Hofheinz Pavilion

Hofheinz Pavilion
The Hof
The exterior of Hofheinz Pavilion on Cullen Boulevard
Location 3875 Holman Street
Houston, Texas 77004
Coordinates 29°43′29″N 95°20′49″W / 29.72472°N 95.34694°W / 29.72472; -95.34694Coordinates: 29°43′29″N 95°20′49″W / 29.72472°N 95.34694°W / 29.72472; -95.34694
Owner University of Houston System
Operator University of Houston
Capacity 10,000 (1969–1998)
8,479 (1998–2017)
Record attendance 10,660
8,918 (Post-1998 capacity)
Construction
Broke ground 1967
Opened December 1, 1969
Renovated 1991, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2017
Construction cost $4.2 million[1]
($28 million in 2017 dollars[2])
Architect Lloyd, Morgan & Jones
Structural engineer Walter P Moore[3]
General contractor H. A. Lott, Inc.[4]
Tenants
Houston Cougars (NCAA) (1969–present)
Houston Rockets (NBA) (1971–1975)

Hofheinz Pavilion is a 8,479-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston, Texas, currently undergoing renovation. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team. The building is named after Roy Hofheinz and his late wife, Irene Cafcalas "Dene" Hofheinz, after they donated $1.5 million to help fund construction. Roy Hofheinz, known as Judge Hofheinz, was a UH alumnus and a Houston politician, businessman, and philanthropist. The court is named for hall of fame and former Cougars coach Guy V. Lewis. The arena also contains an alcove dedicated to Basketball Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes, a Cougar player in the 1960s and NBA star in the 1970s. The arena opened in 1969. Like many arenas of its kind, the seating bowl of Hofheinz Pavilion is dug into the ground so that one enters the building at the top of the bowl. The arena has been renovated several times and is currently undergoing a major renovation to become the Fertitta Center, scheduled to reopen for the 2018–19 men's and women's basketball seasons.

In June 2010, the University of Houston announced a $40 million plan to renovate Hofheinz Pavilion. Ultimately in November 2015, the Board of Regents approved a $60 million complete re-design of the facility to open in 2018, funded in part by a $20 million gift from UH alum Tilman Fertitta. After the Hofheinz family objected to the building be renamed, the school and the family reached a settlement to honor Judge Hofheinz by building a plaza containing a bronze statue of him near the facility. In addition, the UH library will archive Hofheinz's historical records in a special section. Finally, UH will petition the city of Houston to change the name of Holman Street between Cullen Boulevard and Scott Street to honor the Hofheinz family.[5] The renovation began in March 2017 at the conclusion of the 2016–17 basketball seasons, and was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2018–19 men's and women's basketball seasons, but construction delays have pushed the expected reopening date to December 2018.[6]

The Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) used the arena as their first home in Houston, from 1971 to 1975. In addition to athletics, the arena has been used for other purposes such as UH graduation ceremonies and area high school commencements. It has also hosted many concerts by famous artists. The Summit took over for much of these purposes in the city after its construction in 1975.

History

The interior of Hofheinz Pavilion
Houston's Hofheinz Pavilion Court Looking Up, 2016

Prior to 1969, the basketball team of the University of Houston hosted their home games at high school arenas such as Jeppesen Gym and Delmar Field House.[7] Hofheinz Pavilion was meant to replace these venues as a permanent location.

The first athletic event at Hofheinz Pavilion was held on December 1, 1969 when the Houston Cougars men's basketball team defeated Southwestern Louisiana 89–72 before a crowd of 7,000.[8]

When the team relocated from San Diego in 1971, the NBA's Houston Rockets used the venue as their home arena, although selected games were played at the Astrodome. The Rockets played at Hofheinz Pavilion during their first four seasons in Houston until the construction of The Summit was completed in 1975.

On March 5, 1990, Hofheinz Pavilion hosted its largest amount of spectators to date when a 10,660 crowd attended a men's basketball game where Houston beat Texas.[9]

A new ceiling, lighting and sound system were installed in 1991. Through a donation by alumni John and Rebecca Moores in 1992, the basketball locker rooms were enlarged and equipped with personal lockers for each player. Also added was a meeting area and lounge furnished with couches, a color television, a stereo sound system and a pull-down projection screen.

In 1995, the court was renamed to "Guy V. Lewis Court at Hofheinz Pavilion" in honor of College Basketball Hall of Fame coach Guy V. Lewis.[10]

In 1998, Hofheinz Pavilion again underwent a renovation as part of a capital improvement campaign undertaken by the university to upgrade its athletic facilities. In its original format Hofheinz Pavilion had a seating capacity of 10,000. As part of the renovation, a ring of luxury suites was added to the top of the seating bowl. This addition necessitated the removal of 1,500 seats, reducing capacity to its current level of 8,479. The new Connor Uni-Force Flooring System was installed in October 2004. In June 2010, the University of Houston announced its intention to undergo a $40 million renovation and expansion to Hofheinz Pavilion after a four-month feasibility study conducted by AECOM.[11] This would mark the largest single financial investment to the arena yet.

Renovations to the facility began in March 2017 at the conclusion of the 2016–17 basketball season. The $60 million project was funded primarily by a $20 million donation from Tilman Fertitta, a UH alumnus who is also chairman of the UH board of regents. Work was scheduled to be completed by the start of the 2018–19 men's and women's basketball seasons, at which time the facility will be renamed Fertitta Center, but construction delays have pushed the reopening back to December 2018.[6] For the 2017–18 season and at least the first month of the 2018–19 season, both basketball teams will play at Health and Physical Education Arena at Texas Southern University.[12]

Concerts

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton speaking at Hofheinz Pavilion during a campaign rally for Hillary Clinton

Hofheinz Pavilion has hosted George Harrison, Elton John, The Rolling Thunder Review, Faces, Traffic, Jethro Tull, The Clash, Procol Harum, Elvis Presley, Emerson Lake & Palmer, Frank Zappa, Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, The Who, The Rolling Stones, The Jackson 5, Alice Cooper, Bob Dylan, The Band, Prince & The New Power Generation, Madonna, Genesis, and Yes.[13]

Nine of the fifteen songs featured in the concert film Ladies and Gentlemen – The Rolling Stones were filmed at Hofheinz Pavilion on June 25, 1972 – 5 from the 4:00 pm show, and 4 from the 9:00 pm show.

On Halloween in 1976, Parliament-Funkadelic, accompanied by opening acts Bootsy's Rubber Band and Sly and the Family Stone brought their P-Funk Earth Tour to the Hofheinz Pavilion. The P-Funk and Bootsy performances were released on VHS in 1986 and on DVD in 1998. They continued to perform sold out shows at the venue in 1977, 1978, and 1979.

Prince held several shows at Hofheinz Pavilion on his Musicology Tour in 2004. Popular music concerts are still held at Hofheinz Pavilion, often when a major act decides against playing at the larger (and ticketing-industry controlled) venues in town. Among the recent examples have been concerts by more recent acts like P!nk, Taylor Swift (both in 2009), Chris Brown, Katy Perry (both in 2011), Eric Church (in 2012), Muse and the Zac Brown Band (both in 2013). Houston native David Cook played at Hofheinz Pavilion as part of the 2008 edition of the American Idols Live! Tour. In 2014, A live concert The Grateful Dead played there on November 18, 1972 was released on compact disc and limited edition vinyl.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Centers of Attention". Texas Comptroller. November 1995. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
  2. ↑ Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Community Development Project. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Arenas". Walter P Moore. Archived from the original on July 8, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
  4. ↑ Markley, Melanie (February 18, 2004). "Deaths: Al Jensen, Executive of Firm That Built Dome". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
  5. ↑ Laymance, Reid (June 14, 2016). "UH, Hofheinz family agree on plan for naming new basketball arena". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
  6. 1 2 Duarte, Joseph (March 4, 2018). "UH will begin next season at H&PE Arena while Fertitta Center is being finished". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 9, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Houston's No. 1, But Not at Home". Pittsburgh Press. January 31, 1968. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Hofheinz Pavilion". University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Hofheinz Pavilion Records" (PDF). University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  10. ↑ "History & Tradition" (PDF). University of Houston Athletics. Retrieved December 8, 2008.
  11. ↑ Campbell, Steve (June 11, 2010). "UH Ups the Sports Ante – by $160 Million". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 13, 2010.
  12. ↑ Duarte, Joseph (August 25, 2016). "University of Houston names basketball arena Fertitta Center". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved March 8, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Taking Liberty's at Fitzgerald's". Houston Press. July 16, 2007. Retrieved February 2, 2010.
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