Ryan Center

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The Thomas M. Ryan Center

Location	1 Lincoln Almond Plz Kingston, RI 02881
Broke ground	October 14, 2000
Opened	June 20, 2002
Owner	Univ. of Rhode Island
Operator	Global Spectrum
Construction cost	$54 million
Architect	HOK Sport
Former names	URI Convocation Center (project name)
Tenants	URI Rams (Men's & Women's Basketball)
Capacity	7,657

Ryan Center is a 7,657-seat multi-purpose arena in Kingston, Rhode Island. The arena opened in 2002. It is home to the University of Rhode Island Rams basketball. The building is named for Thomas M Ryan, Class of 1975, CEO of Rhode Island-based CVS Pharmacy and lead benefactor of the arena. The general manager is Terry Butler.^{[citation needed]}

The building opened in June, 2002, five months ahead of schedule. The first game in the arena was a women's basketball game against Kent State University on Nov. 22, 2002, and the first men's game was an upset win against USC on Nov. 26. It was meant to replace Keaney Gymnasium, which was built when the school's needs were for a smaller student population.

The building is recognizable for its three corner towers, which were modeled after lighthouses. (The fourth corner would be where the building meets the Tootell Physical Education Center.) It stands directly next to Meade Stadium, and the original field house and west (visitor's side) grandstands were demolished to make way for the building. There are seven luxury boxes that can view both the basketball floor and the football stadium outside, and new grandstands were built in 2006.