Images: KU Athletics
The athletics department at the University of Kansas (KU) has detailed plans for a major redevelopment of Allen Fieldhouse, home of its Jayhawks basketball teams.
The historic arena, which has a capacity of 16,300, opened in 1955 and is famed for its loud atmosphere. The upgrades will seek to further enhance the fan experience at the arena with “state-of-the-art” amenities.
The project will be funded in large part by long-standing KU supporters and multi-generational Jayhawk families. The Jayhawks are the defending men’s NCAA champion after winning last year’s March Madness event at New Orleans’ Caesars Superdome.
The concourses on all three levels of Allen Fieldhouse will be reimagined, while there will also be expanded donor space throughout the arena that will increase capacity and facilitate more non-game day events. Improvements will also include additional chairback seating and new video boards, as well as a new sound system and lighting.
The second level of the arena will include an all-new premium ‘Jayhawk Pub’ concept, while a new and expanded Rally House Team Store will be located in the Booth Hall of Athletics. Premium hospitality spaces will also be reimagined, while a new centre-hung scoreboard, LED sports lighting and digital signage will be fitted.
The Wagnon Student Athlete Center will also be remodelled, with a focus to be placed on a modernised and welcoming ‘front door’ for recruits, fans, donors and sponsors.
The renovations and enhancements will be led by local design firm Multistudio, with work to begin this spring and carried out in two phases to navigate the 2023-24 basketball season. The project is expected to be finished by the autumn of 2024.
Travis Goff, director of athletics at KU, said: “Allen Fieldhouse is a preeminent destination for sports fans and has long been heralded as the best in-game experience in basketball.
“There is no arena in sport that provides the tradition and character of the Fieldhouse, and this project will go to great lengths to maintain that, while dramatically enhancing the fan experience for our men’s and women’s basketball supporters. This is a strong statement to our commitment to not just sustaining but elevating Kansas Basketball to new heights, and it will be a game changer for our programs, student-athletes and fans.”
KU recently announced plans for major upgrades to David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, home of its American football team.
The project will look to transform the area near the intersection of 11th and Mississippi streets with new facilities that may include a mix of conference and entertainment space, retail, and other functions that drive regional economic growth and generate revenue for academic programming.
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