Carver Arena - Take a Page from Texas

[libertyhawkeye]

I know there are some who won’t like this, but I would like to see the old field house demolished and in its place a new arena built. Right there on campus which will result in more students attending. Also agree with getting students behind the baskets and benches.

I seriously think we just need a 8500 capacity arena to truly have an electric atmosphere. Hell, Gonzaga and GCU have around 7,000 capacity and they’re consistently regarded as having top 10 college basketball environments.

The Field House land is templated to be another hospital building in the next decade or so.

Carver isn't an ideal arena for 2022 as currently constructed, but based on the annex investment made last decade and the new wrestling complex, it's not going anywhere. Traffic congestion isn't why people don't show up. There will be congestion anywhere if a new arena were to be built on-campus, it's the nature of a campus that has very limited amounts of undeveloped land. The further away you build a proposed new arena to accommodate ease of driving and parking, the less it will be an option for students.

 

[unipanther1999]

The Field House land is templated to be another hospital building in the next decade or so.

Carver isn't an ideal arena for 2022 as currently constructed, but based on the annex investment made last decade and the new wrestling complex, it's not going anywhere. Traffic congestion isn't why people don't show up. There will be congestion anywhere if a new arena were to be built on-campus, it's the nature of a campus that has very limited amounts of undeveloped land. The further away you build a proposed new arena to accommodate ease of driving and parking, the less it will be an option for students.

The latest plan calls for the Field House to be renovated, and the hospital is not expanding their footprint further on main campus (the new tower will be were the water tower and ramp 1 currently sit).

CHA was built to be a multi-purpose event center, but it's no longer used for anything other than Men's & Women's basketball and Wrestling. No more concerts, no more shows. It's not even used for high school graduations anymore, those went to Xtream. People want to go to arenas where they can go get dinner or drinks and walk to the arena. Cambus is so short handed the shuttle lines are way backed up, so it's impractical to park downtown and go to the games anymore.

They need to find a way to make the area around CHA more fun and accessible. Like the river landing around Xtream, or the planned commercial zone between Jack Trice and Hilton (to a much smaller scale. Build a massive ramp somewhere for parking and bring in a brewery and a few other places that could make bank from the hospital for lunch, and start having evening events in CHA year round like they did 25 years ago.

 

[libertyhawkeye]

The latest plan calls for the Field House to be renovated, and the hospital is not expanding their footprint further on main campus (the new tower will be were the water tower and ramp 1 currently sit).

CHA was built to be a multi-purpose event center, but it's no longer used for anything other than Men's & Women's basketball and Wrestling. No more concerts, no more shows. It's not even used for high school graduations anymore, those went to Xtream. People want to go to arenas where they can go get dinner or drinks and walk to the arena. Cambus is so short handed the shuttle lines are way backed up, so it's impractical to park downtown and go to the games anymore.

They need to find a way to make the area around CHA more fun and accessible. Like the river landing around Xtream, or the planned commercial zone between Jack Trice and Hilton (to a much smaller scale. Build a massive ramp somewhere for parking and bring in a brewery and a few other places that could make bank from the hospital for lunch, and start having evening events in CHA year round like they did 25 years ago.

What renovation plans are those? There was a plan maybe 5+ years ago to remove the pool and replace it with space for weightlifting and cardio equipment, but it never seemed to come to fruition. I'm pretty sure UI has thrown some band aid fixes to the FH in recent years to take pressure off the high usage of the CRWC, particularly for West Campus students. The Phase II of CRWC expansion has never been realized and may never.

A summary of UI's 10-yr master plan is here- https://now.uiowa.edu/2022/01/ui-embark-10-year-facilities-master-plan and includes the following remarks:

• "Building a new ambulatory care center connected to the main hospital at the current location of the Field House"
• "The planned revitalization will significantly reduce the deferred maintenance backlog on campus, but will require the removal of several buildings, including the Field House..."

I like your proposal in theory but too many obstacles make it difficult. IRL was at a huge chunk of undeveloped industrial land that was prime real estate; the acerage was huge so it allowed everything to be built in phases with adequate parking, it's extremely close to the interstate for ease of access. The IRL is somewhat comparable to what Iowa State is trying to develop next to Jack Trice. There is so much land in those athletic parking lots so Ames and ISU can reap similar benefits of phased construction. It's also easier to get to than a downtown location and has convenient access to the interstate.

You're right about Xtream Arena. The negative aspects of Carver make Xtream the primary choice for major Iowa City events like concerts, sporting tournaments, and graduations. Easier access for drivers, nearby hotel options, and food & drinking options.

The land around CHA kinda stinks for development and I don't think the UI wants to go that route and cause more conflict with the Hospitals. There's one road in and out on Hawkins and there's nothing else around there but parking lots and athletic facilities. Developers would rather build something bold in the IRL or the Riverfront Crossings District, which is booming with residential and commercial developments. I don't think Big Grove would be successful in Lot 75 opposed to where it is now. People just don't go to that area except for working at the Hospital or going to sporting events. And UI may desire to keep its parking as the hospital monster continues to grow.

 

[LetsGoHawks83]

The latest plan calls for the Field House to be renovated, and the hospital is not expanding their footprint further on main campus (the new tower will be were the water tower and ramp 1 currently sit).

CHA was built to be a multi-purpose event center, but it's no longer used for anything other than Men's & Women's basketball and Wrestling. No more concerts, no more shows. It's not even used for high school graduations anymore, those went to Xtream. People want to go to arenas where they can go get dinner or drinks and walk to the arena. Cambus is so short handed the shuttle lines are way backed up, so it's impractical to park downtown and go to the games anymore.

They need to find a way to make the area around CHA more fun and accessible. Like the river landing around Xtream, or the planned commercial zone between Jack Trice and Hilton (to a much smaller scale. Build a massive ramp somewhere for parking and bring in a brewery and a few other places that could make bank from the hospital for lunch, and start having evening events in CHA year round like they did 25 years ago.

This all sounds like a lot of effort and thinking outside the box. Gary Barta doesn't approve.

He just likes to go to fundraisers and approve Ferentz extensions.

 

[ICWestfan]

So, the new Texas stadium cost $375 million. It's located in a city with a population of close to 1 million.

In Austin TX, the whole thing probably made economic sense. Lots of opportunities to generate revenue in this situation. In Iowa City it would just be a wasteful boondoggle.

Carver was built as a multi-purpose area, rather than just a basketball arena - so it isn't perfect for basketball. But it will do.

Fill the seats with butts and it's just fine.

Define multi-purpose because I don't see them doing RV shows, hosting concerts, or other things of that nature. CHA is used for sporting events and graduations and that is it. That's not very multi-purpose in my book. IMO, CHA was poorly designed, especially since they had to add on gyms and other facilities to accommodate all the teams that use it.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Define multi-purpose because I don't see them doing RV shows, hosting concerts, or other things of that nature. CHA is used for sporting events and graduations and that is it. That's not very multi-purpose in my book. IMO, CHA was poorly designed, especially since they had to add on gyms and other facilities to accommodate all the teams that use it.

Sure. It was designed for sports, concerts, graduations, uh, trade shows perhaps, or IDK, really big weddings and funerals? 🤷‍♀️

I'm sure there are many other events that they COULD do there but don't - or nobody wants to do them there.

I agree it was poorly designed. But in 1980, money was a lot tighter than it is today. Maybe it was a tough sell as just a basketball arena. The building is 40 years old, which means if it hosted a pro team it would be bulldozed.