Williams Arena
| "The Barn" "The Barnyard" |
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| Former names | Minnesota Field House (1928–1950) |
|---|---|
| Location | 1925 Southeast University Avenue Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455 |
| Coordinates | 44°58′37″N 93°13′42″W / 44.97694°N 93.22833°WCoordinates: 44°58′37″N 93°13′42″W / 44.97694°N 93.22833°W |
| Owner | University of Minnesota |
| Operator | University of Minnesota |
| Capacity | 14,625 (Arena proper) 5,700 (Sports Pavilion) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 10, 1927 |
| Opened | February 4, 1928 |
| Renovated | 1950, 1993, 1997 |
| Construction cost | $650,000 ($9.07 million in 2016 dollars) |
| Architect |
Clarence H. Johnston, Sr. HGA/Hastings+Chivetta (renovations) |
| Services engineer | Pillsbury Engineering Company |
| General contractor | Madsen Construction Company structural steel was fabricated by the Minneapolis Steel & Machinery Co., Minneapolis (a large farm machinery & steel manufacturer, later part of Minneapolis-Moline Co). The same firm fabricated steel for the Foshay Tower in 1929, being the first skyscraper west of the Mississippi River. |
| Tenants | |
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Minnesota Golden Gophers (Men's & Women's Basketball Men's & Women's Gymnastics Volleyball and Wrestling) 1951 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament |
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Williams Arena, located on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota is the home of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men's and women's basketball teams. It also housed the men's hockey team until 1993, when it moved into its own building, Mariucci Arena. The building is known affectionately as "The Barn", and its student section is known as "The Barnyard".
Williams Arena is located on the southwest corner of the intersection of University Avenue and 19th Ave. SE in Minneapolis on the U of M's East Bank campus. It is in a neighborhood called Stadium Village, named for the old Memorial Stadium that stood there until its demolition in 1992. The arena is adjacent to TCF Bank Stadium, Mariucci Arena, and Ridder Arena, where the football and hockey teams respectively play.
Initially known as the Minnesota Field House (another building has that name today), Williams Arena was constructed in the 1920s and opened in 1928. The original construction of Williams Arena cost $650,000. The arena was remodeled in 1950, and renamed Williams Arena after Dr. Henry L. Williams, the football coach from 1900 to 1921.
As part of the 1950 renovation, it was divided into two separate arenas within one building—a larger one for basketball and a smaller one for hockey. Both arenas were called Williams Arena until March 2, 1985, when the hockey section was renamed Mariucci Arena after longtime Gopher hockey coach John Mariucci. The hockey team moved into a new building across the street from Williams in 1993, also named Mariucci Arena. The old Mariucci Arena within Williams was remodeled into the Sports Pavilion and now houses the volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastic teams.
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