Evanston, IL. – The first thing you notice when you walk into the newly renovated Welsh-Ryan Arena at Northwestern University, the home of Northwestern University’s basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams, is how much brighter it is. The lighting is exceptional which is great for fans and even better for us in the media for taking pictures.
McGaw Memorial Hall, in which Welsh-Ryan Arena is located, was started in 1951 and completed in 1953. In the early 1980s, aided by a leadership gift from the Ryans, the basketball arena was renovated and named in honor of the parents of Mr. and Mrs. Ryan. Additional improvements have been made to the building since that time, but this was the very first top-to-bottom renovation of the entire structure since its original construction.
But now there have been several exceptional add-ons for the Wildcats home such as wider concourses, new seating throughout the arena, with chair-back seats replacing existing wood bleachers. This is a big upgrade for the fans. Also, there is improved accessibility for the mobility-impaired, with five new elevators replacing the existing one they had.
In addition to new restrooms, which doubled the number of toilet fixtures as well as the addition of accessible family restrooms, there are several new concession areas with twice as many point-of-sale stations to increase efficiency, along with new food and drink offerings. As fars as the Big Ten schools go, Northwestern’s concessions are below average in the price which makes it more family friendly,
As I mentioned earlier there is new state-of-the-art lighting, along with audio and video capabilities in the arena. The lobby was expanded by almost 50 percent and there is new premium seating areas and expansion of the N-Club, which provides space for pre- and post-game events, by more than 400 percent. The club, which is located on the second floor, has been extended south onto Randy Walker Terrace at Ryan Field and provides expanded hospitality opportunities on football game days.
Also, a major upgrade has been done to the locker rooms for men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and volleyball which was overdue. Many of the players I’ve talked to really like the new changes quite a bit.
A leadership gift from Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan, along with a $10 million gift from Stephen R. and Susan K. Wilson, donations from other loyal Northwestern benefactors and the existing athletics maintenance and equipment budget, helped fund the $110-plus million project.
The arena holds 7.038 in capacity, still the smallest in the Big Ten. Rutgers’ home gym holds 8,000, and the smallest after that is Michigan’s Crisler Center with 12,707. But although small and cozy, it’s very comfortable in its friendly confines. Northwestern did a great job, and like everything else at the University, including its staff and students, it’s first class all the way!
