With the new college basketball season underway, Indiana University is debuting the renovation to Assembly Hall.
Last week, the Hooisers played their first two regular season games at Assembly Hall since the venue underwent an extensive renovation. Following a $40 million donation from Cindy Simon Skjodt, Assembly Hall received changes to its club level, a new scoreboard, seating replacements, a revamped south entrance lobby, and more.
While many these alterations helped to modernize the 45-year-old arena, the renovation to Assembly Hall is drawing rave reviews for its ability to incorporate Hoosiers’ history. More from the AP:
At Indiana, the three-story entryway looks more like the entrance to a mansion than a basketball arena with its shiny escalators and elevators and all those open windows. There’s a presidential suite behind the student section, trophy cases on both sides of the lobby, even touch screen technology to learn more about Hoosiers’ history in all sports.
On the north end, the feature attraction is the hanging midcourt section from the playing floor used at Assembly Hall from 1976-95. Look around and fans will find the scoreboard that hung above center court from 1983-2005 and the double-sided stanchions that were once a signature part of Indiana basketball.
Inside, all the seats are crimson-and-cream and a new large videoboard can be seen from every corner of the court.
“I think it’s fantastic,” said Dan Caldwell, a 37-year-old Bloomington resident. “I love the mix of the new and the old and I think they’ve kept that home-court advantage just with the way the crowd is right on top of the floor and everything. And they’ve kind of brought it into the next century so to speak, so yeah, I love it.”
The Hooisers have started the regular season 3-0, which includes two victories at Assembly Hall. As the result of Simon Skjodt’s donation, Assembly Hall is formally known as the Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall.
