seat charming old school-looking Barn. Include all the modern amenities.

Make it a mini Conseco Field House (Indy), or something similar to what they've done at Virginia, Ole Miss, DePaul, Mizzou, USC, etc.

You want to revitalize the fan base, sell out games for the immediate future, and offer something recruits will love....don't mess around with remodeling. Build a new one, but do it right.

And, I know this is an unpopular take. But, its the right take. If it happens, people will attend games in the "New Barn" and love it.

It'll take some serious cajones for an AD to pull the trigger.

Play in Mariucci while we wait for the new one to go up.
 
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I would rather they leave as is and not increase ticket prices.

One slight change would be to adjust the lighting so that when the game is going on the only thing lit up is the court. When you go to the movies do they not dim the lights?
 

tjgopher said:
Tear it down and build a new 11,000 seat charming old school-looking Barn. Include all the modern amenities.

Make it a mini Conseco Field House (Indy), or something similar to what they've done at Virginia, Ole Miss, DePaul, Mizzou, USC, etc.

You want to revitalize the fan base, sell out games for the immediate future, and offer something recruits will love....don't mess around with remodeling. Build a new one, but do it right.

And, I know this is an unpopular take. But, its the right take. If it happens, people will attend games in the "New Barn" and love it.

It'll take some serious cajones for an AD to pull the trigger.

Play in Mariucci while we wait for the new one to go up.
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Cost difference between the remodel and tear down and rebuild? I think it may be a lot more than people think. As a second decker, I love the close feel we have for the court. I've not seen a new arena that replicates that.
 


abrams said:
It needed. Bad. The restroom from the upper level takes an effort to get at. The number of obstructed view seats is crazy. Rebuild it.
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Yes. Is it viable to get rid of the obstructed view with a "re-model"? I doubt it. Raze it and build a refreshed version like what Mizzou basketball and the Yankees did.
 

howeda7 said:
Yes. Is it viable to get rid of the obstructed view with a "re-model"? I doubt it. Raze it and build a refreshed version like what Mizzou basketball and the Yankees did.
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Probably not
 

Holy Man said:
Cost difference between the remodel and tear down and rebuild? I think it may be a lot more than people think. As a second decker, I love the close feel we have for the court. I've not seen a new arena that replicates that.
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This. I sat in the front row of the mezzanine (200 level) in Des Moines, and all I could think of was how I would have been completely outside the Barn from that distance. It is all out amazing how close to the action everyone is.

Further, do a case study of other schools who built new arenas in the last 20-30 years. Many regret losing the collegiate feel. Ohio State, NC State, Penn State, etc. Once you lose it, you can't go back.

Take the University Avenue Parking lot and build a new, double-deck atrium. Could provide added concessions and restroom facilities on both levels while increasing space. That would go a long way to providing new amenities without touching the bowl, which some in the athletic department have said was off limits from the start.

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theTurning said:
Either way, lower the damn floor.
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so, the original story said something like "we have the money." Where is that coming from?

As far as I know, the fund-raising for the Athletes Village is still 30 or 40 million short of its goal. So where do they get the money to renovate Williams? Unless some mystery donor is making a big gift (unlikely), the money would have to come from other existing sources.

On the arena itself, if they had the money, my preference would be to keep the shell of the building, gut everything on the inside, and re-do it from scratch. Maybe something like the Pentagon in Sioux Falls - with an old-time feel - but modern amenities. As long as you kept the raised floor, I think most people would accept it. Sure, concourses and bathroom upgrades would be nice, but the upper deck is still pretty wonky, and there are a lot of obstructed-view seats.
I would rather have 10-11,000 good seats than the current setup. A lot of those upper-deck seats are empty most games, anyway, so just re-design the upper deck, cut down the seating a little bit, and make the sight lines better.
 

It's so easy to get around the arena now, no reason to really widen the concourse, just expand the west lobby, maybe throw in a couple escalators and bathrooms.
 

short ornery norwegian said:
so, the original story said something like "we have the money." Where is that coming from?

As far as I know, the fund-raising for the Athletes Village is still 30 or 40 million short of its goal. So where do they get the money to renovate Williams? Unless some mystery donor is making a big gift (unlikely), the money would have to come from other existing sources.

On the arena itself, if they had the money, my preference would be to keep the shell of the building, gut everything on the inside, and re-do it from scratch. Maybe something like the Pentagon in Sioux Falls - with an old-time feel - but modern amenities. As long as you kept the raised floor, I think most people would accept it. Sure, concourses and bathroom upgrades would be nice, but the upper deck is still pretty wonky, and there are a lot of obstructed-view seats.
I would rather have 10-11,000 good seats than the current setup. A lot of those upper-deck seats are empty most games, anyway, so just re-design the upper deck, cut down the seating a little bit, and make the sight lines better.
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When we start winning, they will fill in just fine
 



Make the sports pavilion an open connection to the arena. Then turn it into a state fair like beer garden with a huge jumbotron. Add in kitchens in half of it and offer fried food en mass. Make beer garden available to people without seat tickets and let them in for $5/head. Kind of like Wisconsin's Hockey Arena.
 

JimmyJamesMD said:
When we start winning, they will fill in just fine
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Probably, but the TV driven scheduling has its own downward effect on attendance too. And that is not changing. I long for the days of loud, jam packed arenas and big games. We get a couple tastes a year, but it should be routine.
 

Holy Man said:
Probably, but the TV driven scheduling has its own downward effect on attendance too. And that is not changing. I long for the days of loud, jam packed arenas and big games. We get a couple tastes a year, but it should be routine.
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very true. 6pm weekday starts are the worst.
 

I know it would be an undertaking, but they need to do something about the legroom in the chair back areas. I've never sat in more uncomfortable seating. I'm average height and my knees ache after every game.
 

Otis said:
Make the sports pavilion an open connection to the arena. Then turn it into a state fair like beer garden with a huge jumbotron. Add in kitchens in half of it and offer fried food en mass. Make beer garden available to people without seat tickets and let them in for $5/head. Kind of like Wisconsin's Hockey Arena.
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Or a giant food court that would be open all year, not for just events.
 

nitramnaed said:
I know it would be an undertaking, but they need to do something about the legroom in the chair back areas. I've never sat in more uncomfortable seating. I'm average height and my knees ache after every game.
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That’s why the games are 20 minute halves. Image sitting there watching MLB!:(
 

nitramnaed said:
I know it would be an undertaking, but they need to do something about the legroom in the chair back areas. I've never sat in more uncomfortable seating. I'm average height and my knees ache after every game.
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Go to a football game at Iowa and you will think Williams is luxurious for leg room.
 

Otis said:
Make the sports pavilion an open connection to the arena. Then turn it into a state fair like beer garden with a huge jumbotron. Add in kitchens in half of it and offer fried food en mass. Make beer garden available to people without seat tickets and let them in for $5/head. Kind of like Wisconsin's Hockey Arena.
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HOLY F! This is just crazy enough to work!
 

nitramnaed said:
I know it would be an undertaking, but they need to do something about the legroom in the chair back areas. I've never sat in more uncomfortable seating. I'm average height and my knees ache after every game.
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The chair back areas should be ripped out and replaced with benches, just like it used to be.

Putting in chairs with backs (ie, stadium seats) did more to ruin the atmosphere at Williams than anything else. It’s created a population of fans who have come to expect sitting on their ass in comfort for 2 hours as if watching the theater.
 

alltimetwinsfan said:
Further, do a case study of other schools who built new arenas in the last 20-30 years. Many regret losing the collegiate feel. Ohio State, NC State, Penn State, etc. Once you lose it, you can't go back.
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You don't build it like Ohio State or Penn State or Nebraska or Wisconsin did (stale big buildings with too many seats). Although if building it like Ohio State or Wisconsin means you have the type of success they've had since they built it I suppose you can deal with it.

What you do is build it like DePaul, Virginia, Mizzou, St. Louis, Ole Miss, USC did. You keep it quaint, charming and collegiate. You make it 11,000 seats and the upper deck isn't that far back. You build it with all the amenities.

Season tickets go up, corporate support goes up, recruiting feels it. And, you get the enjoyment of modern facility with the feel of the Barn. People would love the New Barn if its done properly.
 
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Turn the floor so it runs perpendicular to what it does now. That would eliminate some of the obs. view in upper and lower decks and you could also make those areas between each truss a luxury sweet. Same thing could be done on the ends as well.
Definitely keep the floor raised.
The two biggest things about Williams arena are the closeness to action you are no matter where your seats are located and the noise level that can be generated by fans. That needs to stay the same and can only happen with leaving the structure as is and renovating/redoing the inside.
Like the idea of turning the Pav into a big beer/garden food court.
All modern arenas have an upper section that is way too far from the action. Would not want to see something like any of those.
 

WanderingGopher said:
The chair back areas should be ripped out and replaced with benches, just like it used to be.

Putting in chairs with backs (ie, stadium seats) did more to ruin the atmosphere at Williams than anything else. It’s created a population of fans who have come to expect sitting on their ass in comfort for 2 hours as if watching the theater.
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I’d be for that. But the Average age in those seats is about 82. I’m 62 and feel like a spring chicken in there.
 

Otis said:
Make the sports pavilion an open connection to the arena. Then turn it into a state fair like beer garden with a huge jumbotron. Add in kitchens in half of it and offer fried food en mass. Make beer garden available to people without seat tickets and let them in for $5/head. Kind of like Wisconsin's Hockey Arena.
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They had one event just a bit like this prior to a game - kids game and beer but no food. I bet they did well on it.
 

WanderingGopher said:
The chair back areas should be ripped out and replaced with benches, just like it used to be.

Putting in chairs with backs (ie, stadium seats) did more to ruin the atmosphere at Williams than anything else. It’s created a population of fans who have come to expect sitting on their ass in comfort for 2 hours as if watching the theater.
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Agree. I am in my late 70's, have tremendous seats but always stand to cheer and there are mostly people around me that just sit or complain about me standing !
 

GFBfan said:
Turn the floor so it runs perpendicular to what it does now. That would eliminate some of the obs. view in upper and lower decks and you could also make those areas between each truss a luxury sweet. Same thing could be done on the ends as well.
Definitely keep the floor raised.
The two biggest things about Williams arena are the closeness to action you are no matter where your seats are located and the noise level that can be generated by fans. That needs to stay the same and can only happen with leaving the structure as is and renovating/redoing the inside.
Like the idea of turning the Pav into a big beer/garden food court.
All modern arenas have an upper section that is way too far from the action. Would not want to see something like any of those.
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Not all, just most.
 


GFBfan said:
Turn the floor so it runs perpendicular to what it does now. That would eliminate some of the obs. view in upper and lower decks and you could also make those areas between each truss a luxury sweet. Same thing could be done on the ends as well.
Definitely keep the floor raised.
The two biggest things about Williams arena are the closeness to action you are no matter where your seats are located and the noise level that can be generated by fans. That needs to stay the same and can only happen with leaving the structure as is and renovating/redoing the inside.
Like the idea of turning the Pav into a big beer/garden food court.
All modern arenas have an upper section that is way too far from the action. Would not want to see something like any of those.
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This. Welsh-Ryan at Northwestern is set up this way and the remodel there is amazing. I’d also blow out the University avenue entrance and make that a much bigger entrance and concourse for concessions.


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