Matthew Knight Arena

Matthew Knight Arena
The exterior of the arena Construction progress as of February 2010
Location	Eugene, Oregon
Broke ground	February 7, 2009
Opened	January 13, 2011
Owner	National Championship Properties, (Subsidiary of University of Oregon)
Operator	Arena Network
Construction cost	$227 million
Architect	TVA Architects Ellerbe Becket[1]
General Contractor	[http://www.hoffmancorp.com
Capacity	12,541
Tenants
Oregon Ducks (NCAA) (2011-)

The Matthew Knight Arena is a 12,541 seat multi-purpose arena in Eugene, Oregon and the home of the University of Oregon Ducks basketball teams, replacing McArthur Court. It is located on the east side of campus at the corner of Franklin Boulevard and Villard Street, a gateway to campus as people arrive from I-5. The arena was originally intended to be ready for the start of the 2010–11 basketball season, but instead opened for the men's basketball game against the USC Trojans on January 13, 2011.^[2] It is named for chief donor Phil Knight's son, who died at the age of 34 in a scuba diving accident.^[3] The arena cost $227 million^[4] and was designed as collaboration between TVA Architects of Portland, Oregon and Ellerbe Becket of Kansas City, Missouri. Hoffman Construction Company of Portland, Oregon was the general contractor.^[5]

The Ducks christened the arena to a sold-out crowd on January 13, 2011, beating the USC Trojans 68 to 62.^[6]

Design

Matthew Knight Arena, Feb. 2011.

The arena floor is named Kilkenny Floor after former Oregon Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny. Called "Deep in the Woods", the design features repeating silhouettes of Pacific Northwest tree lines, giving the impression of being lost in the forest, gazing toward the sky. The floor was designed by Tinker Hatfield, Nike's VP of Creative Design, who intended to design an "iconic television presence possible for the University of Oregon" and honor the "Tall Firs", the nickname of the 1938–39 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team, winners of the inaugural NCAA basketball championship.^[7][8]

The arena also features a 32-by-36-foot (9.8 × 11 m), 65,000-pound (29,000 kg) center-hung scoreboard, the largest in college sports. It contains four 20 by 12 feet (6.1 × 3.7 m) high definition LED monitors and is connected to the ceiling by intersecting "O" logos.^[9]

There was some criticism from fans about the glare caused by the court's contrast. There also was criticism for the lack of a visible center court line.^[10]

Criticism

Statewide criticism

The projected construction cost of $200 million made it the most expensive on campus basketball arena in the United States, and financing was secured through state-backed 30-year bonds.^[3] The university was criticized for overstating the income estimates.^[11]

Community criticism

There was also concern from residents of the Fairmount neighborhood where the arena is located about the lack of parking space as well as trash disposal during events.^[12] According to University spokesman Greg Rikhoff, the University did not originally plan to add any new parking for the 12,500 seat arena. The first proposals included only street parking and remote park and ride shuttle service for spectators but later proposals added parking spaces. The University was required to obtain a conditional use permit, which obligated the University to provide a transportation plan, a community impact statement, and to address other neighborhood concerns about the new use of the property in an open forum.^[13][2]

On-campus criticism

Students expressed concern about the proximity of the planned arena to on-campus student housing, listing site specific concerns such as physical security, noise, and the out of place scale of building in an academically focused residential area.^[14]

References

1. ^ University of Oregon, Matthew Knight Arena architect Ellerbe Becket
2. ^ ^{a b} "Matthew Knight Arena ready for debut". KMTR.com. January 13, 2011. http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story/Matthew-Knight-Arena-ready-for-debut/GCOmoRhQ0kK6aR-ehNn00A.cspx. Retrieved January 13, 2011. 
3. ^ Bachman, Rachel (December 13, 2008). "Knight appears, announces name of arena". The Oregonian. http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2008/12/knight_appears.html. Retrieved May 21, 2011. 
4. ^ Beseda, Jim (January 13, 2011). "For Ducks, a change of venue". The Oregonian. 
5. ^ New-look arena - OregonLive.com: Behind The Ducks Beat
6. ^ [1]. Oregon Daily Emerald 1-14-2011
7. ^ Oregon's new basketball court isn't just wood, it's art, USA Today 11-08-2010
8. ^ [2], sportsgrid.com 11-06-2010
9. ^ Holmes, Baxter (January 12, 2011). "Trojans get to break in Oregon's new arena". Los Angeles Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jan/12/sports/la-sp-0113-usc-basketball-20110113. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
10. ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (January 14, 2011). "Distracting glare detracts from first game at Oregon's new arena". rivals.com. http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Distracting-glare-detracts-from-first-game-at-Or?urn=ncaab-307433. Retrieved September 13, 2011. 
11. ^ Arena report shows early skepticism, Oregon Daily Emerald 02-11-2008
12. ^ Arena project raises concern in community, Oregon Daily Emerald 01-30-2008
13. ^ "UO needs city OK on new arena". KVAL-TV. June 4, 2008. http://www.kval.com/sports/college/19546794.html. Retrieved January 13, 2010. 
14. ^ Residence Hall Association Arena Resolution

External links

• Arena Website
• Student group arena information page

Coordinates: 44°02′42″N 123°03′58″W / 44.045°N 123.066°W / 44.045; -123.066