| Show The Utah Board a new Above is pictured the Oregon State College arena one of the most beautiful in the New Ute Alumnus Asks Editor's Notes There are many pros and cons connected with the problem of building a new basketball arena at Today The Chronicle presents the of R. Vern prominent U Salt Lake lawyer and Other sides of the question will be presented in future By R. VERNE McCULLOUGH The beautiful Oregon State coliseum was dedicated on a stormy night in when the first basketball game was played in this spacious sports palace between Oregon State College and the University of Basketball has now become a big time sport on the Corvallis The which covers one and one-third is the second largest suspended arch structure of its type in the United The peak of the ceiling is 83 feet above the equivalent of a four-story Framework of the structure consists of 12 fabricated steel In there are 1000 tons of structural steel in the but there is not one stel post or girder to obstruct vision in the main basketball auditorium and 85 percent of the seats are on the The main playing floor is large enough to put three full-size on page The Oregon State College basketball arena is one of the most beautiful in the The building is located at which boasts a population of The coliseum has seating for as compared with the fan capacity of Einar Nielsen The Utah Board of Regents has approved construction of a new basketball arena on but present building needs may delay construction five University Needs New Basketball Arena from page basketball courts if they run Roof of the building is insulated with worth of acoustical The acoustics in the main auditorium are astounding can hear a person talking in a normal voice on the main floor from the top row of seats in the Illumination also is Over the main floor are 48 Each light can be controlled as to height from the The air conditioning system keeps the temperature at 65 Six thermostatically controlled heating units displace cubic feet of air per The heat control system also will blow in cold air in the second half of its dual Suspended over the center of the main playing floor is a public address system consisting of four directional speakers located in a central It is possible to use any one of the four speakers by itself or in any combination with the For convocations and other such affairs there is a portable stage with a maximum size of 45 by 25 Any size of stage up to the maximum can be quickly assembled as each small section is on On the north and south sides of the building are corridors of offices and concession stands on both the main floor and balcony Nearly half the full basement is taken up with spacious dressing rooms for all varsity and freshman equipment a completely equipped modem training room and numerous tiled shower At one end of the basement the college museum has been Exhibits relating to the history of the college and state are attractively Oregon State situated in is the largest institution of learning in that Approximately students are enrolled for the academic year more than students are now enrolled at the University of The picturesque city of with a population of is situated in the Willamette Valley between the Cascade Mountains and the Coast Corvallis is 90 miles south of Portland and 40 miles north of a city of with a population of is 10 miles to the and Salem with a population of i is situated 38 miles northwest of The population of the entire Willamette Valley is approximately half the population of Salt Lake Big time sport events at Corvallis must draw their patronage from a city of Portland fans travel miles to see basketball and football games at Oregon State Within a radius of approximately 50 the University of Utah can draw sports fans from approximately a half million and we have a field-house which will seat only It is not surprising that the potential fans of this area are slightly disgruntled with the lack of seating space in the Utes' Einar Nielsen If the Mormon Church can provide a fieldhouse at Brigham Young University with a seating capacity of it should be possible for the state to help provide the sports loving fans of Utah with a sports palace seating at least In the last ten years the turn-away crowds at our basketball games could have contributed substantially toward the payment for such There were nearly fans at the University of Utah-Brigham Young basketball game at Provo this Utah did not receive one cent of the gate Utah sold out her fieldhouse of three months before the return BYU game in Salt Lake Nearly Utah students were admitted on active cards so Utah received less than in gate receipts for that The potential take would have been in excess of with a coliseum of seating even with students admitted We could have played two games with the University of San Francisco this year if Utah could have provided seating capacity to take care of financial A coliseum of seating capacity would be inadequate if Utah scheduled games with Notre or any of the Eastern teams which Utah has been forced to play in the East because of lack of If Oregon State within an area of can raise by tax-free bonds in less than 30 days to build their magnificent basketball why cannot the University of Utah do and even in an area of more than half a million This does not mean a donation or taxation program at It means that tax-free bonds will be sold bearing approximately 3 interest to subscribers to these The basketball fans will pay off these bonds in the years That is the way we financed and built the University of Utah football These stadium bonds were all retired before their The football fans paid the bill and not one cent was assessed against the taxpayers of this Would anyone be so foolish to suggest that Utah should have continued to play football at Cummings Field with its seating It is equally foolish to play basketball in our grossly inadequate field-house of seating capacity with basketball teams which have won the Skyline Conference two of the last three and as conference champions have been rated in the first ten teams of the The basketball at Brigham Young Wyoming Colorado Denver Oregon State College and Oregon University ought to point out the need for the University of Utah to build a magnificent basketball coliseum commensurate with the great basketball teams which have been and will be developed at |
