Carver Hawkeye Arena renovation to begin in May of 2027 ($44M raised)

[Greg12]

It’s virtually certain that all options were explored and considered, including building a new arena.

The most reasonable conclusion is that a new arena was not feasible right now for financial reasons. If so, Beth made the appropriate decision. Not a bold move but a one assumably constrained by fiscal circumstances.

St. Thomas University has a pretty decent endowment fund for a small Catholic school. Perhaps they have wealthy donors IDK.

It is called the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena because Lee and Penny donated $75 million.

St. Thomas Announces Record-Breaking, $75 Million Gift for Multiuse Arena - Newsroom | University of St. Thomas

The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena will be the new home for Tommies hockey and basketball, further elevating the university as a leading Division I national Catholic university.

news.stthomas.edu

 

[Coopper2020]

The original design had that. Why they cut back and simplified is a mystery. Fund-raising was going better than expected. This project was mismanaged from the start.

They removed the concourse from the original design after they got a lot of feedback from fans that wanted more seating in the arena. Basketball tickets were in high demand when they built Carver.

 

[nu2u]

I also doubt St. Thomas is having to come up with $20M+ every year to pay its players.

That’s true but whereas Iowa can earn upwards of $100M per year in media licensing and merchandise revenue, St. Thomas and other Summit League members will earn a small fraction of that.

 

[nu2u]

It is called the Lee and Penny Anderson Arena because Lee and Penny donated $75 million.

St. Thomas Announces Record-Breaking, $75 Million Gift for Multiuse Arena - Newsroom | University of St. Thomas

The Lee and Penny Anderson Arena will be the new home for Tommies hockey and basketball, further elevating the university as a leading Division I national Catholic university.

news.stthomas.edu

According to the article, the couple has donated more than $140M to St Thomas recently. A couple Hawkeye donors like that and CHA becomes a memory.

 

[hawkeyemark18]

They removed the concourse from the original design after they got a lot of feedback from fans that wanted more seating in the arena. Basketball tickets were in high demand when they built Carver.

Still in college at the time and I recall that. I went off to the Navy after that and not seeing games in those years had no clue how bad the design turned out. I understand Lute wanted the bowl and then he left us for Arizona shortly after that.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

So more memories... The field house held 15000 with the addition of bleachers behind one end. So people thought why are we downsizing. I still think because of the exterior support beams they could be raised up and more seats installed.

Q, In 1979, what was the seating capacity of the Iowa Field House?

A. The Iowa men’s basketball team played in the Iowa Field House in 1979, and its seating capacity at that time was 13,365

You might be thinking of downtown bar called The Fieldhouse. I swear they packed 15,000 into it!

 

[twindman]

Q, In 1979, what was the seating capacity of the Iowa Field House?

A. The Iowa men’s basketball team played in the Iowa Field House in 1979, and its seating capacity at that time was 13,365

You might be thinking of downtown bar called The Fieldhouse. I swear they packed 15,000 into it!

They added bleachers in the end zones that added almost 3500 seats.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

They added bleachers in the end zones that added almost 3500 seats.

1954–1982​

• Capacity: 13,365 (official)
• This is the “former” capacity listed in all modern references.

Occasional High‑Demand Games (1960s–Early 1980s)​

• Attendance could reach ~15,000, but only when temporary bleachers were added behind the baskets.
• This was not an official capacity — just special‑event overflow seating.

 

[52317Hawk]

Amazon had them on sale

Wrong! tan is a neutral color and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

 

[BunchofAholes]

Still in college at the time and I recall that. I went off to the Navy after that and not seeing games in those years had no clue how bad the design turned out. I understand Lute wanted the bowl and then he left us for Arizona shortly after that.

Lute didn't specifically want "the bowl" but he did insist Iowa needed a new arena to compete. He was right about that.
The design sucked.

 

[Cidhawkeye]

The original design had that. Why they cut back and simplified is a mystery. Fund-raising was going better than expected. This project was mismanaged from the start.

I am not certain that fund raising was going better than expected.

 

[Franisdaman]

Lute didn't specifically want "the bowl" but he did insist Iowa needed a new arena to compete. He was right about that.
The design sucked.

Actually....

Lute envisioned a new arena that closely resembled The Pit (the University of New Mexico's famous basketball venue) during his time at the University of Iowa.

When Iowa was planning a replacement for the aging Iowa Field House in the late 1970s, athletic administrators—including Olson—scouted several venues across the country for inspiration. One of their primary stops was the University of New Mexico. Olson and the university planners loved how The Pit was built into the ground, maximizing crowd noise and offering a single concourse level with no seating structures above it.

This directly inspired the blueprint for Carver Hawkeye Arena, often affectionately nicknamed "The House That Lute Built," which opened in 1983.

Just like The Pit, Carver-Hawkeye Arena was built by excavating a natural ravine, allowing fans to enter at street level and walk down into a subterranean, highly intimidating bowl atmosphere.

 

[Rifler]

Lute didn't specifically want "the bowl" but he did insist Iowa needed a new arena to compete. He was right about that.
The design sucked.

The design was hampered by a requirement for the facility to satisfy a variety of sporting events and uses,... Carver was never basketball specific.

 

[2432Hawk]

Wrong! tan is a neutral color and is aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

 

[Hawkangler]

St. Thomas University, St, Paul, undergrad enrollment about 6500, built a brand new $185M on-campus arena less than a year ago. St. Thomas moved from NCAA Div. 3 to NCAA Div. 1 just 5 years ago (Summit League since 2024).

It’s embarrassing that small schools and deadbeat programs have better, more modern facilities than Iowa, a proud member of a premier athletic conference for more than 125 years.

When's the last time Michigan had a new arena? Illinois? Indiana? Minnesota?, shall I go on. What is the projected total cost of the Carver remodel?

Edit: Got my answer on total cost. Between $50 to $70M. They have raised $44M, where will additional funding come from?

Main goals: improve seating in the bowl, improve accessability, add luxury suites, cooling and consessions.

 

[Palmerhawk]

If the Save College Sports bill passes the salary cap for schools paying athletes goes from 21.5 million to 49 million.
Can Iowa find an extra 28 million when the athletic Dept just breaks even now?

Interest rates are very high right now also.
Not good time to borrow 500 million for new arena.