Possible Location of New Arena
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doc longhorn
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That would kill two birds with one stone - give us a stadium and get rid of the AAS.
utisdabomb12
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Randolph Duke
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If it is built with the city and on the AAS site, the city will insist on a space suitable for conventions where 25,000 will be the target. The city will never agree to spend taxpayer money on a 10k or 12k seat venue, simply because it does not allow for maximum revenue for convention business that will bring money in for hotels and restaurants. The university wants something akin to Cameron, the city will want something akin to the Carrier Dome.
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castlebravo1
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Unless you put the arena on campus and close enough for students to walk to, you're never gonna get the student attendance needed to make it a great venue.
Randolph Duke
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The Austin/Round Rock metropolitan area has a current population of 1.9 million with a projection of 3 million by 2030. If the taxpayers are going to pay for an arena, it will have to support the needs of a population of 3 million, which (if you think back to Dallas and Houston) will be an arena of at least 20,000. There was an idea for the light rail to go from campus to the AAS site. The plan a year ago was to buy the AAS site and students could take light rail to the game, but that doesn't look like it is happening. Imagine a larger version of the Erwin Center nowhere close to campus. I'm really looking toward to hearing Mr. Facilities expand on this idea before the university buys the AAS site.
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streettopeschel
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Cameron indoor was built in 1940 with a capacity now of 9300. Nobody would remotely consider building something like that today.
The Drum is a 5 minute walk from the biggest dorm on campus. Location isn't the problem with student attendance.
The Drum is a 5 minute walk from the biggest dorm on campus. Location isn't the problem with student attendance.
doc longhorn
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The Summit, in Houston, was the home of the Rockets and the Houston Aeros. I believe that arena supported about 20,000+. Today it is a church - because the Rockets built a bigger arena downtown. Most of their games were sold out and there was never enough restrooms to accommodate the crowds. An architectural boondoggle.
Concerts were huge in the Summit and even the Shriners circus performed there. That facility was a humongous money maker.
As far as an arena for Austin - what would keep it from being a second Summit? The Longhorns would have a place to play and the city would benefit from all the other venues. And Texas would finally get Austin to start supporting some of the University of Texas events that they have enjoyed, scott free. for fifty years. I know the liberal ilk prefers to spend others money, but in this case - tough darts. At least they wouldn't have to assume 100% of the financial burden and they stand to reap huge profits (something else they are unfamiliar with).
Finally, never forget that Patterson has many many connections with the NBA. This is important, IMO.
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castlebravo1
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The question is whether it's economical to build a 20,000 seat arena without a PRO anchor team. UT basketball attendance and concerts ain't going to pay for the cost and upkeep of an arena of that size. You'll need NHL hockey (like we have in our 19k arena in Nashville) or NBA team.
Randolph Duke
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The economics of a joint arena become difficult to work out because it is difficult, if not impossible, to think of another warm weather American city with a population in excess of two million without a pro franchise that has a similar arena to use as a model. Warm weather means outdoor venues have a longer season where they compete for bookings with an indoor arena and the lack of a pro sports franchise alters PSL revenue, revenue from suites, corporate naming rights, etc. Austin isn't demographically suitable for an NHL franchise if Houston isn't and Holt, Alexander and Cuban will fight like hell to keep a NBA franchise out of Austin.
UT basketball had 18 men's home games and 18 women's home games this year. I'm not sure what factor one would use to calculate the smaller the economic impact the smaller crowds at women's games would have, but just use a factor of 1 to make the discussion easy. 36 events. (An NBA franchise at best gives an arena max bookings - 41 home games, plus pre-season and playoffs). F1 track amphitheater is already a major competitor for events (Patterson is on record stating the Erwin Center suffered a drop in concert bookings for the 2013-2014 fiscal year). FYI- the F1 track amphitheater capacity is listed at 14,000.
If the city Convention and Visitors Bureau can justify the need for the larger facility and assume the costs allocated, then it makes sense to build the larger arena. I would think the CVB would need a facility at least as large as the Erwin Center to compete with San Antonio, Dallas and Houston for various events. The arena floor at the Erwin Center is 25,000 square feet. The Palmer Auditorium main floor is 70,000 square feet. An arena at the AAS site would be great for SXSW, ACL and the like, but I can't see the city needing a venue smaller than the Erwin Center and I can't see the university being willing to pay for any arena larger than the Erwin Center (which has a stated concert capacity of just under 17,000).
The university will only assume the cost allocations based a certain number of bookings each year. The Erwin Center was built on-campus and the university handled the management of concerts and other events. That will get shifted to the city to manage (the university's athletics department isn't going to manage concert bookings at an off-campus venue). I think allocating costs between the city and the university and then getting city voters to approve the city's share of the costs will be a mess. My guess is the city voters balk at the costs of an arena.
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Randolph Duke
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Austin isn't getting a NHL franchise or a NBA franchise. The NHL isn't going to expand and if the demographics of Houston won't support pro hockey, neither will the demographics of Austin. Also, Holt, Alexander and Cuban would block any NBA franchise moving to Austin.
Any new arena will have to be supported by UT athletics, indoor major concerts during the winter, UFC events, SWSX and ACL expansion and expansion of CVB business. The only real opportunity to justify the new arena would be new CVB events based on the attractiveness of the new arena to events currently being held in Dallas, San Antonio and Houston and additional events resulting from the expansion of demand due to population growth.
Good news on the AAS going out of business, I gave up trying to read that rag years ago.
But how in Hell could Patterson expect to get 12000-20,000 fans to a basketball arena there? No roads, no parking, better buy a kayak if you want to attend UT basketball games.
A replacement arena is going to require buying out properties north of the baseball stadium or north of 26th street that has close access to I-35.
But how in Hell could Patterson expect to get 12000-20,000 fans to a basketball arena there? No roads, no parking, better buy a kayak if you want to attend UT basketball games.
A replacement arena is going to require buying out properties north of the baseball stadium or north of 26th street that has close access to I-35.
streettopeschel
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you base this on what?
Epictetus
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This is why I gave away my last three tickets ( of a 6-ticket pack ) and never went back to another game... from 3-4 years ago. Got tired of the turnstile attrition, re-tooling each season -- but worse is the pathetic design of seats, wide aisles, ticket allocations to the different sections, to include chair backs on the sides with students standing behind the basket.
It's a college game. Students. University. It's not an outing at a Lake Travis Golf Course for AARP members. I'm tired of multi-purpose arenas in general. What kind of Smart People are those designed for? I mean when it come to college sports?
For the good of the game... put a smaller arena adjacent to the campus, and screw the multi-use. Make it work for the game, and make the game better. Duke has a smaller enrollment, so compensate in that respect. The field house in Kansas works. Other venues work. Get smart, feel privileged, feel biased toward the college game, screw everything else. We can afford to be. Can't we?
This university is rich enough and cool enough to have a first class state-of-the art purely basketball arena, drawing upon the best of the best of a tour of the country's greatest venues for the game of basketball.
I understand the emotions for other options, I just disagree with that kind of thinking and don't feel the university has to settle for that. It's amazing what people will settle for in life. In every aspect of life.
The idea is to build something with some ATMOSPHERE!!.. It should be fabulous and wonderful to the senses to just look around the place.
A Valentine's week Hallmark movie had an interesting dialog exchange that illustrates the principle. Character by Autumn Reeser detailed what's great about her fiance. "He is predictable, and safe, and reliable. That is exactly what I want in a man." Her sister, played by Ali Liebert, says "Really. That's what I want in a vacuum cleaner."
So we can have a college basketball arena, or a 70,000 sq foot vacuum cleaner.
streettopeschel
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The field house in Kansas seats 16K+. It's not an intimate gym in Hickory. It's as big as the Drum.
They care. Students and others go to games in snow. They live for it. We can't get kids to walk from Jester in 70 degree weather.
Yall that act like a new arena is going to make our students and fans turn into duke or KU are pissin in the wind.
They care. Students and others go to games in snow. They live for it. We can't get kids to walk from Jester in 70 degree weather.
Yall that act like a new arena is going to make our students and fans turn into duke or KU are pissin in the wind.
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