Assembly Hall (Champaign)

Infobox_Stadium
stadium_name = Assembly Hall| nickname =


location = 1800 South 1st St
Champaign, Illinois 61820-6950
broke_ground =
opened = March 2, 1963
closed =
demolished =
owner = University of Illinois
operator = University of Illinois
surface =
construction_cost= $8.35 million
architect = Max Abramovitz
former_names = | tenants = Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball
seating_capacity = 16,618 (Basketball) Assembly Hall is a large dome-shaped indoor arena located in Champaign, Illinois, and is part of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The Hall hosts games for the Fighting Illini men's and women's basketball teams, and doubles as a performance and event center.

Fighting Illini Basketball

Assembly Hall hosts home games of Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball and Illinois Fighting Illini women's basketball.

Opening

Assembly Hall opened on March 2, 1963 and continues to attract attention for its design and construction. Four hundred feet across, it at one time was one of only two edge-supported domes in the world. The roof is supported by convert|614|mi|km of one-quarter inch steel wire wrapped at the base of the dome under intensive pressure. The architect was Max Abramovitz, a distinguished University of Illinois alumnus.

ize

The third largest Illinois arena after the United Center in Chicago and the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Assembly Hall has nearly 16,000 permanent seats, but when portable chairs are placed on the floor for an in-the-round performance there is a potential of up to 17,200 depending on the size of the stage.

IHSA

Assembly Hall has hosted a variety of Illinois High School Association events. It has been the home of the state individual wrestling tournament since 1967. From 1963 to 1995, Assembly Hall played host to the state finals of the boys' basketball tournament. From 1978 to 1990, it also hosted the IHSA girls' basketball tournament.

Broadway Series

Assembly Hall is also the venue for the annual News-Gazette Broadway Series, which features popular musicals such as Les Miserables, Miss Saigon, RENT, and Fiddler on the Roof.

Endangered Landmark

As of April 2, 2008, the Assembly Hall was added to the annual top ten endangered Illinois historic places list as published by Landmarks Illinois, a non-profit historic preservation group. The only other endangered athletic site on the list is the Cubs' Wrigley Field in Chicago.

In the autumn of 2008, school officials, led by Athletics Director Ron Guenther, are deciding whether to refurbish Assembly hall or build a new basketball arena. [cite web | url = http://chicagosports.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/illinois/cs-080821-illinois-ron-guenther-athletic-director,1,6759120.story | title = Guenther assesses Assembly Hall's fate | publisher = Chicago Tribune | last = Bannon | first = Terry | accessdate = 2008-08-21] A decision is expected in January 2009. [cite web | url = http://www.illinihq.com/news/football/2008/08/21/guenther_meets_the_press | title = Guenther meets the press | publisher = The News Gazette | last = Rossow | first = Jim | accessdate = 2008-08-21]

External links

* [http://www.uofiassemblyhall.com Official site]
* [http://www.illinoisloyalty.com/Gallery/showgallery.php?cat=510 Gallery of (8) Assembly Hall images taken under a cover of snow, 12/26/2004]
* [http://uitours.ncsa.uiuc.edu/museumsentertainment/assemblyhall/ History]
* [http://www.fightingillini.com Illinois Fighting Illini]