New BU Arena

[tornado]

Not much more than we already know, except for some pictures
Now online at PJStar.com

http://www.pjstar.com/

http://www.pjstar.com/stories/082306/BRA_bradley.shtml

the pictures and map:

http://www.pjstar.com/sports/ssections/BUarena/BRADLEY_CAMPUS_PLAN.PDF

[chitownBUB]

Honestly, the picture on the map of the new facility doesn't look too
much different than the old Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse!
Is the retro look intentional?

[BradleyBrave]

Honestly, the picture on the map of the new facility doesn't look too
much different than the old Robertson Memorial Fieldhouse!
Is the retro look intentional?

They said they wanted to stick with the traditional look of the campus. I think they've done a great job in these renderings.

[Da Coach]

More info from Dave Reynolds on the newly proposed Bradley Arena development--

http://pjstar.com/stories/082406/BRA_BAOR423E.071.shtml

Most significant to the discussions on the message boards is the question asked to Gary Anna-
Q. Was building a men's basketball arena on campus ever given serious consideration?

A. Yes. BU president David Broski commissioned an advisory committee comprised of university officials and community leaders to study whether it was possible to bring the men back to campus. They concluded that not only was such an action cost-prohibitive, but not feasible because of neighborhood and infrastructure issues.

"There's just no practical way to do it," Anna said. "It would be at least double the cost of the project. Plus you have all the infrastructure issues of parking, heavy traffic volume, (lack of) restaurants.
"Plus if we were to downsize an arena from what is available at Carver (capacity 11,100), then you would question why we'd want to do that. The Civic Center was built, in part, to accommodate Bradley's needs.

Hopefully, that will put to rest the incessant chatter from outsiders and Bradley-bashers who have said that Bradley "blew it" by not including a men's basketball arena, and that it would have been easy to do and at most it would have increased cost only 20%.

Clearly, the right thing to do was to keep the men's basketball at the Civic Center.

[it's boogie time]

Interesting that one of the things he listed was a lack of restaurants. One of the things I like about Bradley basketball, especially on the weekends, is that gamenight is an event. I like to go downtown and eat/drink before and after the game with my friends and family. I don't get that when I go to an Illini game at the Assembly Hall (one of the reasons I like the football games better than the basketball games - I realize I'm in the minority).

[tornado]

Even more on what this article in the Hilltopics claims is
"It is the biggest thing to happen here since Lydia Moss Bradley founded Bradley Polytechnic Institute in 1897.???‚¬??

http://www.bradley.edu/hilltopics/newlook/

This is what the new arena will look like




And this is what the new student rec area will look like

[Big Mike]

Thanks Big Wind.........nice find and a good read to what is really on tap in the near future on the Hilltop!