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

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

Iowa AD Beth Goetz said the department has raised $44 million toward the Carver renovation.

An architect has been hired: SLAM. Construction firm to be hired soon.

Process expected to last 2 academic years, starting after 2027 spring graduation with limited interruptions to future sporting and campus events.

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

Carver-Hawkeye Arena Original Construction Details:

The arena cost $18,402,962 to build.

Funding: The project was paid for using private contributions from Iowa athletic department supporters.

Groundbreaking took place on July 15, 1980.

The first event was held on January 3, 1983.

Titanhawk · Sep 2, 2026

First basketball game January 5, 1983 - Steve Carfino steals the ball from Michigan State, saves it from going out of bounds throwing it down court to Bobby Hansen who is all alone, and hits a three point shot to win the game! Except Carfino had stepped on the line.

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

Titanhawk said:
First basketball game January 5, 1983 - Steve Carfino steals the ball from Michigan State, saves it from going out of bounds throwing it down court to Bobby Hansen who is all alone, and hits a three point shot to win the game! Except Carfino had stepped on the line.

Those refs sucked!

twindman · Sep 2, 2026

Is my memory correct? I remember that fans were concerned that there weren't enough seats, but it was built so they could somehow raise the roof or such and add 2000 more seats. Anyone remember this.

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

twindman said:
Is my memory correct? I remember that fans were concerned that there weren't enough seats, but it was built so they could somehow raise the roof or such and add 2000 more seats. Anyone remember this.

From Google AI:

Q: Was carver hawkeye arena designed so that they could eventually add more seats if needed?

A: No, Carver-Hawkeye Arena was not originally designed with structural provisions or modular capability to expand and add more seats in the future.

twindman · Sep 2, 2026

I don't trust no stinkin' AI stuff!!!

QChawks · Sep 2, 2026

DukeSlater · Sep 2, 2026

QChawks said:

That would be nice. Get the wealthy up and out of the way so the real fans can create an actual home court advantage. The rich are way up high on the west side in Kinnick and in the middle of the north end zone, so a similar plan would make sense for Carver.

2432Hawk · Sep 2, 2026

DukeSlater said:
That would be nice. Get the wealthy up and out of the way so the real fans can create an actual home court advantage. The rich are way up high on the west side in Kinnick and in the middle of the north end zone, so a similar plan would make sense for Carver.

I would guess those would be on the North end due to proximity to the Feller Club room? Although from that photo it does appear to be South end???

To me, would be nicer to have on South end to block the sunlight that can often be bothersome in winter months during mid-day/afternoon games.

BunchofAholes · Sep 2, 2026

twindman said:
Is my memory correct? I remember that fans were concerned that there weren't enough seats, but it was built so they could somehow raise the roof or such and add 2000 more seats. Anyone remember this.

Tdstick · Sep 2, 2026

Titanhawk said:
First basketball game January 5, 1983 - Steve Carfino steals the ball from Michigan State, saves it from going out of bounds throwing it down court to Bobby Hansen who is all alone, and hits a three point shot to win the game! Except Carfino had stepped on the line.

Frickin Jim Bain

LaQuintaHawk · Sep 2, 2026

as long as there is plenty of room for a victory dance after we win a Big Ten Championship

vanilla ice death row chronicles GIF by BET

BunchofAholes · Sep 2, 2026

Tdstick said:
Frickin Jim Bain

Wrong game. It was the infamous Ed Hightower

Tdstick · Sep 2, 2026

BunchofAholes said:
Wrong game. It was the infamous Ed Hightower

Thank you. I am getting old. I still have to say it for the memory of the other game. Frickin Jim Bain.

twindman · Sep 2, 2026

twindman said:
Is my memory correct? I remember that fans were concerned that there weren't enough seats, but it was built so they could somehow raise the roof or such and add 2000 more seats. Anyone remember this.

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.

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

QChawks said:

It does make you wonder:

* What exactly are in the plans

* How much more they need to raise. Sadly, $44M doesn't get you much these days.

* I did hear that they are considering adding a cooling system, which has been a long term gripe

nu2u · Sep 2, 2026

Tear that mf down! ok it’s too late now but it’s embarrassing that Nebraska of all sad arse programs can build an awesome modern facility and Iowa is stuck with a glorified hole in the ground.

Franisdaman · Sep 2, 2026

nu2u said:
Tear that mf down! ok it’s too late now but it’s embarrassing that Nebraska of all sad arse programs can build an awesome modern facility and Iowa is stuck with a glorified hole in the ground.

Let's say they decided to destroy CHA and build a new arena on that site. Theoretically, the teams affected could all play/wrestle in Coralville until the new arena is completed.

What would it cost?

Would it take 2 years to complete the project?

BunchofAholes · Sep 2, 2026

Tdstick said:
Thank you. I am getting old. I still have to say it for the memory of the other game. Frickin Jim Bain.

I despise him too!!!

Franisdaman · Sep 3, 2026

Cidhawkeye · Sep 3, 2026

twindman said:
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.

I thought it was 13,365

twindman · Sep 3, 2026

Cidhawkeye said:
I thought it was 13,365

That is where the bleachers came in. At least in the article I read.

LetsGoHawks83 · Sep 10, 2026

Would really be helpful if they somehow added a concourse halfway up.... Can't imagine what kind of cost and demolition/excavating would be required to do that though. Having concessions & restrooms there as well as somehow not having the sidelines 50/50 steps vs. seats. Such wide and numerous stairs are required with the current design.

Oh and please do an exterior facelift.... Replace the glass blocks from the 80's.

Hawkfan_08* · Sep 10, 2026

Random question. Why are the seats tan? I've always wondered that.

Not black, gold, or even grey/white.

Hawksfor3 · Sep 10, 2026

Tdstick said:
Thank you. I am getting old. I still have to say it for the memory of the other game. Frickin Jim Bain.

The only major nightmare of a flashback involving Bain that I can recall is the Purdue game, where Bain whistled Kevin Boyle for a foul (who was standing something like 20 feet away or more from the play) with time running out. Palombizzio won the game at the line. That was the famous "Chased Bain into the tunnel") incident.

oldxbbc · Sep 11, 2026

BunchofAholes said:
Wrong game. It was the infamous Ed Hightower

Both those names give me a headache. Time for some Tylenol!

BunchofAholes · Sep 11, 2026

LetsGoHawks83 said:
Would really be helpful if they somehow added a concourse halfway up.... Can't imagine what kind of cost and demolition/excavating would be required to do that though. Having concessions & restrooms there as well as somehow not having the sidelines 50/50 steps vs. seats. Such wide and numerous stairs are required with the current design.

Oh and please do an exterior facelift.... Replace the glass blocks from the 80's.

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.

TrojanHawkeye · Sep 11, 2026

Hawkfan_08* said:
Random question. Why are the seats tan? I've always wondered that.

Not black, gold, or even grey/white.

Amazon had them on sale

nu2u · Sep 11, 2026

Franisdaman said:
Let's say they decided to destroy CHA and build a new arena on that site. Theoretically, the teams affected could all play/wrestle in Coralville until the new arena is completed.

What would it cost?

Would it take 2 years to complete the project?

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.

Franisdaman · Saturday at 1:07 AM

nu2u said:
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.

The basketball capacity of the University of St. Thomas' Lee & Penny Anderson Arena is 5,300 spectators.

Premium seating:

* Just 4 luxury suites (15 to 20 people per suite).

* 12 loge boxes (each holds 4 people)

* 3 premium club spaces (Legacy Club, Reuben's, and the Capital Club).

MAXIMUSHAWKEYE · Saturday at 9:57 AM

They need sky boxes to get the rich old suckers who sit on their hands away from the court.

nu2u · Saturday at 10:50 PM

.

Franisdaman said:
The basketball capacity of the University of St. Thomas' Lee & Penny Anderson Arena is 5,300 spectators.

Premium seating:

* Just 4 luxury suites (15 to 20 people per suite).

* 12 loge boxes (each holds 4 people)

* 3 premium club spaces (Legacy Club, Reuben's, and the Capital Club).

The point being that a school with less than 1/4th the enrollment is willing to spend more than 4X the money Iowa is willing to commit to a facility.

The upgrade probably extends CHA for another 20 years. Iowa should just bite the bullet and spend the $250M- $300M now instead of $750M for the same arena twenty years from now.

hawkeyemark18 · Sunday at 2:01 PM

nu2u said:
.
The point being that a school with less than 1/4th the enrollment is willing to spend more than 4X the money Iowa is willing to commit to a facility.

The upgrade probably extends CHA for another 20 years. Iowa should just bite the bullet and spend the $250M- $300M now instead of $750M for the same arena twenty years from now.

Replacing Carver now does seem the right way to go in theory. Probably a combination of factors made that not feasible right now including other construction, NIL, etc. We have a smart AD in Beth and I trust her to make due with a less than ideal situation. Very anxious to see what the project ends up looking like.

Tom Paris · Sunday at 2:33 PM

Franisdaman said:
Carver-Hawkeye Arena Original Construction Details:

The arena cost $18,402,962 to build.

Funding: The project was paid for using private contributions from Iowa athletic department supporters.

Groundbreaking took place on July 15, 1980.

The first event was held on January 3, 1983.

What’s it going to look like in there? What are your thoughts about the design details?

Franisdaman · Monday at 9:54 AM

nu2u said:
.
The point being that a school with less than 1/4th the enrollment is willing to spend more than 4X the money Iowa is willing to commit to a facility.

The upgrade probably extends CHA for another 20 years. Iowa should just bite the bullet and spend the $250M- $300M now instead of $750M for the same arena twenty years from now.

In Beth we trust?

Or, in nu2u we trust?

Franisdaman · Monday at 9:58 AM

hawkeyemark18 said:
Replacing Carver now does seem the right way to go in theory. Probably a combination of factors made that not feasible right now including other construction, NIL, etc. We have a smart AD in Beth and I trust her to make due with a less than ideal situation. Very anxious to see what the project ends up looking like.

Hate to say it, but facilities aren't nearly as important anymore to recruits. Getting paid is (along with playing time and it being a good fit).

Franisdaman · Monday at 10:00 AM

Tom Paris said:
What’s it going to look like in there? What are your thoughts about the design details?

the details have yet to be disclosed. and not sure if they need to raise more money. all we really know is that the renovation process begins in about 8 months

nu2u · Monday at 11:24 AM

Franisdaman said:
In Beth we trust?

Or, in nu2u we trust?

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.

Max Rebo · Monday at 12:16 PM

nu2u said:
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.

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

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

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