Athletics-Recreation Center

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Athletics-Recreation Center
ARC
Location	1009 Union Street Valparaiso University Valparaiso, IN 46383
Broke ground	April 23, 1983[1]
Opened	November 27, 1984
Owner	Valparaiso University
Operator	Valparaiso University
Construction cost	$7.25 million
Architect	Daverman Associates, Inc.
Tenants	Valparaiso Crusaders
Capacity	5,000 (basketball)

The interior of the Athletics-Recreation Center

The Athletics-Recreation Center is a 5,000 -seat multi-purpose arena in Valparaiso, Indiana, located at 1009 Union Street. It serves as the home court for Valparaiso University men's and women's basketball teams as well as the volleyball team. The oldest parts of the building date to 1939 and are among the first facilities built at the University after it was purchased by the Lutherans. This original building was expanded in 1962 to include more seating for basketball and a swimming pool on the first floor[2]. Known as the Hilltop Gym this facility was home for Valpo basketball when it competed in the NCAA's old "college" classification, for smaller schools. Despite this the gym was still witness to a number of historic individuals including Larry Bird who competed in the gym when Valpo played against his Indiana State Sycamores, and Robert Kennedy, who gave a speech there during his presidential campaign.

The old Hilltop Gym remains a part of the larger ARC building which was added to it in 1984

Beginning in the late 70's it was decided that Valpo needed to expand its basketball facilities again, and in 1984, the 7.25 million dollar expansion on the north side of the gym, named the Athletics and Recreation Center (or ARC for short) was completed. The men's basketball team playerd their first game there on November 27, 1984 against Western Michigan University [3]. The men's basketball team played their dedication game there on December 9th, 1984 against the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame University, from nearby South Bend, Indiana[4]. The greatest upset in the ARC occurred four years later against this same team, when Valpo defeated the then 19th ranked Fighting Irish in front of 4,913 fans. In 1995 the ARC hosted the finals of the Mid-Continent Conference men’s basketball tournament. Since that time a number of smaller renovations have occurred in and around the facility. In the fall of 1999 the men's and women's coaching staffs moved into the new Schrage Basketball Wing, added to the east side of the main arena.

The Schrage Basketball Wing

In 2005 the old Hilltop Gym on the south side of the building was renovated with new flooring, lighting, windows and numerous banners celebrating Valpo's basketball tradition. It is now used as a practice facility for the men's and women's basketball teams[5]. In 2006 the weight lifting facilities were rearranged with athletes now having access to the Mosak Performance Center, a refurbished room in the building with new customized weight lifting equipment. The ARC's capacity can easily be increased by adding bleachers to the East side which is usually left open. Also the building architects, Barton-Malow Company, left the north side of the building ammenable to future expansion. The largest crowd in school history was for a game against the (then-ranked 10th) Butler University Bulldogs on February 5th, 2008. The attendance was 5,432 fans[6], barely enough to eclipse the total of 5,425 in attendance for the November 16th, 2001 meeting between Valpo and the Purdue University Boilermakers[7]. Future improvements to the facility have been floated but none are in the works for the near future[8].