Assembly Hall (Bloomington)
| Assembly Hall | |
|---|---|
| Branch McCracken Court | |
 |
|
| Location | 1001 East 17th Street Bloomington, Indiana 47408-1590 |
| Coordinates | 39°10′51″N 86°31′19″W / 39.18083°N 86.52194°WCoordinates: 39°10′51″N 86°31′19″W / 39.18083°N 86.52194°W |
| Broke ground | 1968 |
| Opened | December 1, 1971[1] |
| Owner | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Operator | Indiana University Bloomington |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction cost | $26.6 million[2] ($153 million in 2012 dollars[3]) |
| Architect | Eggers & Higgins |
| Capacity | 17,472 (2011-present) 17,456 (2001-2011) 17,357 (1976-2001) 16,746 (1973-1976) 16,666 (1971-1973) |
| Tenants | |
| Indiana Hoosiers (NCAA) (1972–present) | |
Assembly Hall is a 17,472-seat arena on the campus of Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana. It is the home of the Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball and women's basketball teams. It opened in 1971, replacing the current Gladstein Fieldhouse.[4] The court is named after Branch McCracken, the men's basketball coach who led the school to its first two NCAA National Championships in 1940 and 1953. Basketball sportscaster Gus Johnson called Assembly Hall, "the Carnegie Hall of basketball."[5]
Contents |
[edit] History
[edit] Construction
Indiana officials spent decades planning and four years of construction before Assembly Hall was finally opened in 1971 at a cost of $12.2 million.[1] The new "Assembly Hall" was named in honor of the school's first basketball arena of the same name. The facility was intended to be aesthetically pleasing and hold a large capacity while offering modern conveniences.
The opening of the arena coincided with the debut of coach Bob Knight, who guided the Hoosiers for 29 seasons before his dimissal by then-IU president Myles Brand in September 2000.
School officials were intent on having the majority of the seats on the sides in order to improve the viewing experience, with only a small number (twenty rows of bleachers) behind the baskets.[1] Thus, in order to fit over 17,000 seats in the arena the sides needed to be very steep. The facility also features two balconies, but they are so high up that sitting in them can feel quite far away from the court.
Assembly Hall has been criticized by some fans for its unique design.[6] Because the facility was designed without consideration for the video replay board added in 2005 that currently hangs above center-court, some of the top rows of the lower level are obstructed from the replay board by the overhanging balcony. The entire court itself, however, is still viewable.
[edit] Upgrades and improvements
.jpg)
Indiana installed a new playing surface during the summer of 1995. New bleacher seats were added, as well, along with a media row and end seating platforms on Lobby Level.[7]
Upon his dismissal from Indiana, head coach Bob Knight predicted that with his departure advertisements would soon find their way into Assembly Hall. Knight said, "You'll see a new Assembly Hall this year I'm sure. There will probably be ads in it for everything from dog biscuits to Pepsi Cola, I would imagine. We've always tried to keep it really free from commercialism. It's kind of a sacred place where students come to play and students come to cheer." [8] In 2005 the school completed construction of a state-of-the-art, $1.9 million scoreboard-video board. As with Knight, some Hoosier purists criticized the new scoreboard and advertisements, which had never before been in Assembly Hall.[9]
In the spring of 2010 a new practice facility called Cook Hall was added adjacent to Assembly Hall. The two facilities are connected to each other by an underground tunnel. Cook Hall is 67,000 square feet (6,200 m2) and features coaches' offices, locker rooms, player lounges, meeting/video rooms, new practice courts, training rooms, a strength development area, and a Legacy Court.[10]
[edit] Atmosphere and success
Assembly Hall is well known as being one of the loudest venues in college basketball, aided both by passionate fans and its unique design of steep sides. Since opening for the 1971-72 season, over six million fans have attended men's basketball games at the venue. The men's team has been historically successful there, posting home winning streaks of 50 and 35 games.[4] Assembly Hall has been home to three national championships, 32 straight winning teams, and twelve conference champions.
[edit] New Arena
On June 22, 2007, Indiana University trustees approved the demolition of Assembly Hall and the construction of a new basketball arena "when appropriate." Populous was hired to assess the benefits of renovating or replacing Assembly Hall. The trustees decided against renovating the stadium for $115 million because construction of a new arena would cost $130 Million.[11]
[edit] Concerts, speakers and events
- Bob Hope and Petula Clark - Fall 1971 (Football Homecoming)
- Jesus Christ Superstar - Fall 1971
- The Jackson 5 and The Temptations - Spring 1972 (Little 500 Concert)
- Stephen Stills and Manassas - October 19, 1972
- Elton John - October 7, 1973
- Bob Dylan - February 3, 1974, with The Band and October 19, 2007, with Elvis Costello and Amos Lee
- Elvis Presley - June 27, 1974 and May 27, 1976
- Traffic - October 18, 1974
- Neil Young - 1974
- The Rolling Stones - July 26, 1975
- Jethro Tull - October 31, 1975
- The Who - November 30, 1975
- The Grateful Dead - October 30, 1977
- Sub-regional NCAA basketball tournament games - 1977
- Yes - April 10, 1979
- Sub-regional NCAA basketball tournament games - 1979
- The Eagles - Spring 1980
- Jackson Browne - September 14, 1980
- Molly Hatchet and Blue Öyster Cult - October 26, 1980
- Midwest regional finals of the NCAA basketball tournament - 1981
- Sting - February 24, 1988
- Brass Theatre, featuring The Canadian Brass - 1996
- Smashing Pumpkins - January 18, 1997
- Bill Gates - 1998
- The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Foo Fighters - April 8, 2000
- Def Leppard - October 28, 2006, with Journey and Stoll Vaughan
- Former President of the United States Bill Clinton - April 2, 2008
- Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - April 7, 2008
- Hillary Rodham Clinton - April 25, 2008
- Barack Obama - April 30, 2008
- Lil Wayne - April 12,2011
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Hiner, Jason; Van Arsdale, Dick (2005). Indiana University Basketball Encyclopedia. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 1-58261-655-8. http://books.google.com/books?id=PtrhqxYPifMC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false.
- ^ Tolliver, Melanie (2002). Indiana University Basketball: For the Thrill of It. Champaign, Illinois: Sports Publishing LLC. p. 11. ISBN 1582615799. http://books.google.com/books?id=Yj_G7-ZILNgC&pg=PA11&dq=en&sa=X&ei=wsgcT__nBuv0sQL4kIXECw&ved=0CFkQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved January 22, 2012.
- ^ Staff. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2012. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 22, 2012.
- ^ a b "Assembly Hall". Indiana University Athletics. http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/facilities/ind-facilities-assembly.html. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Indiana's Assembly Hall". YouTube via IU Athletics. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KwopEvM9Csg&feature=youtu.be. Retrieved 28 March 2012.
- ^ M, John (24 June 2009). "Should IU Replace Assembly Hall?". The Crimson Quarry. http://www.crimsonquarry.com/2009/7/24/960767/should-iu-replace-assembly-hall. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ Bikoff, Ken (4 April 2010). "A Basketball Palace". Inside Indiana. http://indiana.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1070794. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Bobby Knight speaks". Indianapolis Star. http://www.indystar.com/videonetwork/605756439001/Part-1-Bobby-Knight-speaks. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
- ^ Click, Dan (7 April 2012). "New Assembly scoreboard to bring video, ads". Indiana Daily Student. http://idsnews.com/news/story.aspx?id=41989. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "Cook Hall". Indiana University Athletics. http://iuhoosiers.cstv.com/facilities/ind-facilities-cook-hall.html. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
- ^ "IU Trustees Back Move to Replace Assembly Hall". WTHR. http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6695408. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
39°10′51″N 86°31′19″W / 39.18083°N 86.52194°WCoordinates: 39°10′51″N 86°31′19″W / 39.18083°N 86.52194°W
|
|||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||
|
|||||
