Siegel Center

Siegel Center
Construction
The Stu

Location	1200 West Broad Street Richmond, Virginia, 23284, USA
Coordinates	37°33′11″N 77°27′10″W / 37.552918°N 77.4529°W / 37.552918; -77.4529Coordinates: 37°33′11″N 77°27′10″W / 37.552918°N 77.4529°W / 37.552918; -77.4529
Owner	Virginia Commonwealth University
Operator	Virginia Commonwealth University
Capacity	7,637
Surface	Hardwood
Broke ground	April 23, 1996^[1]
Opened	May 1, 1999
Construction cost	$30.1 million ($42.6 million in 2015 dollars^[2])
Architect	Marcellus Wright Cox & Smith
Structural engineer	Dunbar Milby Williams Pittman & Vaughan
General contractor	Poole & Kent
Tenants
Virginia Commonwealth Rams

The interior of the Verizon Wireless Arena, with the 2011 Final Four banner hanging from the ceiling

Final Four display on the concourse of the Siegel Center, commemorating VCU's 2011 NCAA Tournament run.

Stuart C. Siegel Center is a 190,000-square-foot (18,000 m²) multi-purpose facility on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia, United States. The facility's main component is the 7,637-(expandable to 8,000) seat Verizon Wireless Arena. It also served as a student recreational area until the new Cary Street Gym complex was built. It now is used purely for VCU athletics and includes a weight room, auxiliary basketball court, and a cafè. The Verizon Wireless Arena hosts Division I level NCAA inter-collegiate athletics and serves as a general-purpose assembly space for special events such as graduations, concerts, receptions, and a variety of competitions (both athletic and non athletic). It is named after Richmond businessman Stuart C. Siegel. Lastly, it is affectionately referred to the HavocDome by its fans, which comes from the name of VCU's style of play under head coach Shaka Smart known as "Havoc".

The "Stu" opened in 1999 and cost $30.1 million to construct. Its main tenant is the VCU Rams men's basketball team who enjoy one of the nation's best home court winning percentages since moving into the facility and has received the reputation as arguably the toughest place to play in the Atlantic Ten Conference. The VCU Rams men's basketball team holds the 13th-highest home court winning percentage in Division I basketball with a winning percentage of 85.23^[3] The student section dubbed the "Rowdy Rams" is extremely loud and almost deafening. The "Rowdy Rams" won the 2012-2013 Naismith Student Section of the year award, which awards the most passionate student section in college basketball. In the 2012-2013 season every home game at the Siegel Center has been sold out and currently holds a 35 game sell out streak dating back to 2011. The "arena" has also hosted local and state high school basketball tournaments. It is also host to the annual Virginia Regional (formerly VCU/NASA) FIRST Robotics Competition.^[4]

Expansion

Future Expansion

Plans are in the works to upgrade the Siegel Center's capacity to 10,000 seats with a total cost of $12 million.^[5]

Recent expansion

In 2011, a $3.4 million facelift to the Siegel Center added luxury suites, a 120-club seat balcony, renovated offices and a new lounge, the Tommy J. West Club.^[6]

References

↑ White, Jeff (April 21, 1996). "VCU Center Proves Skeptics in Error Siegel Groundbreaking Is Tuesday". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
↑ Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–2014. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved February 27, 2014.
↑ http://www.rpiratings.com/homecourtrec.php
↑ https://my.usfirst.org/myarea/index.lasso?page=event_details&eid=3739&-session=myarea:C77D6405080f222D35kjN3C9A05B
↑ http://oi39.tinypic.com/2yxhvrk.jpg
↑ http://www.wtol.com/story/16004379/vcu-unveils-new-luxury-area-at-siegel-center

External links

VCU Rams men's basketball

Venues	Franklin Street Gym (1968–1971) Richmond Coliseum (1971–1999) Siegel Center (1999–present)

Rivalries	George Mason Old Dominion Richmond

Culture & lore	History Rodney the Ram

People	Head coaches Retired jerseys

Seasons	1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Basketball arenas of the Atlantic 10 Conference

John M. Belk Arena (Davidson)
UD Arena (Dayton)
A. J. Palumbo Center (Duquesne)
Rose Hill Gymnasium (Fordham)
Patriot Center (George Mason)
Charles E. Smith Athletic Center (George Washington)
Tom Gola Arena (La Salle)
Ryan Center (Rhode Island)
Robins Center (Richmond)
Hagan Arena (Saint Joseph's)
Chaifetz Arena (Saint Louis)
Reilly Center (St. Bonaventure)
William D. Mullins Memorial Center (UMass)
Siegel Center (VCU)

Sports in Richmond, Virginia

Baseball	EL Richmond Flying Squirrels

Basketball	ABA Richmond Elite

Football	PIFL Richmond Raiders

Roller derby	WFTDA River City Rollergirls

Running	Monument Avenue 10K Richmond Marathon

Soccer	USL Pro Richmond Kickers NPSL RVA FC Others Richmond Strikers

College athletics	NCAA Div. I Richmond Spiders VCU Rams NCAA Div. II Virginia Union Panthers

Venues (NCAA Div. I)	Arthur Ashe Athletic Center Belgian Building City Stadium The Diamond E. Claiborne Robins Stadium Hovey Field Malcolm U. Pitt Field Richmond Coliseum Richmond International Raceway Robins Center Siegel Center Sports Backers Stadium