Pregame: The Assembly Hall Renovation Project

[Groundhogday]

Originally Posted by ButkusDaBear

A dark horse horse in the race would be Jimmy John's. His franchise is expanding at an incredible rate.

But would he have the cash?

[OrangeAndBlue217]

Is ADM in Decatur an option for this type of thing? I know they are a top 25 fortune 500 company so I am sure there is some money there.

[IlliniFan1988]

Originally Posted by OrangeAndBlue217

Is ADM in Decatur an option for this type of thing? I know they are a top 25 fortune 500 company so I am sure there is some money there.

Not sure. They sponsor local events and donate to local charities, but I don't know about a large sponsorship like this. Caterpillar also has sponsored us recently (promoting the new Visitor Center in Peoria). They sponsor the 31 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series car of Jeff Burton and have sponsored a NASCAR team since the mid 1990's. This would be a bit different, but they have done large sponsorships before so they might be willing to listen. However, I wouldn't be shocked to see them scale back with how things have been.

[MTILLINOIS]

Originally Posted by ChiBears

I completely agree with what you are saying, it would be weird not calling it assembly hall and calling it something else. I'm a cubs fan but I still call the "Cell" comiskey because that is what I'm use to calling it same goes for the sears tower.

I'm with you and I work for US Cell. It just never had the right name.

[boneh3ad]

Originally Posted by ButkusDaBear

A dark horse horse in the race would be Jimmy John's. His franchise is expanding at an incredible rate.

AND he is about to move his headquarters to Florida or Texas... Oh wait, that hurts, not helps.

[Seyton]

If they change the side the TV cameras are on (so they show the Orange Krush in the background) then they should flip the state of Illinois on the court so it's not upside down.

Also, just a minor nit-pick: I wish they would make the lines on the lane and three point line either organge or blue. White is boring and isn't unique to anyone - all home teams are white (never understood why MSU's fans dress in all white instead of green).

[AzIlliniFan]

Originally Posted by Seyton

If they change the side the TV cameras are on (so they show the Orange Krush in the background) then they should flip the state of Illinois on the court so it's not upside down.

Also, just a minor nit-pick: I wish they would make the lines on the lane and three point line either organge or blue. White is boring and isn't unique to anyone - all home teams are white (never understood why MSU's fans dress in all white instead of green).

They will flip all or most of the logos/writing on the court to match the TV view.

Michigan States darker green isn't as visually appealing as white. Especially on TV.

[Dan]

Breakdown of the Assembly Hall Renovation Project

Assembly Hall, present day-


Assembly Hall renovation renderings-



"Assembly Hall is 50 years old and has fallen behind other Big Ten facilities. We are currently the oldest Big Ten Basketball facility without a major renovation."
Re-Assemble The Hall



Note - NOTHING HAS BEEN FINALIZED YET.

Here's a rundown of the Assembly Hall Renovation project based upon info released by the Re-Assemble Assembly Hall campaign, plus various other sources found within this thread since the project was kicked off in April 2011.



___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Cost: $160M

83% of the cost will come from naming rights, donors & premium seating. 17% of the cost will come from a $25/semester increase to the general student fee.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Construction timeline: March 2014 - August 2016

Illini basketball will continue to play at the Assembly Hall during the renovation period. The major construction will occur during the 2014, 2015 & 2016 offseasons.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Capacity

The post-renovation capacity for men's basketball will be reduced by 1,000-1,200. Current Assembly Hall capacity: 16,618.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

The floor will *not* be lowered

Lowering the arena floor was in the initial project plans. However, due to sightline issues and/or a bad cost-benefit ratio, the floor will not be lowered.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

New grand entry addition

The grand entry will likely go on the east side of the Assembly Hall, which is also the location of new premium seating.

Grand entry features-

* Indoor area for fans to congregate before arena doors open for events.
* Points of entry, including dedicated entrances for Orange Krush & the premium seats.
* Ticket office.
* Illini fan store.
* Illini Hall of Fame area.
* Administrative offices.
* Meeting rooms.






___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Orange Krush / student improvements

* Student seating on the floor will double, from ~600 to ~1,200.
* The main Orange Krush area will be situated along the sideline behind the team benches and receive maximum TV exposure from the main camera.
* All students on the floor will be able to stand without obstructing fans in other sections.
* Student floor seating will be colored orange.
* Student floor seats will not be 100% Orange Krush.
* Students will have a private entrance to the arena.
* Students will have a private lounge for use at basketball games, concerts and shows throughout the year, and for RSO's and student groups to utilize as meeting space.




___________________________________________________________________________________________________

New premium seating

There are 3 premium seating options - Luxury Suites, Clubs Seats and Loge Boxes. All 3 premium seating areas have access to the Club Area.

Luxury Suites
* Location: B Section.
* Quantity: 12.
* Cost: Approx $60,000 per year (5, 7 or 10 year contract).
* Each suite will seat about a dozen fans.
* Extra-wide padded chair back seats.
* Refrigerator, sink and countertop.
* TVs.
* Coat closet.

Club Seats
* Location: A Section.
* Quantity: 1,000-1,400.
* Cost: $2,500-$4,000 per seat annually (3, 5 or 7 year contract).
* Extra-wide padded chair back seats.

Loge Boxes
* Location: B Section
* Quantity: Unknown.
* Cost: $12,000-$16,000 per box annually (3, 5 or 7 year contract).
* Each Loge Box will include 4 seats.
* Extra-wide chair back seats.
* LED monitors in seating area.

Club Area
* Location: B Section.
* Club space for socializing.
* Expanded food & beverage service.
* Private restroom facilities.
* TVs.


___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Arena interior changes

* The lower bowl (A Section) will be demolished and totally rebuilt.
* The lower bowl seating structure will be retractable, providing 2,500 square feet more open space on the arena floor for events such as concerts.
* For basketball, the team benches and scorer's table will be moved from the west side to the east side.
* The main TV camera will be moved to the west side to face the benches and main Orange Krush area.
* The band will be put somewhere with the students in the orange seats.
* To be determined where the media will sit.
* All seating will be upgraded. The non-student seating will be colored Illinois blue.
* Railings added to all aisles.
* There will be more design elements around the Hall which reflect the history of the university and the sports programs.
* New video board and ribbon board. The east and west scoreboards will be removed.
* New feature: Air conditioning.
* Updated lighting.
* ADA improvements.


Basketball layout-

Rendering provided by the Re-Assemble The Hall campaign. Text & diagrams added by Dan O'Brien.



Concert layout-



___________________________________________________________________________________________________

Concourse improvements

* The upper and lower concourses will be expanded.
* Restrooms added to upper and lower concourses.
* Concession stands added to each concourse level.

[trevdv]

What exactly do they mean by "all seats will be upgraded?"

Padding? Bigger?

[MA Illini]

Have to love the larger student section and the realization that the impression to TV cameras/audience is important for building the IL brand. I'm sure there are things people will knit pick about, but overall I think the design is a solid step in the right direction. I hope the luxury box contracts include a clause that a minimum number or people be in the suite during the game.

Included in all the facilities upgrades need to be an efficient system to redistribute tickets that are not going to be used. Even something like sell the tickets at full price online, or half price the day of the game and give the ticket holder who turn them back in a refund equal to 1/2 of the resale amount.

[IlliniTilDeath]

Originally Posted by trevdv

What exactly do they mean by "all seats will be upgraded?"

Padding? Bigger?

Hopefully it means they gut those babies

[MA Illini]

Originally Posted by trevdv

What exactly do they mean by "all seats will be upgraded?"

Padding? Bigger?

Good question. I assumed it meant padded. Bigger would cause a lot of logistical issues with seat placement and I think capacity would go down more than the 1000-1200 indicated.

[BrooksTaylorFan]

I wish they would move the Club Seats to the other side and give the Krush that entire area. The last thing we need is empty Club seats like the A section is. Hopefully they will come up with a way to avoid empty seats in main view of the camera.

Can we paint a giant orange letter I, or the Chief, on the top of Assembly Hall?

[mdonsbach]

Originally Posted by BrooksTaylorFan

I wish they would move the Club Seats to the other side and give the Krush that entire area. The last thing we need is empty Club seats like the A section is. Hopefully they will come up with a way to avoid empty seats in main view of the camera.

Can we paint a giant orange letter I, or the Chief, on the top of Assembly Hall?

It's be interesting to see how the camera angle is. Hopefully the camera stops just above the Orange Krush and we could care less if the Club seats are filled.

[trevdv]

Originally Posted by BrooksTaylorFan

Can we paint a giant orange letter I, or the Chief, on the top of Assembly Hall?

You get the paint, I'll bring a ladder.

[Dan]

Originally Posted by trevdv

What exactly do they mean by "all seats will be upgraded?"

Padding? Bigger?

My interpretation is, all of C Section plus the non-premium area of B Section will get new seats. The seats will be the same size of the current seats, be padded, and colored Illinois blue. This will be a nice upgrade for people who have the non-padded seats.

[illini8507]

i doubt they could make them bigger and be able to lose only the 1000-1200 seats, so probably padding.

I like everything about this project. Do it

[trevdv]

I'm not a big fan of losing 2,000 seats, but if it has to happen it has to happen. If we can sell out 16,600 seats to enthusiastic fans, what happens when we cut 2,000 seats? Too bad for those fans?

[illini8507]

a few less season tickets availiable to non-students, i would think

[trevdv]

Originally Posted by illini8507

A few less season tickets availiable to non-students, i would think

So by a few you mean roughly 2,000?

[illini8507]

1000-1200 is the estimated shortage of seating compared to AH now. And yes, thats where i think they come from. not really anywhere else to take them from, they sure wont be able to take them from the students

[OrangeAndBlue217]

Originally Posted by trevdv

So by a few you mean roughly 2,000?

To be fair its more like roughly 1000.

[jrichisamazing]

Originally Posted by trevdv

I'm not a big fan of losing 2,000 seats, but if it has to happen it has to happen. If we can sell out 16,600 seats to enthusiastic fans, what happens when we cut 2,000 seats? Too bad for those fans?

I think it would create a better atmosphere. Buying tickets would be much tougher. The people who want to be there the most will plan in advance to get tickets. Not as many casual fans would be able to go online and get tickets the day of a game.

[trevdv]

Originally Posted by jrichisamazing

I think it would create a better atmosphere. Buying tickets would be much tougher. The people who want to be there the most will plan in advance to get tickets. Not as many casual fans would be able to go online and get tickets the day of a game.

Good point. I have season tickets in C, and whenever I'm entering AH in A-section to head up to C, I think to myself, "I could be a much better A-section fan than that family of six who don't even appear to be watching the game." If this eliminates lackadaisical fans who aren't really as invested in the games as I am, it's fine by me.

[trevdv]

Also, are there really enough Orange Krush members so that we can double the amount of student section seats and still keep it looking chock-full?