(10-19-2015 11:46 AM)UTArlingtonMaverick Wrote:  

(10-19-2015 08:45 AM)CatMom Wrote:  

(10-18-2015 03:32 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Texas's arena looks like a big pile of elephant dung on the outside

That's because The Frank Erwin Center is multi purpose. It is the major events center in Austin. All the major concerts are there plus stuff like WWE, monster truck rallies, ice skating events and high school graduations. (Used to have an AFL team there also)

Doesn't look so bad from eye level. There isn't a whole lot of room on UT property to build something else, really. It's smack dab in the heart of downtown Austin, along IH35.

Oh, when it is time, UT
will find land for a new arena. Erwin is a 70s structure and completely blasé. And, it contributes nothing to the vitality of the area around it. Reid at A&m is better, but the aggies missed an opportunity to do something special. Reid is architecturally completely uninspiring. Also, it also does not engage its environment. It sits there as an object and adds nothing to the built environment.

It's next to a hospital.

(10-19-2015 11:46 AM)UTArlingtonMaverick Wrote:  

(10-19-2015 08:45 AM)CatMom Wrote:  

(10-18-2015 03:32 PM)WKUYG Wrote:  Texas's arena looks like a big pile of elephant dung on the outside

That's because The Frank Erwin Center is multi purpose. It is the major events center in Austin. All the major concerts are there plus stuff like WWE, monster truck rallies, ice skating events and high school graduations. (Used to have an AFL team there also)

Doesn't look so bad from eye level. There isn't a whole lot of room on UT property to build something else, really. It's smack dab in the heart of downtown Austin, along IH35.

Oh, when it is time, UT
will find land for a new arena. Erwin is a 70s structure and completely blasé. And, it contributes nothing to the vitality of the area around it. Reid at A&m is better, but the aggies missed an opportunity to do something special. Reid is architecturally completely uninspiring. Also, it also does not engage its environment. It sits there as an object and adds nothing to the built environment.

The "Superdrum" wasn't too bad inside in 1981 and in 1991. I saw the Cardinals beat Missouri in game 1 of the 1981 Midwest regional, but lose to #1 seed and eventual National Champion LSU in game 2 that year.

In 1991, the Lady Cardinals beat Texas in game #1 at the Erwin Center. (Game 2 was played in Beaumont against LSU setting our home record for a women's game with 9,143 in attendance. The Lady Cardinals won that one.)

In its day the Erwin Center was a HUGE upgrade over the 'Horn's previous home, Gregory Gymnasium.

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Back to the Sun Belt arenas, there are some really nice facilities in the conference. We had season tickets for three years of the early Cajun Dome days and enjoyed games there. I need to make a run to Arlington to check out CPC and San Marcos after the renovations to check out the new, improved Strahan. Those are both about 2-3 hours away from me. It would be nice to check out the other conference arenas as well.

I am pretty sure the latest campus expansion plan showed a new BB Arena. I think a new BB arena is probably right behind another football stadium expansion but might come first. I think it will depend on how quick we get to 10K in season tickets for football. This is def a NI area for GS, it does not make sense to continue dumping money into Hanner.

In the case of the Cajundome's renovation, that cost will be borne by the city, not the university. Phase 3 (I think) of the athletics master plan has a new basketball practice facility (with men's/women's coaching offices) to be built with the current practice facility attached to the IPF/APC to be converted to additional additional weight room space. I don't know it that will still be the plan as the newly constructed weight room is pretty big already.

Coastal's arena is small but new. I think it is a stop gap once the 5-6k public-private arena partnership fell through around 2007-2008. I would like to think that we have a plan for something larger, ideally a multi-purpose community arena. I'd like to see it either on campus or in the heart of Myrtle Beach on the location of an old mall that is just a parking lot now and is very close to the MB convention center. The Myrtle Beach area is growing and along with the tourists I think the area could support a 5k-7k arena.