Haas Pavilion
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Coordinates: 37°52′9.82″N 122°15′43.9″W / 37.8693944°N 122.262194°W
| Pete Newell Court | |
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| Full name | Walter A. Haas, Jr. Pavilion |
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| Former names | Men's Gym (1933-59) Harmon Gym (1959-97) |
| Location | 14 Frank Schlessinger Way University of California, Berkeley 94720 |
| Opened | 1933 |
| Renovated | 1999 |
| Owner | University of California, Berkeley |
| Operator | University of California, Berkeley |
| Construction cost | $57.5 million |
| Architect | original architect, George W. Kelham; firm for the renovation, Ellerbe Becket |
| Capacity | 11,877 |
| Tenants | |
| California Golden Bears (NCAA) (1933-1997, 1999-present) | |
The Walter A. Haas, Jr. Pavilion is the home of the University of California, Berkeley's Men's and Women's basketball and Men's and Women's volleyball teams. The arena is located in the middle of the main University of California sports complex, overlooking Evans Diamond (baseball) and Edwards Stadium (track/soccer).
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[edit] History
The arena was originally built in 1933 as the Men's Gym. It was renamed Harmon Gym in 1959, after Oakland financier A.K.P. Harmon, who donated the funds to build Cal's first indoor athletic facility in 1879. Lou Campanelli tried to have it renamed "Harmon Arena" when he became coach, but it never really caught on. The playing surface, after being known as simply "Room 100" since the arena opened, was renamed Pete Newell Court in 1987 in honor of Pete Newell, who led Cal to the national championship in 1959.
Proposals for replacing the old gym were bandied about from the 1970s onward, but sentiment was strongly in favor of rebuilding it instead. As a result, the arena was heavily renovated from 1997 to 1999 after a donation of about $11 million from Walter A. Haas, Jr. of Levi Strauss & Co., building a new seating bowl within the existing walls.
The new facility retains the intimate atmosphere of its predecessor, while having almost two times the seating capacity at 11,877. In particular, there are no soundproofing devices. The arena contains The Bench, a courtside section that holds approximately 900 student fans. The amount of student seating doubled from the old arena, up to 2,600 from 1,300. It also holds the Pac-Ten Women's Basketball attendance record of 10,525 people, set during a game against rival Stanford University on February 23, 2008.
Construction for the new $57.5 million arena began after the final home game in March 1997 and was finished for the start of the 1999 season. During the construction, the basketball teams played at both the Kaiser Convention Center and the Oakland Arena (now Oracle Arena) in Oakland.
The 2009 men's basketball game between Cal and arch rival Stanford on February 14 was part of a special celebration commemorating the 100th season of Golden Bear basketball, as well as a recognition of the 50th anniversary of Cal's national title in 1959.[1]
On February 28, 2009 ESPN's College Gameday made its first appearance in Berkeley broadcasting live from inside Haas Pavilion for the game against the #18 UCLA Bruins. Cal lost to UCLA despite a large turnout.
[edit] Retired jerseys
- Darrall Imhoff (1958-60)
- Kevin Johnson (1984-87)
- Alfred Grigsby (1992-97)
- Jason Kidd (1993-94)
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Haas Pavilion |
- Official facilities page
- Official announcement of opening
- TerraServer-USA image of Haas Pavilion
- History of Harmon Gym
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