Don’t shoot the messenger on this one. I am just conveying what I heard today in Oxford from several professors. The story is that there is a donor with a large gift who wants to build a new arena and Greg Crawford wants to make it happen. The issue is that the preferred site is just east on High St. from Phi Delt gates, I presume in the green space next to Harrison Hall (across the street from Lewis Place.) My friend on faculty said the faculty in general is outraged, not by the idea of replacing Millett, but with the proposed location.
That site would not seem to work at all for practical reasons. It is too small. But the story is Crawford wants something near High Street to distract the students from the drinking scene. That might do it, but would destroy the campus. Please someone tell me that alumni would turn out with pitch forks if this were proposed?
Crawford apparently also wants to build a new Miami hotel on Cook Field, but that is another story for another day.
That is one stupid place to put a new arena. First of all, I don’t know how it would even fit. Secondly, where is parking going to be? But more importantly, that completely ruins the beauty of the campus. I personally would throw the switch to blow up Millett, but the arena does not belong near Harrison. Nor should the university destroy Cook Field.
A parking garage much like the one on south campus by the hockey arena would be part of the plan. This will make the required parking footprint a bit smaller than surface parking.
I don’t understand what’s so awful about this site - it keeps the arena on campus yet also makes it a very short walk from high street bars and restaurants.
I have heard that efforts will be made to preserve the footprint of slant walk - time will tell what this looks like in the end. I know that area is a very large green space and a long admired area of campus. But if this plan is true, it is an exciting way to place the home of our basketball teams right in the middle of campus and uptown life in Oxford - not on the remote north end of campus - could be a game changer.
There was talk of a new arena on the far end of high street and uptown - my understanding is that the Board would prefer the new arena to be officially on campus. So across the street from uptown is seen as a compromise.
People flipped their sh*t when the university cleaned up the mess that was Bishop Woods.
I can only imagine the amount of negative feelings and publicity that using up any green space would generate.
MU grads love tradition - I recall groups trying to organize sit-ins to save the old rusty water tower. That is gone now and the space is even better. If this happens, I have no doubt there will be people upset.
Love this idea. The above spot I drew on Google Maps is 300 x 300 feet which would be plenty big enough. For comparison, Cameron Indoor is roughly 275 x 225 feet and that seems to work ok.
Also, should be enough room for small parking garage west of Bell Tower for handicap and VIP. Other parking 0.4 miles away (10 min walk) at Goggin and Millett.
Slant walk and surrounding green space not disturbed.
I’m a faculty member, and I haven’t heard of any of this. The closest thing I know is that Marcum will be part of FSB in a few years once the hotel by Millett is done.
I am not saying the rumors are untrue, I am just very skeptical. Both projects would be the most unpopular decisions made by the BoT and Crawford, disliked by faculty, students, alumni, locals, the robots delivering food,… virtually everyone.
Taking over the space for classrooms, research/teaching labs, faculty offices, and so on. FSB is so packed now that some faculty members are sharing offices. Some classes have been taught at Laws and McVey because we can’t schedule them at Farmer.
I had probably 3-4 FSB classes taught in Bachelor and Upham about a decade ago, glad they might address it.
Imo a good place to put an arena would be the current site of Phillips Hall, next to Goggin. Takes advantage of the existing garage, lot, and street parking while being much closer the core of campus. Not a perfect location and you’d need to replace Phillips, but could do worse.
I think I remember Dr. Shriver telling my History of Miami class that the three places they would never build on were Cook Field, the overlook in Central Quad, and this green space across from Lewis Place.
