A new look for a campus icon

Richard and Denise Baker, season-ticket holders for UCLA men’s basketball, drove from Glendora to UCLA on May 11 to witness a little bit of history — the official launch of the Campaign of Champions, the $100-million drive that will help expand and renovate venerable, 44-year-old Pauley Pavilion.

 

“There’s just so much history and tradition here,” Richard Baker said. “We were wondering if they were going to change it so much that you wouldn’t see the old Pauley Pavilion in the new one. Is it going to be something that’s going to enhance what’s already here? That’s what we were hoping for.”

 

The Bakers, who had also brought Denise’s parents to the event, were joined by a few hundred alumni, donors, faculty, staff, students and media at the unveiling of the campaign — in Pauley Pavilion, of course — and listened to such speakers as Chancellor Gene Block, Athletic Director Dan Guerrero, former UCLA student-athletes Mike Warren and Ann Meyers-Drysdale, and head men’s basketball Coach Ben Howland as they described the benefits of renovating the beloved old building. The audience was also treated to a video that revealed what the new arena will look like when completed in 2012.

 

The Bakers were no doubt pleased to find that the UCLA project team, in conjunction with NBBJ Architects, has worked very hard to maintain the traditional integrity of the original building. While the exterior of the new Pauley will be very sleek, the iconic existing roof trusses will remain. The shining mass of glass, steel and terra cotta will fit in with the surrounding campus architecture.

 

There will be a brand-new grand entrance on the north side of the pavilion and an additional lobby and concourse on the southeast corner of the building; on the south side, an open-air marketplace and food court. The lobby will include historical displays and a team store selling UCLA merchandise.

 

But it’s the interior arena that’s sure to excite longtime fans. Although it will be entirely new — with a high-definition video scoreboard, an LED ribbon board, brand-new locker and weight rooms, a subterranean Pavilion Club for special events and an increased number of seats — it will also be very familiar, thanks to the prominent display of championship banners and the “Nell and John Wooden Court” logo on the hardwood floor.

 

“There is nothing like the magical name of Pauley Pavilion,” said UCLA women’s basketball Hall of Famer Ann Meyers-Drysdale, a member of the campaign’s executive committee. “Players come in here and they’re totally intimidated by seeing all the banners. I’ve been to North Carolina, I’ve been to Indiana, Notre Dame, all the arenas. They’ve redone arenas in the Pac-10. Now it’s time for Pauley Pavilion.”

 

Matt Pauley, grandson of the building’s original namesake, Edwin W. Pauley, told the story of how, almost three years ago, Dan Guerrero approached his family about the possibility of renovating Pauley Pavilion. The Pauleys were immediately supportive of UCLA’s project and vision.

 

“As a child, I grew up in Los Angeles and I could remember attending basketball games at Pauley Pavilion with my father,” Pauley said. “Now, as a father myself, I’m able to bring my children to UCLA basketball games so that they can share in the Bruin experience.

 

“It is for this younger generation that I believe we take on this project. Not only with the goal of improving the fan experience in Pauley Pavilion, but with the intention of extending the life of Pauley Pavilion for the next 40 or 50 years, so that when our children are grown, they, too, will have the chance to bring their children here and raise a new generation of Bruins.”

 

And in case anyone forgets, the new Pauley, like the old one, will serve as a multipurpose venue for a variety of events: new-student welcomes, graduations, concerts, community events, intramural and club sports, even presidential debates.

 

The current timeline calls for construction of the north side and exterior of the facility to begin in February 2010. At the conclusion of the 2011 basketball season, Pauley Pavilion will close in order to begin work on the interior. All events currently held in the venue will take place at alternate sites until construction is completed, with the newly renovated Pauley Pavilion scheduled to reopen in the fall of 2012.

 

The total cost of the project is $185 million, said Guerrero. The campaign has already secured $52.5 million in gifts and pledges — halfway to its goal of $100 million — and the remainder will come from UCLA campus support and long-term debt funded by UCLA Athletics.

 

While the fundraising continues, Guerrero and his staff will concentrate on finalizing the seating plan for the revitalized arena, which will operate on a point system. By July 1, season-ticket holders will be presented with the entire seating plan, including how to select tickets and the various pricing options. “We want to be able to accommodate all of the questions and do it in such a way that we’re responsive to everyone’s needs,” Guerrero said.

 

At the end of the afternoon’s ceremony, audience members were invited to come down to the floor level and peruse several renderings of the new building. Students Ryan Harris and Danny King, both members of the UCLA Spirit Squad, said they were completely excited about the new project.

 

“I’ll be an alumnus then, but I can’t wait to come back to Pauley and see it looking so wonderful,” said Harris, a third-year sociology major. “We have the greatest athletic program in the nation. It’s about time we had the greatest facilities in the nation, too.”

 

King, a graduate student in chemistry, agreed. “Even if I have to sit in the last row, I’ll definitely be here for season tickets,” he declared.

 

For more information about the Campaign of Champions, visit this website.