Once deemed the “Mecca of college basketball,”
Pauley Pavilion is due for a major face-lift. Having undergone a
few upgrade projects here and there, talks are under way to sizably
renovate the structure.
The pavilion, named after its original donor Edwin Pauley, hosts
basketball, volleyball and gymnastics, as well as ceremonies and
events throughout the year. With a maximum capacity of 12,819
persons with the basketball bleachers extended, the projected
renovations will not increase seating capacity in the pavilion (72
percent of seats were filled last season).
Instead, patron amenities will likely be the focus. Projected
renovations are an increase in the number of restrooms and
concession stands so as to lessen traffic.
Along with amending patron facilities, the locker and conference
rooms may likely undergo upgrades as well.
But before this is done, the administrators must find the
necessary donors. Only then can they decide what elements of the
pavilion are important enough to be included in the project and how
cost-effective they are.
“We know what needs improvement and with the input of
coaches, recreation and our history, we know what Pauley
lacks,” said Ken Weiner, associate athletic director of
business operations. “We know what we need in there. It is a
matter of funding, of finding donors.”
A goal of the project, which will be a major fund-raising
affair, is to maintain the name of the legendary Pauley Pavilion,
as well as the Nell and John Wooden court.
A project of this size, however, is not always feasible to
accomplish without corporate sponsorships, which are often
associated with naming rights and may be necessary for the project
to get done. Despite the amount of money available in the selling
of name rights, Weiner said the name of the pavilion and the court
will remain because of the possibility of difficulties in
disassociating the two.
“Those are a given,” Weiner said. “They will
not go away.”
A time frame for completion is impossible to set, as it depends
a great deal on the progress of the funding process, but progress
has been made. Designs are in production and architects are being
spoken to, and the Athletic Department has been more open to
corporate sponsorships of late.
“In construction projects of this magnitude, there is no
time frame,” Weiner said. “It’s all about donor
cultivation.”
Due to these limitations, all that is known is Pauley Pavilion
will be renovated in the future and will retain the legendary name
in some form. If talks go well in the near future, it may be sooner
than later that the Bruins will boast an improved facility.
However, unless the process of cultivating donors speeds up and
aligns itself with a timetable, construction time will remain
unpredictable and a completion date will remain a question
mark.