Athletics-Recreation Center
| ARC | ||||
Interior in 2016, exterior in 2006
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 Athletics-Recreation Center
Location in the United States
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| Location | 1009 Union Street Valparaiso, IN 46383 |
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| Coordinates | 41°27′51″N 87°02′54″W / 41.464198°N 87.048338°WCoordinates: 41°27′51″N 87°02′54″W / 41.464198°N 87.048338°W | |||
| Owner | Valparaiso University | |||
| Operator | Valparaiso University | |||
| Capacity | 5,000 (basketball) | |||
| Record attendance | 5,444 | |||
| Construction | ||||
| Broke ground | April 23, 1983 | |||
| Opened | November 27, 1984 | |||
| Construction cost | $7.25 million ($16.7 million in 2017 dollars) |
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| Architect | Daverman Associates, Inc. | |||
| Tenants | ||||
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Valparaiso Crusaders (NCAA) Men's basketball (1984–present) Women's basketball (1984–present) Women's volleyball (1984–present) |
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The Athletics–Recreation Center, also known as the ARC, is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana, United States. It serves as the home court for Valparaiso Crusaders men's and women's basketball teams as well as the volleyball team. It opened in 1984 as an addition to Hilltop Gym, the oldest parts of which date to 1939.
Prior to construction of the ARC, the Valpo basketball and volleyball teams competed at Hilltop Gymnasium, which opened in 1939 and is among the first facilities built at the university after it was purchased by the Lutherans. Hilltop had previously been expanded in 1962 to include more seating for basketball and a swimming pool on the first floor. Hilltop Gym was home for Valpo basketball when it competed in the NCAA's former College Division, for smaller schools. Notable individuals to appear in Hilltop include Larry Bird during his collegiate career at Indiana State, and Robert F. Kennedy, who gave a speech in the gym during his presidential campaign. It is now used as a practice facility for the men's and women's basketball teams following a 2005 renovation that included new flooring, lighting, windows and numerous banners celebrating Valpo's basketball tradition.
Beginning in the late 1970s it was decided that Valpo needed to expand its basketball facilities again, and in 1984, the $7.25 million expansion on the north side of Hilltop Gym, named the Athletics and Recreation Center, was completed. The ARC added 84,000 square feet (7,800 m2) to the existing gym for a total of 142,000 square feet (13,200 m2).
The men's basketball team played their first game there on November 27, 1984 against Western Michigan University and their dedication game there on December 9, 1984 against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The greatest upset in the ARC occurred four years later against this same team, when Valpo defeated the 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 and the 2012, 2013, and 2015 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament finals.
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