Indiana Univ. on Friday will dedicate Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, an 18-month renovation process that added a new scoreboard, club seating, more fan amenities and the opening of the Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media & Technology. IU AD Fred Glass said the athletic department tried to maintain the arena’s “iconic feel” with the renovations, which were the first major improvements for a building that opened in ’71. A gift from Indianapolis philanthropist Cindy Simon Skjodt, the daughter of late Pacers co-Owner Mel Simon, funded the project. She donated $40M, while Cuban gave $5M. Both are IU alumni. The project was announced in December '13, just months before a men’s basketball game was postponed after a piece of metal fell from the ceiling and damaged seats. “Infrastructure was always a significant part of what we needed to accomplish,” Glass said. “That was sort of the baseline. Our campus guys came over, and everything they said we needed to do we did.”
HOOSIER HOME: Among the renovations is a Daktronics HD scoreboard and touchscreens in the main concourse that fans can navigate, searching through past IU All-Americans and certain teams, including Indiana high school players. Two LED screens were also installed, which can broadcast digital posters of players and live streams of games. All seats were replaced, with the new ones carrying the IU logo on cream and crimson seats. All of the bathrooms were remodeled, with 128 new fixtures, a 68% increase over what the arena had before. Nearly two-thirds of the new fixtures are for women. IU also implemented 16 all-gender bathrooms. Each of the venue's 11 concession stands also were remodeled, and each will have six flat-screen TVs that can project menus or live stream an ongoing game. There were six escalators added to the facility, as well as a new pressroom and media seating. Not everything is new, however: old scoreboards, basket stanchions and a hardwood floor were incorporated into the renovations. New ceilings and lights were added, as was terrazzo flooring on the main concourse.
OPEN DOOR POLICY: One of the main features of Assembly Hall is the south lobby atrium, which Glass described as a “gigantic front door facing campus.” Glass said the atrium is so big that it could host athletic and university events. The atrium also features a glass wall where visitors can look through onto the court, though blinds can be drawn when the men or women’s team is practicing. Glass said IU also made a significant investment in mechanical and electric plumbing, as well as a new emergency alarm system.
BUILD IT OUT: Assembly Hall did lose about 250 seats, lowering its total capacity to 17,222. However, it added 98 student seats after moving some press from the south bleachers, building on what IU calls the largest college basketball student section in the country at 7,800 students. IU also introduced club seating for the first time in the facility’s history. The Henke Spirit of ’76 Club is named after an IU donor and is a tribute to the team that won the national title by going undefeated, the last team to do so. The club holds 83 seats, which includes a TV monitor for every two seats. To be eligible to buy two seats, patrons must be a Hoosier Champion-level donor, which amounts to a $25,000 donation per year. Each seat costs $1,500, which also covers the cost of food and beverage. Glass said IU likely would have a wait list. Two Indianapolis-based companies worked on the project. CSO Architects served as architect, while Shiel Sexton served as general contractor. Glass said ticket and concession prices would remain the same. He added that the project finished on time and on budget.
IN CLEAR VIEW: The Mark Cuban Center for Sports Media & Technology was also part of the renovations, located in the facility’s west hallway. Included in the center is a studio with a green room to broadcast video and TV shows, as well as virtual reality technology. The Cuban Center also maintains 360-degree replay tech. Glass said Assembly Hall is the only college venue to have such technology, adding that it will soon be installed at Memorial Stadium, the team’s football venue. The Cuban Center serves as offices to some of the athletics department, as well as its social media team. It also has a partnership with the IU media school.
