Athletic department and university officials at UCLA will
continue to evaluate the feasibility of renovating venerable Pauley
Pavilion after hearing a preliminary proposal from a local
architectural design firm on Monday.
The consulting firm presented several plans based on
recommendations that UCLA had made over the summer, and now school
officials will meet again to reprioritize their list of upgrades
for the aging building.
The project, which athletic director Dan Guerrero said is in its
most preliminary stages, likely will not enter the construction
phase for several years. Guerrero would not reveal an estimated
cost for the proposed renovations, but similar upgrades to other
comparable venues have been priced between $40 million and $60
million.
“When I became athletic director here, there were certain
things that were part of my vision for where I would like to take
this department,” said Guerrero, who is in his third year at
UCLA. “Looking at Pauley was first and foremost among those
things.”
Chief among UCLA’s priorities for the project is improving
the spectator amenities at Pauley Pavilion without altering the
original design of the building. Providing more restrooms and
concession stands, Guerrero said, should diffuse the congestion
that fans have grown used to over the years.
A few other upgrades that have been discussed would involve
updating both the home and visiting locker rooms, installing
conference rooms in the building, and bringing the seats behind
each basket closer to the court.
“We’re looking at a design content that maintains
the tradition of the facility while moving us into the 21st
century,” Guerrero said. “Pauley Pavilion is hallowed
ground, and there are elements of it that we will always want to
preserve.”
Fund-raising for the proposed renovations will not begin until a
design is in place and an architect has been hired, two decisions
that Guerrero said he was nowhere close to making.
UCLA officials are hopeful that they can raise enough money to
pay for the project through private donations, but Guerrero did not
rule out selling corporate naming rights to help fund the
construction process. He made it clear, however, that he was
determined to keep the Pauley name.
“In the best of all worlds, this project will be funded by
private means,” Guerrero said. “There could be elements
of any project that may allow us to develop some kind of corporate
tie, but it doesn’t necessarily mean the naming right to the
facility. You can name concourses after a corporation ““ or
benches or plazas.”
Guerrero and UCLA associate athletic director Ken Weiner have
been in close contact with officials in capital programs and the
Recreation Department regarding the renovation process. They also
have included women’s basketball coach Kathy Olivier and
men’s basketball coach Ben Howland in the dialogue
process.
Howland has been particularly enthusiastic about the project
because he has seen what a state-of-the-art venue can mean to a
program. Pittsburgh’s Petersen Events Center was completed in
the spring of 2002, just prior to Howland’s departure.
“Ben has experienced the end result, the byproduct, the
energy that comes from a new arena,” Guerrero said.
This is not the first time UCLA has investigated refurbishing
Pauley Pavilion since it first opened its doors in 1965. The
difference this time, Guerrero said, is the level of commitment
from the administration.
“We’re committed toward moving forward with this
project,” Guerrero said. “In the past there was some
investigation as to what was feasible, but we feel that given the
plan and given the need, the desire will be there from our
constituency to support that effort. We all want to continue to be
nationally competitive, and we realize the facility is critical to
that goal.”