Have you heard the rumors surrounding the basketball arena? The fact is, Assembly Hall is old and although it looks pretty sweet from the outside, it is outdated and can only hold so many people. The talk surrounding the issue has explained initial plans for an Assembly Hall remodel, or an entirely new arena as reported by The Quad in April.
Anyway, due to the recent economy, any and all plans for a stadium remodel have been halted.
University spokesman Kent Brown says Athletic Director Ron Guenther decided to indefinitely delay the project because of the economy.
Illinois wrapped up $121 million of work at nearby Memorial Stadium last year. Brown says no dollar figure had been publicly discussed for the Assembly Hall project, but he says it would certainly have cost more.
The university planned to use private funding for the work. But Brown says announcing a big, new project as the university prepares to cut spending elsewhere wouldn’t have been wise.
WandTV – University of Illinois says sour economy puts plans for 46-year-old Assembly Hall on hold
January 9th, 2009 at 1:50 pm
I wonder how one would go about ‘remodeling’ assembly hall. As I remember the building is a circular or oval shape, made from concrete forms which are are all important structural elements. Any kind of change sound… challenging