When was assembly hall indiana built

In 17 seasons in the building, IU compiled a record of Perhaps foretelling things to come, they were a perfect there in the final season. Fourteen different coaches would lead the program during the 17 seasons at the original Assembly Hall.. James Horne was the first coach. The original Assembly Hall would continue to be a gathering place for various IU events for another 20 years. The building was torn down in To the best of our knowledge there was no auctioning of turnstiles or commemorative plaques sold to the public with the original basketball floor.

Little did anyone know at the time that people would still be writing about it today — 80 years later — giving the structure much greater reverence than was the case at the time. Surrounded by classical limestone architectural treasures in every direction, it is understandable how the humble wooden frame first home of the Hoosiers fell out of favor.

Despite its shortcoming in appearances, the original Assembly Hall was not lacking in historical significance. Former board of trustees president Stephen Ferguson told The Star: "If the board of trustees sat in the back row of the balcony, they'd probably rebuild Assembly Hall.

Paul "Pooch" Harrell, Indiana's athletic director from , oversaw the bidding and construction of Assembly Hall in the s. He thought fans prefered sideline seats. In , Harrell told the Bloomington Sunday Herald-Times, "We talked with a lot of people and drew from our own experience in coming to the conclusion a circular seating arrangement would be unwise. If you're trying to sell tickets you better be in a position to provide potential customers with the best possible seats.

IU assistant athletic director for facilities Chuck Crabb, a person as familiar with Assembly Hall's history as anyone in the department, described Harrell's vision. The promotional documents for renovating Assembly Hall, obtained by the Star, emphasize the building's competitive advantages for the Hoosiers. It included quotes from opponents on the intimidating atmosphere, including one from current Penn State guard Tim Frazier, who said fans are "right there on top of you.

Yet Crabb admitted that ascending the steps of the lower bowl can sometimes feel like "mountain climbing. Said Glass: "I've sat in that balcony, particularly as a student. I've sat in the last row of the main bowl and not been able to see the scoreboard.

In the mid s the modular basketball floor was replaced by a permanent wood floor, making it impossible to lay down ice note; best knowledge indicates that ice was never created and that the actual machinery was never installed even though the concrete subfloor is plumbed for freezing purposes.

Pieces of the old modular floor were mounted on plaques and sold as a means of defraying the cost of upkeep and renovations to Assembly Hall. Jump to: navigation , search. Drawing inspiration from the cable-support construction used at Dorton Arena in Raleigh, N. But the project was to be funded by bond issues, which meant it had a bonding cap. When bids for each building sailed over expectation, adjustments were required.

Only 11, people could get in there. They were talking about building Assembly Hall. Why would we need more space? College athletics departments were not then the monolithic entities they are now.

And arenas did not cost so much. What is now work and storage space was originally room for handball and racquetball courts. And, despite initial concerns, it turned out there was room in the firmament for an arena that size. All the great artists of the mids played this building. The first event hosted in Assembly Hall was not a basketball game but a Ringling Bros. Bob Hope came through. Once, when Elvis performed there, his entourage parked cars at four different exits, each departing after the show in a different direction so no one could tell which way The King had gone.

The stage hands that were responsible for setting the stage, sound and lighting, were given the task of buying all the black Visqueen plastic they could get their hands on. Anyone with a balcony seat was moved down to the main level. Plastic sheets covered the balconies, stem to stern. All the speakers were faced to the south, toward the walls.

The sound bounced right back to the stage, and it was a real disaster as far as the sound. We had a lot of people coming back complaining, or even leaving the concert because of that. Once, when his circus was passing through, famed trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams walked his animals through the basement hallways of the building — right past what were then the ticket offices. You were afraid to leave your office to go to the restroom. More importantly, Market Square Arena opened in , and it was easier to draw a crowd in Indianapolis than it was in Bloomington.

The list of acts coming through dwindled as a result. Pat Shoulders was a freshman at IU in the fall of He joined a fraternity, Sigma Nu, along with a freshman basketball player named John Laskowski. In those days, athletes were required to live in dorms or fraternities. When Indiana hired Bob Knight: 'Knight will never make it here. The program was 18 years removed from its last national title, under Branch McCracken.

Indiana had already beaten top Kansas at home that season. But by fall , a waiting list twice the capacity of the building had formed, including, Crabb estimates, about 18, students for 10, student tickets.

That prompted a few rethinks. Like coupon books to divvy up season tickets equitably among a student body clamoring for them. Or courtside premium seating to raise more money.