DanvIllini
Super Lurker
- Danville, IL
Probably just stats. Blue background. Orange lettering. Hopefully limited advertising during tv timeouts.
State Farm Center Renovation
ilphotog
The camera never lies
- Champaign
Since some have made the statement about the SFC " not getting its monies worth" (maybe your right ?) I'll try to put some of it perspective. Note these are just my thoughts of what I've seen etc. I do not have knowledge of how much many of the things cost.
The current est. cost is $170 million. After it's all paid off with interest it'll obviously be more. I'm going to guess that everything is included in the cost.
1. Architects - cant even imagine the cost of this.
2. Labor - With this being and Union job throughout I would think the labor cost for this job is substantial. Most days there were close to 200 people working on site 5-6 days a week. Hours ranging from 8-12 per day and several days/weeks of two shifts at 8-10 hours each.
Not sure of per hour rates but I would guess on the low end laborers ($25-$30 per hour) and the high end electricians, plumbers, eq. operators ($50 and up per hour)
3. Demolition and clean up
4. Concrete - I was told a new average size driveway (2 cars wide) cost about $2500. To see how much concrete has been poured is staggering, I realize the public will never see a lot of it. All the concrete around the outside of the building is new, all of the mechanical area's and several area's on the lower concourse. Inside the arena the floor and the former A-section as well as the suite area's.
5. Nearly 15,000 new seats. Hundreds of new chairs, tables and all the things going into the clubs. All new light fixtures throughout the building, all new doors throughout including entrance doors, office doors and 4 each for every portal.
6. All new glass panels
7. All new wire-ring all throughout, along with all new plumbing and new fixtures. Thousands of new cinder blocks (walls), tons of drywall and carpet. All new office furniture tables, chairs, desks, cabinets .
8. HVAC- The size of this equipment is amazing, compared to the old 50+ year old system, its hard to compare. The cost of this stuff and its utilities are in the millions.
I probably forgot some things, but hopefully this will at least help explain some of the cost, I totally understand those who judge it by walking in and seeing it during a game. But so much that has been done is out of the public view.
The current est. cost is $170 million. After it's all paid off with interest it'll obviously be more. I'm going to guess that everything is included in the cost.
1. Architects - cant even imagine the cost of this.
2. Labor - With this being and Union job throughout I would think the labor cost for this job is substantial. Most days there were close to 200 people working on site 5-6 days a week. Hours ranging from 8-12 per day and several days/weeks of two shifts at 8-10 hours each.
Not sure of per hour rates but I would guess on the low end laborers ($25-$30 per hour) and the high end electricians, plumbers, eq. operators ($50 and up per hour)
3. Demolition and clean up
4. Concrete - I was told a new average size driveway (2 cars wide) cost about $2500. To see how much concrete has been poured is staggering, I realize the public will never see a lot of it. All the concrete around the outside of the building is new, all of the mechanical area's and several area's on the lower concourse. Inside the arena the floor and the former A-section as well as the suite area's.
5. Nearly 15,000 new seats. Hundreds of new chairs, tables and all the things going into the clubs. All new light fixtures throughout the building, all new doors throughout including entrance doors, office doors and 4 each for every portal.
6. All new glass panels
7. All new wire-ring all throughout, along with all new plumbing and new fixtures. Thousands of new cinder blocks (walls), tons of drywall and carpet. All new office furniture tables, chairs, desks, cabinets .
8. HVAC- The size of this equipment is amazing, compared to the old 50+ year old system, its hard to compare. The cost of this stuff and its utilities are in the millions.
I probably forgot some things, but hopefully this will at least help explain some of the cost, I totally understand those who judge it by walking in and seeing it during a game. But so much that has been done is out of the public view.
The sum is mind boggling but these things cost huge money. We have an essentially new building that should last as long as a new built from the ground up building would. I have supported renovation all along and am happy with the product to date. Will it be a 10? I don't know but it will be pretty darn close.
Those that did not support renovation must come from a different perspective than mine. I moved to C-U at age 9 just as the Assembly Hall was completed. It was a wonder then and the community was proud to have it. I attended many events there through the years but particularly as an undergraduate when many concerts were held there. I think we could get seats in the nose-bleed sections where the acoustics were great for just a few dollars in those days. I moved away but came back 10 years later and have been here ever since. The Assembly Hall has always been a symbol of this community and an inspiration for me.
Somewhere along the way, I gained a deep appreciation for architecture in general and came to know the architectural significance of this particular building. It holds a unique place not just in C-U and Illinois but in the world history of commercial architecture. this is not something that can be replicated and can easily be lost. It is something worth preserving for future generations and I am sorry if others can not see this the way I can.
Those that did not support renovation must come from a different perspective than mine. I moved to C-U at age 9 just as the Assembly Hall was completed. It was a wonder then and the community was proud to have it. I attended many events there through the years but particularly as an undergraduate when many concerts were held there. I think we could get seats in the nose-bleed sections where the acoustics were great for just a few dollars in those days. I moved away but came back 10 years later and have been here ever since. The Assembly Hall has always been a symbol of this community and an inspiration for me.
Somewhere along the way, I gained a deep appreciation for architecture in general and came to know the architectural significance of this particular building. It holds a unique place not just in C-U and Illinois but in the world history of commercial architecture. this is not something that can be replicated and can easily be lost. It is something worth preserving for future generations and I am sorry if others can not see this the way I can.
Stevegarbs
- Mokena, IL
midastouch11
- New York, New York
+1. Completely agree.
I think the renovations looked great on TV, and the all the bells and whistles are really supposed to be in this final stage of renovation.
+1, SFC is an architectural icon and that matters a whole lot to me. I just can't get excited about the bland, cookie-cutter arenas (even if they're very nice inside) that so many other schools have.
I think this is a good point and a lot of the flaws that people are complaining about are things being addressed in this last phase. The restroom situation will be better when all are completed and the lack of a dedicated entrance and exit doors will become less salient. The concession stands will be better integrated into the building. There will be less grey concrete visible and the overall fit and finish will be complete.
Some of the other issues seem to be related to change in general. I think people will get used to not being able to walk the perimeter any more and it is not that big of a deal. The new seats are really not as bad as some make them out to be. I am sure there are some other things that fit in to this category as well.
One question I had regarding restrooms is something that some here will know. Do the premium seats with lounge/club areas have their own restrooms? I am assuming that they do and that this has helped the restroom situation tremendously.
I was at the Ohio State game and used the concourse restroom about 5 min. before the end of the first half. I had no line and was in and out quickly. It was a long way from my seat so having a couple more will be much better. I can see how if some waited til halftime that the current restroom situation would seem inadequate.
ilphotog
The camera never lies
- Champaign
Yes on the restrooms, also the two new clubs will have their own restrooms.
SOILL-ILLINIFAN
- Red Bud IL
Just wondering if they will put down a new court for next season since this is the final stage of renovations
Yes. :thumb:
As I was originally considering our options for our facility, I came up with 3 options:
1 - Build a new state of the art BB facility for a cost of about $190 million (including the cost of the land). And air condition The Assembly Hall (for about $10 million), and figure out how to support it as well as the new BB building.
2 - Tear down the Assembly Hall and build a new General Purpose building that would be equivalent to the features of the Renovated SFC. Total cost of about $300 million (including the cost of removing the Assembly Hall).
3 - Renovating the SFC like what it is going to be 8 months from now for $170 million.
Now I think the $170 million is well spent. And wait to judge until you have toured the finished product.
1 - Build a new state of the art BB facility for a cost of about $190 million (including the cost of the land). And air condition The Assembly Hall (for about $10 million), and figure out how to support it as well as the new BB building.
2 - Tear down the Assembly Hall and build a new General Purpose building that would be equivalent to the features of the Renovated SFC. Total cost of about $300 million (including the cost of removing the Assembly Hall).
3 - Renovating the SFC like what it is going to be 8 months from now for $170 million.
Now I think the $170 million is well spent. And wait to judge until you have toured the finished product.
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
TOTAL cost. That includes the demolition of Assembly Hall. No ones going to demo it and haul off the millions of tons of concrete for free.
Cant tear it down It on the State R. Thats why we had too get all Renovated parts approved...
danielb927
Orange Krush Class of 2013
- Rochester, MN
Regarding #1, IIRC adding air conditioning was much more than 10 of the 170 mil for this project. I'm remembering closer to 1/3 the budget, but that was a while ago so I may be misremembering.
You're massively overestimating the cost of demolition. Millions of tons of concrete? Trump Tower Chicago is the largest concrete building in North America and it only weighs 365 thousand tons.
IlliniByProxy
- St. Joseph, IL
First, I think that was an exaggeration. Second, I thought at one point they released what the estimate was for the cost of demolishing and removing assembly hall. If me memory serves me well, I believe it was about $100 million. That's no chump change for getting rid of a building you no longer want.
That is an absolutely absurd estimate. No arena has ever cost that much to demolish. Old Yankee Stadium demolition was crazy expensive and that was only $22M.
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
$22 mil, $100 mil, either way thats a large chunk of coin that would have had to of been added to the budget and was a major factor in choosing to renovate over a new build. Demolishing AH would be a major task compared to Yankee stadium. The estimates for tearing down the Astrodome are about $80 mil which would would be more similar to the AH. I think it would cost even more than that, closer to the $100 mil Proxy suggested. People don't realize how much of AH is actually below ground level. So absurd? I think not.
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Shane Walsh
aka "Captain Oblivious"
- Cynthiana, Kentucky
Paint me as happy that we did not have to find out just how much the demo of AH would have cost, it truly is a local landmark. However, for conversations sake let us consider White Hall in Rantoul. The bid for demo of that building came in at $7.9M.
http://www.rantoulpress.com/news/other/2015-09-29/white-hall-demolition-begin.html
http://www.rantoulpress.com/news/other/2015-09-29/white-hall-demolition-begin.html
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$100 million? Is the building constructed entirely of compressed asbestos?
Anyways, I don't know that it would've needed to be torn down. Build a new stadium across the street, say in E-14 or the Terrace Fields across First Street, and keep Assembly Hall for concerts and other events. Buildings like St. John's Arena, Jenison Fieldhouse, Iowa Field House, and Wisconsin Field House are still around and being used for various purposes.
The Terrace Fields would've been an awesome location for a new basketball arena, visually connecting it to Memorial Stadium with the Grange Grove across the street. (I know, supposedly the south end zone will eventually be re-built and connected with the Assembly Hall area, but I'm not holding my breath.)
Well I guess we'll have to disagree then.
First of all, everyone balked at that price of demolition of the Astrodome. Part of the reason it's still standing. The Astrodome playing surface is also below ground elevation, btw, so I don't see a big difference there. Secondly, it's a significantly larger structure with 3-4 times the seating capacity in a metropolitan area.
icengineer
- Southern Illinois
The reason it's still standing is because it DOES cost that much to demo. That's the point I'm making. You think by waiting to tear down the Astrodome that the price will go down? Cost and affordability are two completely different things.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
AH needed new HVAC badly for that to be a reality since there was no A/C if I recall correctly. Then you've also got the added cost of maintaining 2 buildings that are doing the job of 1. Reno was the way to go IMO, and I can't wait for an opportunity to be there and experience it. I don't think I've been in the Hall since 1996 or so.