Bank of America Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion
Encyclopedia
Alaska Airlines Arena at Hec Edmundson Pavilion, commonly known as Hec Ed, is an indoor arena
on the campus of the University of Washington
in Seattle, the home of the Washington Huskies
of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1927, the brick venue is home to the UW men's and women's basketball
programs, as well as the women's volleyball
and gymnastics
teams. The current seating capacity
of Hec Ed is 10,000 for basketball.
. Originally the University of Washington Pavilion, the building was constructed for $600,000 and opened on December 27, 1927. After twenty years, it was renamed the Clarence S. "Hec" Edmundson
Pavilion on January 16, 1948, honoring the university's longtime track
and basketball
coach, a former Olympian who retired in 1947.
The building was designed as a multi-purpose field house, handling six or seven men's sports, including use as an indoor football
field and track. Seating and flooring were intentionally mobile. The floor was originally dirt, and the football team practiced in the venue during bad weather. The basketball floor was laid over a bed of 2x4's, resulting in a variety of bounce characteristics.
Hec Ed originally had glass skylights in its ceiling. During the state high school basketball tournament in 1938, one of these fell during a windstorm, injuring two spectators, resulting in their permanent removal.
The pavilion was used as a venue for the 1990 Goodwill Games
and the flooring was renovated for the event.
, following the final home games of the 1998-99 basketball season. The project took 19 months to complete and cost $40 million. The expansive interior of the building was reconfigured by LMN architects to make the arena environment more intimate for fans and players, and to improve the usage of the building's overall space.
The east end of the building was sectioned off into a practice gymnasium and the main basketball court was moved fifty feet (15 m) west, enclosed by a tighter bowl of seats. The seating capacity
was increased from 7,900 to 10,000 while using significantly less of the building. Half of the seats (5,000) are the chair type, with the other half bleachers, of which 60% have backs.
Another major improvement was the removal of the twenty view-obscuring support pillars
in the upper level, replaced by two massive non-obscuring "super trusses," above and behind the sidelines. Both are 243 feet (74 m) in length and painted yellow-gold, as are the supporting tri-leg columns in the arena's four corners, proudly exhibited in the concourses.
Additionally, the six large arched windows at the west end of the building were uncovered. Painted over for years, they were refitted with filtered glass to allow them to remain uncovered during games. The acoustical ceiling, installed in 1967 for use as a concert and music hall, was removed to expose the steel rafters. The rafters and the black ceiling above them were painted in an off-white buff tone.
New locker rooms, athletic offices, meeting rooms, training rooms, and a Hall of Fame section were also part of the project. The running track was removed, transferred to the new Dempsey indoor practice facility, which opened the following autumn.
During the renovation, the Husky basketball teams were displaced for one season (1999
-2000
), and played their home games
five miles (8 km) away at Seattle Center
; the men at KeyArena
and the women at Mercer Arena.
, the title "Bank of America Arena" was added, following a payment of $9.1 million by Bank of America
for the 10-year naming rights. (Originally, the name was to be "Seafirst
Arena." Although Seafirst
was acquired in 1983 by B of A, it retained its brand until 2000, when it changed to "Bank of America.") The sponsorship of the arena expired after ten years in 2010 and was without an immediate successor. After several unsponsored months, the university announced its approval of Seattle-based Alaska Airlines
as the new sponsor of Hec Ed on January 20, 2011.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
on the campus of the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
in Seattle, the home of the Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
of the Pacific-12 Conference. Originally opened in 1927, the brick venue is home to the UW men's and women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
programs, as well as the women's volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
and gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
teams. The current seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
of Hec Ed is 10,000 for basketball.
Early history
The pavilion is located immediately north of Husky StadiumHusky Stadium
Husky Stadium is an outdoor athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the home of the Washington Huskies...
. Originally the University of Washington Pavilion, the building was constructed for $600,000 and opened on December 27, 1927. After twenty years, it was renamed the Clarence S. "Hec" Edmundson
Hec Edmundson
Clarence Sinclair "Hec" Edmundson was a college basketball head coach. A native of Moscow, Idaho, and a 1910 graduate of the University of Idaho, Edmundson coached at his alma mater and the University of Washington , compiling a 508-204 overall record in 29 seasons.Hec Edmundson also coached the...
Pavilion on January 16, 1948, honoring the university's longtime track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
coach, a former Olympian who retired in 1947.
The building was designed as a multi-purpose field house, handling six or seven men's sports, including use as an indoor football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
field and track. Seating and flooring were intentionally mobile. The floor was originally dirt, and the football team practiced in the venue during bad weather. The basketball floor was laid over a bed of 2x4's, resulting in a variety of bounce characteristics.
Hec Ed originally had glass skylights in its ceiling. During the state high school basketball tournament in 1938, one of these fell during a windstorm, injuring two spectators, resulting in their permanent removal.
The pavilion was used as a venue for the 1990 Goodwill Games
1990 Goodwill Games
The 1990 Goodwill Games was the second edition of the international multi-sport event created by Ted Turner, which was held between July 20 and August 5, 1990. Following an inaugural edition in Moscow, the second games took place in Seattle, United States, highlighting the competition's role in...
and the flooring was renovated for the event.
Renovation
After 71 years, the multi-purpose arena underwent a major renovation in March 19991999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
, following the final home games of the 1998-99 basketball season. The project took 19 months to complete and cost $40 million. The expansive interior of the building was reconfigured by LMN architects to make the arena environment more intimate for fans and players, and to improve the usage of the building's overall space.
The east end of the building was sectioned off into a practice gymnasium and the main basketball court was moved fifty feet (15 m) west, enclosed by a tighter bowl of seats. The seating capacity
Seating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
was increased from 7,900 to 10,000 while using significantly less of the building. Half of the seats (5,000) are the chair type, with the other half bleachers, of which 60% have backs.
Another major improvement was the removal of the twenty view-obscuring support pillars
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
in the upper level, replaced by two massive non-obscuring "super trusses," above and behind the sidelines. Both are 243 feet (74 m) in length and painted yellow-gold, as are the supporting tri-leg columns in the arena's four corners, proudly exhibited in the concourses.
Additionally, the six large arched windows at the west end of the building were uncovered. Painted over for years, they were refitted with filtered glass to allow them to remain uncovered during games. The acoustical ceiling, installed in 1967 for use as a concert and music hall, was removed to expose the steel rafters. The rafters and the black ceiling above them were painted in an off-white buff tone.
New locker rooms, athletic offices, meeting rooms, training rooms, and a Hall of Fame section were also part of the project. The running track was removed, transferred to the new Dempsey indoor practice facility, which opened the following autumn.
During the renovation, the Husky basketball teams were displaced for one season (1999
1999 in sports
1999 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Lasse Kjus, Norway** Women's overall season champion: Alexandra Meissnitzer, Austria-American football:...
-2000
2000 in sports
2000 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Renate Götschl, Austria-American football:...
), and played their home games
five miles (8 km) away at Seattle Center
Seattle Center
Seattle Center is a park and arts and entertainment center in Seattle, Washington. The campus is the site used in 1962 by the Century 21 Exposition. It is located just north of Belltown in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood.-Attractions:...
; the men at KeyArena
KeyArena
KeyArena at Seattle Center , is a multipurpose arena, in Seattle, Washington. It is located north of downtown in the entertainment complex known as Seattle Center, the site of the 1962 World's Fair, the Century 21 Exposition...
and the women at Mercer Arena.
Proposed Basketball Training Facility
In 2011, the University of Washington announced plans for a new Basketball Training Facility. The project includes a pre-design study for a $20 to $40 million basketball training facility for the Intercollegiate Athletics Men’s and Women’s basketball program to be located in the vicinity of the Alaska Airlines Arena. The scope of work may include relocation and replacement of existing ICA facilities related to the new project. The pre-design study will include programming, alternatives, design concepts, cost estimates, and other related reports.Sponsors
At the re-opening in November 20002000 in sports
2000 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Renate Götschl, Austria-American football:...
, the title "Bank of America Arena" was added, following a payment of $9.1 million by Bank of America
Bank of America
Bank of America Corporation, an American multinational banking and financial services corporation, is the second largest bank holding company in the United States by assets, and the fourth largest bank in the U.S. by market capitalization. The bank is headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina...
for the 10-year naming rights. (Originally, the name was to be "Seafirst
Seafirst Bank
Seafirst Corporation was a bank holding company based in Seattle, Washington. Formed on November 11, 1929, from the merger of Seattle's three largest banks, the First National Bank Group, the Dexter Horton National Bank , and Seattle National Bank, the bank was originally named First Seattle Dexter...
Arena." Although Seafirst
Seafirst Bank
Seafirst Corporation was a bank holding company based in Seattle, Washington. Formed on November 11, 1929, from the merger of Seattle's three largest banks, the First National Bank Group, the Dexter Horton National Bank , and Seattle National Bank, the bank was originally named First Seattle Dexter...
was acquired in 1983 by B of A, it retained its brand until 2000, when it changed to "Bank of America.") The sponsorship of the arena expired after ten years in 2010 and was without an immediate successor. After several unsponsored months, the university announced its approval of Seattle-based Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines is an airline based in the Seattle suburb of SeaTac, Washington in the United States. The airline originated in 1932 as McGee Airways. After many mergers with and acquisitions of other airlines, including Star Air Service, it became known as Alaska Airlines in 1944...
as the new sponsor of Hec Ed on January 20, 2011.
Milestones
- Hec Ed has hosted the NCAA basketball Final FourFinal fourFinal Four isa sports term that is commonly applied to the last four teams remaining in a playoff tournament, most notably NCAA Division I college basketball tournaments. The term usually refers to the four teams who compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final round...
twice, in 19491949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball TournamentThe 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament involved 8 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 18, 1949, and ended with the championship game on March 26 in Seattle, Washington...
and 19521952 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament-External links:* on Shrp Sports * , source for much of the information on this page....
. - The overall attendance record for the building is 12,961, set during the semi-finals of the 1957 high school state basketball tournament.
Hec Ed hosted the state tournament for over fifty years. - Arguably the biggest game in the building since its renovation occurred on March 6, 2004, when the UW men's basketball team hosted top-ranked and then-undefeated StanfordStanford Cardinal men's basketballThe Stanford Cardinal Men's Basketball team represents Stanford University, located in Stanford, California, United States. The school's team currently competes in the Pacific-12 Conference. The team has won 13 conference championships , the last in 2004, and one NCAA championship, in 1942...
on national television, a game which the Huskies won 75-62. - On May 21, 1974, the pioneering jam band Grateful Dead performed to a sold-out audience in the arena, playing the longest ever recorded version of "Playing in the BandPlaying in the Band"Playing in the Band" is a Grateful Dead song. The lyrics were written by Robert Hunter and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir composed it. The song first emerged in embryonic form on the self-titled 1971 live album Grateful Dead...
".
External links
- Go Huskies.com - official site - Hec Edmundson Pavilion