When UCLA first began to plan its Pauley Pavilion renovation project, Edwin Pauley’s heirs were among the first individuals contacted.
The building was dedicated to Edwin Pauley when it opened in 1965, in honor of his service as a UC regent and philanthropist and his donation to fund the building’s original construction.
Athletic Director Dan Guerrero sat down with the Pauley family to discuss the possibility of changing the historic venue’s name and selling the rights to a corporate sponsor.
The Pauley family understood the possible need for a name change and offered the very first donation to the project. Guerrero said the donation was unsolicited.
“They were so open and generous to supporting the effort,” Guerrero said. “And they indicated that it was clear to them that in order for us to generate the dollars to successfully renovate the facility, it may require a name attached.”
That sentiment from the Pauley family demonstrates the overall feeling about this project; it is so important that UCLA is willing to pay substantial costs to do it right.
One of the costs that will particularly affect students is the likelihood that the men’s basketball team will have to relocate and play off campus for at least one season once construction begins.
That season is at least two years away. UCLA initially announced the project Jan. 11, 2007, when it hoped to have construction completed by legendary basketball coach John Wooden’s 100th birthday, Oct. 14, 2010. Since that announcement, the project has moved slowly, as UCLA has sought to raise funds for the project.
While a 2012 completion date is now most likely, the pace of the planning stages should pick up considerably this summer when the school receives design plans from NBBJ, an architecture firm it hired Feb. 7. Those plans will provide an exact definition of the scope and magnitude for the renovation.
The plans are a preliminary aspect of the overall project, but they will still be a significant step in the timeline Guerrero has laid out for the project’s completion. He said the school plans to begin construction “in the early part of 2010.”
Among the concerns that NBBJ will address in its plans are concessions, a new entrance, fan circulation and seismic regulations.
But for many involved, those tweaks to the arena are not as centrally as important as the history behind Pauley, and its emblematic status on campus. The 43-year-old facility has housed 38 national championship teams and Wooden’s dynasty. The school’s hope to preserve and bolster that legacy is at the fore of the talks to improve the arena.
“Pauley represents John Wooden in many ways, who represents the best in all of us,” Chancellor Gene Block said in an interview with the Daily Bruin in May. “It’s an icon on campus.”
The lofty aspirations for the renovation will place pressure on the fundraising abilities of the athletic department. In 2006, USC opened its new basketball arena, the Galen Center, a facility that cost $146 million to construct.
There won’t be a set construction cost for the renovation until UCLA and its architects agree on a working drawing for the new facility, but UCLA is already aggressively seeking donations for the project. In February, the Los Angeles Times reported that a group of UCLA boosters had raised $40 million dollars to contribute to the renovation campaign.
“The key to any project of this magnitude is generating the resources to make it happen,” Guerrero said. “It’s a big price tag for a renovation of this magnitude. We’re in the process of soliciting big donations from some major players out there to help us with the project.”
Pauley Pavilion is one of the only facilities that has not been improved since the final years of Guerrero’s predecessor, Pete Dallis.
That list of accomplishments includes a major improvement to the locker room facilities at the Rose Bowl in 2007. The softball team’s Easton Stadium has been upgraded. UCLA laid down a new field at the baseball team’s Jackie Robinson Stadium earlier this year. The Accosta Center, a training facility for all UCLA athletes, was also completed while Guerrero was at UCLA. A practice green was installed for the golf teams, and the football team’s practice field, Spaulding Field, has also been improved.
“Pauley is the big one,” Guerrero said. “It is the major capital project that Dan Guerrero or my successor will have to look at over the next 30 years. It’s important, and as a result of that we’ve been very thoughtful in terms of how to move forward.”
Guerrero said that because the project is so important, the school has “engaged the assistance of some key leaders of our community.”
Funding is perhaps the biggest obstacle for the school, but so are its many other fundraising priorities. The athletic department is also seeking to raise funds for the Spieker Aquatics Center, which will provide a new home for the swimming and diving team and water polo teams. UCLA had hoped to break ground on the Spieker Aquatics Center this spring, but that date was pushed back. A summer start date is now most likely.
Academic facilities are also a priority, Block said.
“Is (the Pauley renovation) more important than the next research building? They’re equally important,” Block said. “That’s always the difficulty, we’ve got a lot of needs.”
When construction does begin, UCLA fans and students especially will face the difficulty of seeing the men’s basketball team play away from Westwood. Guerrero said the men’s basketball team would only leave Pauley for one season, while other teams may have to play two seasons off campus. The school has contacted Staples Center downtown, the Forum in Inglewood, and the Honda Center in Anaheim as potential arenas for the Bruins during that period of relocation.
Guerrero also said the school has considered a “Bruins on the Road” plan, where the men’s basketball team would play in multiple arenas throughout the season.
The plan to relocate, like the project itself, is in a preliminary stage. A lot of the details surrounding the renovation plan should surface this summer and fall. The most significant certainty at this point is the school’s intention to succeed in maintaining the facility as an integral part of its campus landscape and athletic legacy.
“It’s an important project because athletics has a very comfortable relationship with academics at UCLA,” Block said. “We find a lot of affection for athletics among faculty and student.”