The winds of change that have swept through the athletic
department this year have yet to rattle the doors of Pauley
Pavilion.
Even those with only a modicum allegiance to the blue and gold
cannot argue that Pauley has witnessed some of the best basketball
in NCAA history. Nonetheless, even the most devoted of Bruin fans
must admit that Pauley’s condition is much the same as it was
when the Wizard of Westwood established his empire here almost 40
years ago.
Built in 1965 under the auspices of Coach Wooden, the arena was
specifically constructed without seats directly on top of the
court. This, Wooden believed, created an unfair home-court
advantage and a hostile environment for visiting players. The
facility has yet to be significantly modified since its original
construction and today remains an example of the arenas of
yesteryear.
In light of the recent changes within the athletic department,
the lingering question remains: With a new athletic director and a
new basketball coach, is Pauley going to follow suit?
“Pauley Pavilion was looked at as soon as five years after
it was built,” said Ken Weiner, associate athletic director
of business operations, regarding possible changes to the facility.
“We’ve looked at it in many different
lights.”
According to Administrative Vice Chancellor Peter Blackman, no
specific plans are being pursued, but Weiner said that studies have
been conducted to examine the feasibility of changing some features
of Pauley. Such modifications include patron amenities and
circulation, concession services and team amenities, such as larger
locker rooms.
But even these changes have yet to be realized. In fact, visible
changes to Pauley are practically non-existent. Why?
The numbers game
In short, the money isn’t there.
“There’s no firm funding source,” said Mick
Deluca, director of UCLA Cultural and Recreational Affairs, the
department that manages Pauley Pavilion. “It’s always
been in discussion. I think it’s high on the list of campus
objectives to update a building approaching 40 years
old.”
The State of California stipulates that state funds can only go
to the building of academic facilities. Student activity facilities
like Pauley Pavilion, as well as the Wooden Center, Men’s Gym
and Los Angeles Tennis Center, do not qualify for state
funding.
“Pauley Pavilion is more than 35 years old and, in due
course, improvements will need to be made,” Blackman said.
“Any improvements to Pauley Pavilion would have to come from
funds specifically given for that purpose.”
Current construction on the Acosta Training Center is a good
example of the necessity of outside funding. The construction is
slated to cost $13.6 million, but half is being subsidized by
donations and the rest will be taken from Intercollegiate Athletic
Reserves.
Due to its increasing age, maintenance issues associated with
Pauley have begun to take their toll financially. In January 2001,
$400,000 was allocated to repair a roof that was in danger of
collapsing, according to minutes from a Student Fee Advisory
Committee meeting.
Because any project is largely dependent on the availability of
external funding, construction hinges on fundraising and not just
feasibility. In order for a project to get past the preliminary
stages, a donor or group of donors would have to emerge.
One donor with a history of supporting the athletic department
declined to comment on whether he has been approached by UCLA in
such a regard.
“For the last five years we have conducted studies to look
into construction projects ranging anywhere from $5 million to $40
million,” Weiner said. “Now it’s about
what’s the best solution for our situation. “¦ If
someone walked in the door with a $40 million check, that would
escalate our timeline considerably.”
What about the interior?
Roughly 12 years ago, feasibility plans were made to look into
installing sky boxes into Pauley’s rafters. Obviously, that
plan never came to fruition.
“The idea was for the sky boxes to be for corporate
donors,” said Rick Purdy, associate athletic director of
development. “There was significant amounts of discussion but
the idea was … dropped.”
Renderings were shown to donors to gauge interest, according to
Weiner, which included an open seating area with a club level
restaurant.
“The plan for the sky boxes, though, had horrible sight
lines for anyone with even the mildest case of vertigo,”
Weiner said. “Ultimately, interest wasn’t as great as
the university thought.”
Changes to the interior of the arena are financially more
feasible than a major facility overhaul. As such, alterations have
been made throughout the years. In 1990, a new system that doubled
the lighting capacity was installed. Nine years later, the building
was given a bit of an interior facelift with the installation of
the current central scoreboard as well as the statistics boards in
the northeast and southwest corners of the building.
Although Pauley adequately handles the day-to-day necessities of
UCLA’s athletic programs, a major change to the arena is not
unimaginable. Only two things currently sit between Pauley’s
present condition and such change: tradition and about $80 million
or $90 million for ground-up construction.
The House that Howland built
New UCLA men’s basketball coach Ben Howland knows what
it’s like to play in a brand-new arena. The Petersen Events
Center at the University of Pittsburgh, finished last spring, is
one of the state-of-the-art arenas in the nation.
Petersen’s total seating capacity is the same as Pauley at
12,500, with 1,500 seats surrounding the court reserved for
students. An auxiliary gym allows for simultaneous use of practice
and playing facilities. Boosters who annually donate $2,000 to the
athletic department and pony up $990 per season have access to one
of 48 courtside seats.
But the Petersen Events Center also cost $96 million to
construct. In addition, under then-Gov. Tom Ridge, the state of
Pennsylvania pledged $53 million to the project in 1997. Two years
later, John and Gertrude Petersen made the largest individual
donation to the school ““ with their $10 million check, the
arena’s construction was finalized.
Closer to home, Cal’s Haas Pavilion underwent renovation
in 1999 with the more moderate price tag of $57.5 million. Private
donors accounted for $41 million of that total, and $11 million was
donated by Walter and Evelyn Haas Jr.
For Pauley to undergo a similar change, UCLA must find a donor
able make a similar pledge.
Fundraising of such a magnitude would require UCLA Capital
Programs, Intercollegiate Athletics and Cultural and Recreational
Affairs to work together.
“If anything’s going to happen, we’ll have to
collectively work together,” Deluca said.
Without such an endeavor, the basic infrastructure of Pauley
will remain unchanged. And for many members of the athletic
department, that’s just fine.
“Pauley Pavilion today is still a facility that can
attract great players,” Athletic Director Dan Guerrero said
at the press conference that announced Howland’s hiring.
“It’s still hallowed ground. We’re still in the
process of evaluating the options that might be available
there.”