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| Suite revenue helps fund scholarships. |
The University of Pittsburgh men's basketball team, which finished No. 9 in the country in 2001-02, has a new home this fall. But getting there was not easy.
When conceived in the early 1990s, the Petersen Events Center was projected to cost $69 million. As estimates skyrocketed to $93 million, and the university had trouble raising its portion of the financing, the state of Pennsylvania upped its original $13 million pledge, first by $25 million and then by another $15 million.
The center was built on the site of the school's old football stadium. Panthers football now plays its home games at Heinz Field, which opened in 2001 as home of the NFL Pittsburgh Steelers.
Club seats to both the men's and women's games cost $350 for the season and require a $1,000 per seat donation to the Panther Athletic Scholarship Fund; they are sold out. Suites range in price from $35,000 to $75,000 per year, with a portion going to the fund.
The arena replaces the 6,800-seat Fitzgerald Fieldhouse, which opened in 1951 and had no suites or club seats.
ARENA FACTS
City: Pittsburgh
Tenants: University of Pittsburgh men's and women's basketball teams
Owner/operator: University of Pittsburgh/SMG
Architect: Joint venture of Apostolou Associates and Rosser International
Construction manager: Pitt-Center Partners, a joint venture of P.J. Dick Inc., URS/O'Brien Kreitzberg and Mizerak Bowers & Associates Inc.
No. of seats: 12,500
No. of suites/club seats: 17/1,700
Projected cost: $93 million
Funding: $53 million from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania from existing state funds targeted for public colleges; $10 million from alumni Gertrude and John Petersen; balance from the university
Concessionaire/premium-seat caterer: The Wood Co. (both)
Pouring rights: Pepsi
Scoreboard provider: Daktronics
Floor provider: Connor Sports Flooring
Seat provider: Hussey Seating Co.
First game: Nov. 23 vs. Duquesne (men's)
Click here for a list of Petersen Events Center subcontractors.
