March 20, 2007
ST. LOUIS - After breaking ground more than six months ago, construction continues on Chaifetz (SHAY-fetz) Arena, Saint Louis University's new multi-purpose on-campus Arena. The facility, which remains on target for completion in the spring of 2008, will serve as the home of the men's and women's basketball teams as well as the volleyball team. It will also host a variety of other events, such as concerts, shows and commencements. In addition, Chaifetz Arena will include an adjoining practice facility for basketball and volleyball, a new sports medicine center, and strength and conditioning area. The department of athletics also will move from Bauman-Eberhardt Center into new offices and locker rooms for all sports.
The site, located at the intersection of Compton and Laclede Avenues in Midtown St. Louis, has been fully excavated. Construction of the Arena bowl is taking place in three phases - event level, concourse level and suite level. Currently, walls for the event level are under way, and work on the concourse level is beginning. As Chaifetz Arena nears completion, work will start on the practice facility and athletic offices to meet the March 2008 target for completion.
"When you drive by the facility or view the project on the Web cam (arena.slu.edu), you can see that work is quickly progressing on Chaifetz Arena," Saint Louis director of athletics Cheryl L. Levick said. "While we still need to raise $7 million to reach our fundraising goal, we are involved in planning the logistics of the facility to make it the best possible experience for both fans and student-athletes."
FAN EXPERIENCE
For basketball, Chaifetz Arena will seat 10,600 spectators in a one-concourse design, which will allow fans in the upper tier of the bowl to still feel close to the action. Twelve full-service suites (six on each side) will be included in the Arena. In addition, party rooms will be available on a game-by-game basis and will serve as an economical option for groups wishing to attend Billiken basketball games.
Four scoreboards, each of which will include an LED video screen, will be placed at each corner of the facility. In addition, a 360-degree ribbon board will circle the facility and provide both advertising and promotional material. LED tables will also brighten up press row.
Aside from numerous concession areas throughout the concourse, the facility will house a full-service club on the event level. The club will be open before each game and will be available to members of The Billiken Club.
"Fans are going to be wowed by Chaifetz Arena and its ability to produce one of the best basketball shows in the nation," Saint Louis associate director of athletics for external operations Kosha Irby said. "It is being designed to tantalize all five senses as fans enter the doors. The menu selection will offer a wide range of possibilities that appease a variety of tastes. The sights and sounds will allow for fans of all ages to be truly entertained."
Chaifetz Arena will offer a true home-court advantage for the men's basketball team, which hasn't played on campus since the 1944-45 season. To facilitate the anticipated influx of student attendance at the games, retractable bleachers will be located at the western end of the Arena, near the visitor's bench. The retractable bleachers will serve several purposes. They will provide an intimate setting for SLU students as well as the University's popular pep band. In addition, it will free up space for a staging area during concerts and other events the Arena will host.
"While I am excited about the benefits of the Arena as it relates to our student-athletes, I am just as excited about the experience our fans will enjoy," Levick said. "We are working diligently to provide the absolute best setting to watch a basketball game."
WHAT ABOUT BAUMAN-EBERHARDT CENTER?
Saint Louis' department of athletics is currently housed in the 82-year old Bauman-Eberhardt Center, better known as the West Pine Gym. Once Chaifetz Arena is completed, the department will vacate the Bauman-Eberhardt Center and move into the new facility. The University has yet to determine the fate of the Bauman-Eberhardt Center, but it will no longer be used for any Billiken athletic functions.
In addition to office space for the more than 60 coaches and athletic staff members, Chaifetz Arena will boast state-of-the-art sports medicine and strength and conditioning areas. The sports medicine area, while dramatically increasing in size from SLU's current facility, will feature a hydrotherapy area that compares favorably to that of the country's best college programs and NBA teams. The Swim-Ex sports rehab and conditioning pool will be state of the art, featuring an integrated motorized treadmill, plyometric stations and a deep water running area.
"The sports medicine center in Chaifetz Arena will have a palpable impact every day in the lives of Billiken student-athletes," director of sports medicine Tony Breitbach said. "It doubles the capacity of treatment and rehabilitation areas available to the staff. Also, it will include a physician exam room, which will allow for in-game examination and treatment of the student-athletes by the our team physicians. Injury evaluation, suturing and IV administration can all be easily accomplished during a competition in this facility."
In addition to an on-site athletic training center, SLU's student-athletes will reap the benefits of a new strength and conditioning center. Designed to be twice the size of the current facility, it will feature the newest and most updated equipment to serve SLU student-athletes during the season as well as the off-season.
"The larger area that the facility provides will ensure that more student-athletes will be able to train simultaneously," strength and conditioning coordinator Tom Kelso said. "As it exists now at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center, we schedule single teams exclusively due to a maximum capacity of approximately 20 student-athletes. In cases where two teams may have to train at a similar time, the larger area in the facility will allow for this. The increase in space and the addition of state-of-the-art strength training and cardiovascular equipment will also allow us to add more variety to workout programs."
"This Arena is the best gift that we can give to all of our 18 sports," Levick said. "While the majority of attention will obviously be given to our basketball programs, it is just as important for every team and student-athlete at SLU. Each program will have a locker room, and the strength and conditioning and sports medicine facilities will rank among the best in the country."
The new facility will have outstanding practice facilities for both basketball and volleyball.
"Gone are the days when our basketball and volleyball teams are altering their schedules on a weekly basis to find the most appropriate practice time," Levick said. "Two teams will be able to practice at once in the practice facility, and for the first time in decades, our men's basketball team will have ample opportunities to practice in their home facility."
FUNDING
The $80.5 million project is being funded through private donations, bonds and $8 million in TIF funding. The bonds will be retired using revenues generated by Chaifetz Arena, ensuring that no tuition dollars or student fees will be used for the construction of the venue. On Feb. 28, the University announced a $12 million gift from SLU alumnus Dr. Richard A. Chaifetz for the naming rights to the Arena.
"The financial support of our alumni, friends and fans is crucial to the Chaifetz Arena project," Saint Louis associate director of athletics for development Mark Wright said. "Of the $80.5 million cost of the Arena, we will raise $39 million in charitable gifts, and we have about $7 million to go to hit our fundraising goal.
"While Arena donors are investing in the future of Billiken Athletics and helping us finance this wonderful facility, they are also rewarded with one point per $50 of giving in our Billiken Club Priority Points System. This point system will be used to rank our donors in the selection of seats in the Arena."
Additional information about Chaifetz Arena can be found online at arena.slu.edu. There, you can view up-to-date renderings of the Arena and follow the construction via a live Web cam. For information on charitable gift/naming opportunities that still exist, please call the Billiken Club at (314) 977-8180.
