60th Anniversary of the Assembly Hall (Sat. March 4)

DICKnaggie · Feb 25, 2023

So many great memories at the Hall. I remember the old scoreboard from back in the late 70'/early 80's when my dad and I had season tickets. Roaming the hallways at halftime with my middle school friends...still remember one game where even though we were into the game, we all couldn't wait to get home to see the premier of the Thriller video on MTV. Hall and Oates was my first concert there and it was fantastic!

jayd · Feb 25, 2023

Wonder how many old timers still refer to it as the Assembly Hall like me. It’s a shame they couldn’t have worked with the current sponsor to keep it included on the name. The State Farm Assembly Hall would have made the sponsors name prominent and yet included a nod to the past.

SuperintendentChalmers · Feb 25, 2023

dbeaverfg said:
Still very disappointed that the naming rights agreement didn't make it the State Farm Assembly Hall. Why the original name had to disappear is beyond me.

I believe it was a professor who would occasionally write pieces contesting the name of Assembly Hall, because it was not a "hall," which he took to mean "a rectangular space with various entryways." He crafted some technical, impossible-to-prounounce name that he said accuratlely described the building's dome and circular shape. Though his suggestion wasn't used, I hope he was somewhat gratified by the name switch to State Farm Center if he was still around.

altgeld88 · Feb 25, 2023

SuperintendentChalmers said:
I believe it was a professor who would occasionally write pieces contesting the name of Assembly Hall, because it was not a "hall," which he took to mean "a rectangular space with various entryways." He crafted some technical, impossible-to-prounounce name that he said accuratlely described the building's dome and circular shape. Though his suggestion wasn't used, I hope he was somewhat gratified by the name switch to State Farm Center if he was still around.

I'd never considered that. It should indeed have been called the Assembly Rotunda. Of course, as a professor, "rotunda" would be far too pedestrian a term for him to use, so he invoked the impossible-to-pronounce name.

He probably also obsessed about how the millennium ended properly on Dec 31, 2000 because there was no "year zero." I'm sure he both deplored and boycotted the Dec 1999 celebrations.

jayd · Feb 25, 2023

As for concerts I’ve seen there, Zappa was the loudest. Saw a lot in the 70s/80s/90s like the original Chicago, Styx, Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, They Might Be Giants, Hootie and the Blowfish, Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley and Illini alum Dan Fogelberg.

Fighter of the Nightman · Feb 25, 2023

I remember my dad telling me of when he went to the Assembly Hall for the State Tournament when he was a kid. He said it felt like the biggest arena on earth, haha.

SuperintendentChalmers · Feb 25, 2023

jayd said:
As for concerts I’ve seen there, Zappa was the loudest. Saw a lot in the 70s/80s/90s like the original Chicago, Styx, Jackson Browne, Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel, Neil Diamond, Ray Charles, They Might Be Giants, Hootie and the Blowfish, Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Don Henley and Illini alum Dan Fogelberg.

Wow, never realized TMBG played Assembly Hall. I saw them at the Virginia in 1990.

dbeaverfg · Feb 25, 2023

SuperintendentChalmers said:
I believe it was a professor who would occasionally write pieces contesting the name of Assembly Hall, because it was not a "hall," which he took to mean "a rectangular space with various entryways." He crafted some technical, impossible-to-prounounce name that he said accuratlely described the building's dome and circular shape. Though his suggestion wasn't used, I hope he was somewhat gratified by the name switch to State Farm Center if he was still around.

If that's the case the professor would have been wrong (not the first time I've seen that

). Definition:

hall

noun

A corridor or passageway in a building.
A large entrance room or vestibule in a building; a lobby.
A building for public gatherings or entertainments.

I also saw some great concerts there from 76-80 including: Earth Wind & Fire, Marshall Tucker, George Benson, Foreigner, Boston, REO, Fleetwood Mac... and the greatest performance of all, Eddie's jumper to defeat Magic and MSU!!

Rap47 · Feb 25, 2023

I was lucky enough to see the Rolling Stones at The Hall in 1969

2X2L · Feb 25, 2023

Thanks for the memories! Only been there twice, once when Coach Chester was playing.

What a beautiful place. So glad they decided to renovate, not demolish it.

Thanks, Mr. Abramovitz, for such a brilliant and futuristic design.

ohioillini77 · Feb 25, 2023

altgeld88 said:
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I lived in Champaign at the time ( I was 8 in 1963). Saw a game there first year.

BRucks · Feb 25, 2023

So I remember correctly that there was significant labor strife that delayed the opening of the building for a lengthy period of time?

WWWWRocU · Feb 25, 2023

Driving back down to campus with my mom and youngest sister (about 8 years old) in the car I made my way down to Kirby and began driving east to campus. When I cleared Neil St. and approaching First St., I suddenly pointed to my right and shouted "Look, it's the space ship!" They got a kick out of that.

Seals and Croft made us wait a good 2 hours or so before they started. My date was not amused.

Mr. Tibbs · Feb 25, 2023

WWWWRocU said:
Seals and Croft made us wait a good 2 hours or so before they started. My date was not amused.

my small private high school (I was still in Jr High at the time) made it to the then Class A finals and I got to go with my family as my folks were alums. There were all kinds of posters in the AH for Seals & Crofts. Pretty sure this was in March of 1973 (or 1974)

I was an usher at AH from 1980-1983. I saw 80% of the Illini games and 90% of the concerts those years.
All while getting paid about $15-20 an event. It was easy gig

2X2L · Feb 25, 2023

Yes, only two games in person at Assembly Hall for me, but I have watched many games on this thing which you earthlings call television. Especially versus Wake Forest. Paint the hall thing. My optometrist is always asking if I usually see a lot of orange. Yes, a sea of orange, I say, and an ocean deep of pretty close to navy blue.

Go Illini! Orange and Blue on my planet!

Mr. Roberts · Feb 25, 2023

Mr. Tibbs said:
I was an usher at AH from 1980-1983. I saw 80% of the Illini games and 90% of the concerts those years.
All while getting paid about $15-20 an event. It was easy gig

altgeld88 · Feb 25, 2023

Maximus Abramovitz, surveying his creation. Or, based on his posture in the second photo, the old Swine Research Facility at First & St. Mary's:

racinghoss · Feb 25, 2023

Illinirog70 said:
I started school there in '65 and loved watching games there. It is so accoustically perfect that you could hear a conversation across the entire facility. I still think it is the best place ever to watch a game, especially when it's full and loud.

A couple of years later during a game, a ref had a seizure and fell to the floor, twitching. An absolute silence struck the crowd, until you heard some yell "should have been the other one!"

Every one gasped and booed the comment. the ref turned out to be okay, and the game went on.

I think they pulled some random guy out of the stands to fill in and he did way better than the other refs, despite his white cane and guard dog.
I think he's still reffing Big-10 games today...

OMG, this post has me in a full belly laugh

Seagee · Feb 25, 2023

PRINCE - 2004 !! Maybe the best show I’ve ever seen (out of hundreds). Also great memories going to 80’s games with my Grandpa.

Konnie · Feb 25, 2023

The most memorable event I went to in the Assembly Hall was with my dad when he took me to see Michigan and Illinois play basketball in the mid-’60s. I got to see Cazzie Russel and Tal Brody play(of course Michigan won the game). When I was at the University in the late 60s early 70s, the basketball team was not very good and I remember seeing Rick Mount just burn the nets with his shooting. I saw the Supremes and Rolling Stones in concert.

Macho Man · Feb 25, 2023

Fighter of the Nightman said:
I remember my dad telling me of when he went to the Assembly Hall for the State Tournament when he was a kid. He said it felt like the biggest arena on earth, haha.

My high school went to state finals in 1963 (Peoria Central). Beat Steven Decater (with Dave Sholz) in quarter-finals, lost to Chicago Carver insemi-finals. Loved UIUC from the time I stepped off the bus.

Chilliniwek · Feb 26, 2023

I love seeing all of these memories and I have a couple of my own which I’ll post soon. I do have a question though.

A great friend of mine studied engineering there in the 70’s, and he told me that there were professors who refused to enter the Hall, because they thought the design theory was flawed, and that it would eventually collapse. I’ve never been able to find anything that confirms this.

Any thoughts?

InDaAZ · Feb 26, 2023

Chilliniwek said:
A great friend of mine studied engineering there in the 70’s, and he told me that there were professors who refused to enter the Hall, because they thought the design theory was flawed, and that it would eventually collapse. I’ve never been able to find anything that confirms this.

Any thoughts?

Those professors should have been more worried about the other Assembly Hall…

https://www.indystar.com/story/spor...ll-scoreboard-ohio-state-indiana/69852093007/

https://heavy.com/news/2014/02/meta...embly-hall-iowa-indiana-basketball-cancelled/

https://www.cnn.com/videos/sports/2014/02/19/pkg-in-metals-falls-from-iu-areana.wish

the national · Feb 26, 2023

Illinirog70 said:
I started school there in '65 and loved watching games there. It is so accoustically perfect that you could hear a conversation across the entire facility. I still think it is the best place ever to watch a game, especially when it's full and loud.

A couple of years later during a game, a ref had a seizure and fell to the floor, twitching. An absolute silence struck the crowd, until you heard some yell "should have been the other one!"

Every one gasped and booed the comment. the ref turned out to be okay, and the game went on.

I think they pulled some random guy out of the stands to fill in and he did way better than the other refs, despite his white cane and guard dog.
I think he's still reffing Big-10 games today...

I think I’ve heard Loren Tate talk about this. The ref the pulled was a a high school ref. I think it was mentioned on a Saturday sports talk

illini80 · Feb 26, 2023

Chilliniwek said:
I love seeing all of these memories and I have a couple of my own which I’ll post soon. I do have a question though.

A great friend of mine studied engineering there in the 70’s, and he told me that there were professors who refused to enter the Hall, because they thought the design theory was flawed, and that it would eventually collapse. I’ve never been able to find anything that confirms this.

Any thoughts?

I’ve never heard that, but to be honest there weren’t a lot engineers hanging out at Kams with me.

60th Anniversary of the Assembly Hall (Sat. March 4)

hall​

noun​

Herndon, VA

hall

noun