Kansas University soon may have another winner at historic Allen Fieldhouse.
Color renditions and floor-plan drawings showing how the new Booth Family Hall of Athletics will look as an expansion to the main entrance of the fieldhouse drew favorable reactions Saturday from people on campus and around Lawrence.
“I think it fits OK,” Lawrence resident Steve Bradt said. “It looks like it will be made of the same material and will match the same general style of the fieldhouse.”
KU officials released the drawings during a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday morning in front of the fieldhouse, where work on the addition is already under way, thanks to a $5 million donation from David and Suzanne Booth and their family. Several family members attended the ceremony, as did KU representatives including Chancellor Robert Hemenway and Athletic Director Lew Perkins.
The 26,000-square-foot Hall of Athletics, which will cost $8 million, will be used to display memorabilia of KU’s historic athletic programs. Also included will be a new Naismith meeting room, Jayhawk Den and KU apparel store. The facade will be natural stone to match the original stone of the fieldhouse.
“I think it looks unbelievably cool,” David Booth said of the drawings, which were on display inside the fieldhouse entrance.
Bradt wasn’t the only KU fan who agreed. Others also liked what they saw and were quick to point out the need to continue the fieldhouse facade. Among them were Bob and Susan Harper, KU graduates who said they met on a blind date while going to school “many years ago.”
“It looks like it’s going to change things a lot, but it’s the same natural style and I think that’s important,” Susan Harper said. She and her husband were shown the plans as they were walking downtown.
Panorama — Booth Family Hall of Athletics
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“That’s not too bad,” said Jeff Richards, of Lawrence, as he studied the drawings, also downtown. “They do need a good place for all those trophies.”
For Bradt, it was good to know the KU memorabilia would be in one general area when the expansion was completed.
“I think they are kind of spread out now, and if you happen to wander all around looking for a bathroom you might get to see them all,” he said.
Portertena Davis, of St. Louis, commended the Booths for stepping forward to make the donation. She also liked the plans, having seen them while visiting the Kansas Union.
“I think it’s fantastic,” said Davis, who was in town to watch her son graduate from KU. “If you are a coach or a player you can walk out and see the results of what you’ve been playing for.”
Former KU students Gary and Jennifer Kollman were on campus Saturday taking photographs of their favorite landmarks. The couple currently live in Merriam but will soon be moving to Colorado. They said they were revisiting and reminiscing about the campus so they could rekindle some memories to take with them when they move. The fieldhouse is a big part of their memories of KU.
“I think this looks really good,” Gary Kollman said of the plans, as his wife nodded in agreement. “But we’re going to take some pictures of Allen Fieldhouse as it is now.”
You can’t please everybody, however. At least one person who looked at the plans wasn’t thrilled with what she saw.
“I think the fieldhouse should stay the way it is,” said Katie Watson, a Sublette senior who graduates from KU today. “That’s part of the charm of it. I think they could make, or find some room for, the trophies in the building.”
KU officials said they expected construction for the Hall of Athletics to be completed in November.
The Hall of Athletics expansion at Allen Fieldhouse will feature:
¢ Athletics memorabilia display
¢ Naismith meeting room
¢ Jayhawk Den
¢ Apparel store