Kohl Center

Kohl Center
Construction
"The Madhouse in Madison"
A view from outside the Kohl Center
Location	601 West Dayton Street Madison, WI 53715-1206
Owner	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Operator	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Capacity	17,230 (basketball) 15,359 (hockey)
Surface	Multi-surface 200' x 97' (hockey)
Broke ground	September 7, 1996^[1]
Opened	January 17, 1998
Construction cost	$76.4 Million ($111 million in 2016 dollars^[2])
Architect	HOK Sport Heinlein Schrock Stearns
Project manager	Hammes Company^[1]
Structural engineer	Thornton Tomasetti
Services engineer	M-E Engineers, Inc.^[3]
General contractor	The Boldt Company^[1]
Tenants
Wisconsin Badgers Men's Basketball (1998-Present) Wisconsin Badgers Women's Basketball (1998-Present) Wisconsin Badgers Men's Hockey (1998-Present) Wisconsin Badgers Women's Hockey (1998-2012) WIAA State Boys Basketball Tournament (1998-Present) WIAA State Girls Basketball Tournament (1998, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2010-2012) WIAA State Wrestling Tournament (1998-2004) NCAA Men's Basketball Midwest Regional (2002) NCAA Men's Hockey Midwest Regional (2008)

The Kohl Center is an arena and athletic center at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States. The building, which opened in 1998, is the home of the university's men's basketball and ice hockey teams, and the women's basketball team. It also housed the university's women's ice hockey team through 2012, after which they moved into the adjacent LaBahn Arena. Seating capacity is variable, as the center can be rearranged to accommodate a basketball court, a hockey rink, or a concert. The maximum capacity is 17,230 in its basketball configuration, and 15,359 for ice hockey. The center has three levels, with the floor holding about 7,500 people, and the two upper balconies about 4,500 each. It is the second largest indoor venue in Wisconsin and the largest outside Milwaukee. The arena is located on the southeast corner of the UW–Madison campus, at the intersection of West Dayton and North Frances Streets.

Naming

The sporting arena is named after former United States Senator and Milwaukee Bucks owner Herb Kohl, who donated $25 million of his Kohl's department/grocery store fortune to the building project. At the time it was the largest single donation in University of Wisconsin System history. Because of the donor's first name, it is sometimes locally referred to as the "Herb Garden". Former Wisconsin Badgers basketball player Albert Nicholas and his wife donated $10 million toward the project, with the adjoining practice pavilion named the Nicholas-Johnson Pavilion and Plaza. Jack F. Kellner and his sons donated an additional $2.5 million to the project. Wisconsin-based Hammes Company developed the arena for UW–Madison in 1993. The Boldt Company was the project's general contractor.

Home court advantage

Men's basketball game as seen from the student section

The arena has become exceptionally difficult for opposing teams to play in, especially in men's basketball, helped in part by the student section known as the Grateful Red. The arena garnered attention when the men's basketball team compiled a 38-game home winning streak, which came to end during the 2004–2005 season at the hands of the No. 1 ranked University of Illinois. Through the 2014-2015 season, the men's basketball team has achieved a record of 210-22 at the Kohl Center under Coach Bo Ryan.

The Kohl Center boasts the nation's highest attendance in men's and women's college hockey.^[4]

History

Men's hockey game at the Kohl Center

Prior to the Kohl Center, the basketball teams played at the Wisconsin Field House, while ice hockey was played at the Dane County Coliseum. The hockey teams still may play there if there is an event conflict, because basketball has scheduling priority. Originally, the overhead scoreboard from the UW Field House was installed in the Kohl Center because the cost of a new scoreboard unit wasn't included in the figure for the new arena. The old scoreboard remained in the Kohl Center for seven years, and after the money was raised, a new and modern circular unit was bought and installed before the 2004-2005 winter sports season. At the same time a LED ribbon board was installed, which surrounds the arena below the second balcony, displaying advertising, messages, and scores. The design of the Kohl Center is modeled somewhat after that of the Field House with cantilevered balconies instead of a setback style. This was done to intimidate opponents and bring all fans close to the action.

A bar and restaurant was added to the second level in 2005. The area is for pre-game gatherings of boosters who have made donations to the athletic department.

In 2006 a second student-athlete academic center was built on the lower level of the Kohl Center to provide student athletes easier access to academic services.

Prior to the 2006 men's basketball season, the UW Athletic Department sold 48 courtside seats, at a price of $10,000 to $12,500 each. The available seats sold out, and a waiting list was created for the sale of seats that become available in the future. Space for the seats was created by eliminating part of the courtside seating for media. The addition of these seats has increased maximum capacity for men's basketball from 17,142 to 17,190. Prior to the 2008-2009 season some of the seating in the upper deck was also reconfigured, adding more seating to the arena to bring capacity for men's basketball to 17,230.^[5]

The athletic department's master plan included adding a practice rink for ice hockey after construction of the Kohl Center. One configuration under consideration placed the rink next to the Nicholas Johnson Pavilion, where it would serve as an alternative practice facility for the men's hockey team and a game and practice facility for the women's hockey team.^[6] This was realized as LaBahn Arena, which opened in 2012.^[7]

The front entrance lobby features a wall sculpture from glass sculptor Dale Chihuly called "Mendota Wall".

Other events

Front entrance

Other events are held at the Kohl Center, including commencement ceremonies for the UW and Madison high schools, concerts, ice skating shows, career fairs, political gatherings, and conventions. The Kohl Center is the site of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) high school Boys' basketball and individual wrestling championships. It has also hosted an NCAA women's volleyball national championship (Dec. 17-19, 1998), an NCAA men's basketball regional championship (March 22–24, 2002), and an NCAA men's hockey regional championship (March 28–30, 2008).

The Kohl Center also hosts the annual Varsity Band Spring Concert, an event that began in March 1975 and has grown into a three-night affair with professional staging, lighting, sound and pyrotechnics. The concert averages 25,000 attendees every year.

On February 12, 2008, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke before a crowd of over 17,000 prior to the Wisconsin primary.^[8]

The 2008 Jeopardy! College Championship was taped on April 11 and 12, 2008, at the Kohl Center.

The Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2011 Science Olympiad National Tournament were held at the Kohl Center on May 20 and 21, 2011.

References

1 2 3 Ceremony to Mark Kohl Center Construction, Fundraising Effort
↑ "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
↑ M-E Engineers - Kohl Center
↑ "2009-2010 Division I Men's Attendance". USCHO.com. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
↑ "Upper-deck Seats Become Available". The Capital Times. October 27, 2008. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
↑ Milewski, Todd D. (August 21, 2008). "Uw Athletics Seeks $51 Million In State Bonds For Building Projects". The Capital Times. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
↑ http://www.uwbadgers.com/facilities/LaBahn.html
↑ Derby, Samara Kalk (February 19, 2008). "Obama energizes 17,000+ at Kohl Center (with full audio)". The Capital Times. Retrieved March 15, 2009.

External links

Coordinates: 43°04′10″N 89°23′49″W / 43.069420°N 89.396972°W / 43.069420; -89.396972

Preceded by Galen Center	Host of the Jeopardy! College Championship 2008	Succeeded by Sony Pictures Studios

University of Wisconsin–Madison

Colleges and schools	Agricultural & Life Sciences Business Education Engineering Human Ecology International Studies Journalism & Mass Communication Law Letters & Science Library & Information Studies Medicine & Public Health Music Nursing Pharmacy Public Affairs Social Work Veterinary Medicine

Campus	Abraham's Woods Agriculture Hall Allen Centennial Gardens Arboretum Bascom Hill Chazen Museum of Art Dairy Barn DeLuca Biochemistry Building Geology Museum Lake Mendota Lakeshore Nature Preserve Lathrop Hall Law Building Memorial Union North Hall Pine Bluff Observatory Space Science & Engineering Center Red Gym Science Hall State Street Synchrotron Radiation Center Union South Washburn Observatory Weinert Center Wisconsin Union Theater

Athletics	Basketball (M W) Crew Football Ice hockey (M W) Softball Volleyball Camp Randall Field House Kohl Center LaBahn Arena University Ridge Golf Course Wisconsin Badgers Bucky Badger Grateful Red Paul Bunyan's Axe Heartland Trophy

History	Camp Randall Experimental College Past Chancellors Sifting and winnowing Single-grain experiment Slab of Bacon Sterling Hall bombing Teaching Assistants Association WHA Wisconsin Idea Wisconsin Idea Theatre Wisconsin school

Media and publications	The Badger Herald The Daily Cardinal The Madison Misnomer Scandinavian Studies Tandem Press UW Press Wisconsin Law Review WSUM

People	Barry Alvarez Rebecca Blank Paul Chryst Mark Johnson Bobbie Kelsey Michael Leckrone Pro Arte Quartet Bo Ryan Helen C. White John D. Wiley

Research	Carbone Cancer Center Center for Limnology Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center Helically Symmetric Experiment IceCube Neutrino Observatory Law in Action Madison Symmetric Torus McArdle Laboratory Morgridge Institute for Research Pegasus Toroidal Experiment UW Hospital & Clinics University Research Park Viaspan WIYN Consortium WiCell Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation WISCAPE Wisconsin Energy Institute Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery

Student life	Forensics Fundamentally Sound Grateful Red Hoofers Humorology Iron Cross Jump Around MadHatters Marching Band On, Wisconsin! Pro Arte Quartet Undergraduate Projects Lab Varsity Wisconsin Film Festival Wisconsin Union

Related	University of Wisconsin System

Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball

Venues	Red Gym (1904–1930) Wisconsin Field House (1930–1998) Kohl Center (1998–present)

Culture & lore	History Bucky Badger "On, Wisconsin!" Grateful Red

People	Head coaches All-Americans

Seasons	1898–99 1899–00 1900–01 1901–02 1902–03 1903–04 1904–05 1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16

Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics; NCAA championships in bolded italics

Basketball arenas of the Big Ten Conference

State Farm Center (Illinois)
Assembly Hall (Indiana)
Carver-Hawkeye Arena (Iowa)
Xfinity Center (Maryland)
Crisler Center (Michigan)
Breslin Student Events Center (Michigan State)
Williams Arena (Minnesota)
Pinnacle Bank Arena (Nebraska)
Welsh-Ryan Arena (Northwestern)
Value City Arena (Ohio State)
Bryce Jordan Center (Penn State)
Mackey Arena (Purdue)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (Rutgers)
Kohl Center (Wisconsin)

Basketball student sections of the Big Ten Conference

Orange Krush (Illinois) Crimson Guard (Indiana) The Hawks Nest (Iowa) The Wall (Maryland) Maize Rage (Michigan) Izzone (Michigan State) The Barnyard (Minnesota) Red Zone (Nebraska) Wildside (Northwestern) Buckeye NutHouse (Ohio State) Nittany Nation (Penn State) Paint Crew (Purdue) Riot Squad (Rutgers) Grateful Red (Wisconsin)

Big Ten Conference men's ice hockey

Teams	Michigan Wolverines Michigan State Spartans Minnesota Golden Gophers Ohio State Buckeyes Penn State Nittany Lions Wisconsin Badgers

Venues	Yost Ice Arena (Michigan) Munn Ice Arena (Michigan State) Mariucci Arena (Minnesota) Value City Arena (Ohio State) Pegula Ice Arena (Penn State) Kohl Center (Wisconsin)

Championships & awards	Big Ten Men's Ice Hockey Tournament (list of champions)

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