Charles Koch Arena

Charles Koch Arena
Construction
The Roundhouse

Former names	University of Wichita Field House (1955–1964) WSU Field House (1964–1969) Levitt Arena (1969–2003)
Location	Wichita State University SE corner of 21st and Hillside Wichita, Kansas 67260 USA
Coordinates	37°43′18″N 97°17′51″W / 37.72167°N 97.29750°W / 37.72167; -97.29750Coordinates: 37°43′18″N 97°17′51″W / 37.72167°N 97.29750°W / 37.72167; -97.29750
Owner	Wichita State University
Operator	Wichita State University
Capacity	10,506
Surface	Hardwood
Broke ground	1953
Opened	December 3, 1955
Renovated	2002–2003
Construction cost	$1.4 million (original construction) ($12.4 million in 2016 dollars^[1]) $25 million (renovation)
Tenants
Wichita State Shockers men's basketball (1955–2002, 2003–present) Wichita State Shockers women's basketball (1995–2002, 2003–present) Wichita State Shockers volleyball (1974–1980, 1991–2001, 2003–present)

Charles Koch Arena is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. It is home to the Wichita State Shockers men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams.

History

The arena was originally built in 1953 as the University of Wichita Field House by what was then the Municipal University of Wichita. It was considered several years ahead of its time because of its circular design, which gave nearly every fan a clear sight line and put the seats very close to the action. As a result, it was quickly nicknamed "The Roundhouse," a name that has stuck to this day. When Wichita joined the state university system in 1964, the arena was renamed the WSU Field House.

In 1969, the arena was officially renamed Levitt Arena after Wichita department store magnate Henry Levitt, who had recently died. Levitt's Wichita clothing store sponsored basketball team won three consecutive national Amateur Athletic Union titles in the 1930s at a time when colleges and corporate-sponsored teams competed in the same tournament.

Endowment

Exterior of Charles Koch Arena

Following a $6 million endowment from Charles Koch^[2] the arena underwent a $25 million renovation in 2002–03, popularly known as the "Roundhouse Renaissance." The old arena concourse was completely demolished and a new one built around the original playing/seating area. A portion of the seating bowl was remodeled to make for more legroom. All new seating was installed as well as a video scoreboard, and virtually every surface that was not renovated was given a fresh coat of paint. The Shocker basketball teams played at the Kansas Coliseum for the 2002–03 season while the arena was rebuilt, while the volleyball team played at the Heskett Center on the WSU campus.

Since 2008

Interior of Charles Koch Arena

Koch Arena hosted the 2008 Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 6A state wrestling tournament. The arena also hosts numerous high school basketball games involving schools from the Wichita City League. The KSHSAA Class 6A boys and girls basketball state tournaments moved to Koch Arena from Emporia State University's William L. White Auditorium in 2011.

As Levitt Arena it hosted the 1977 and 1989 Missouri Valley Conference men's basketball tournament title game. It also hosted games for the opening rounds of the 1981 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament.

In addition to concerts, the arena has also hosted the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, Disney on Ice and Champions on Ice as both Levitt Arena and Koch Arena. American Idols Live! has performed annually at Koch Arena since 2003.

In December 2012, ESPN ranked Charles Koch Arena at number 10 in the nation in a poll on home-court advantages in College Basketball. In January 2013, ESPN's Jason King listed Koch Arena as the 7th best home court advantage in college basketball.^[3]

References

↑ "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
↑ "Koch gives $6 million to update WSU Areana – the donation, the largest in the university's history, helps make possible a complete renovation of the Levitt Arena, which will reopen as Koch Arena in 2003" – Wichita Eagle – November 1, 2000
↑ "King's Court: Home sweet home". ESPN. January 13, 2013. Retrieved April 2, 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wichita State University.

Official athletic site
Charles Koch Arena information, wichita.edu
WSU Campus Map, wichita.edu
Arena images

Historical

1954 to 1978 arena history, specialcollections.wichita.edu
1965 aerial view looking west toward WSU campus, wichitaphotos.org
1952 aerial view looking northeast showing grounds before the Field House was built (edge of football stadium in upper-right corner), wichitaphotos.org

Wichita State Shockers men's basketball

Venues	Charles Koch Arena (1955–2002; 2003–present) Kansas Coliseum (2002–2003) Intrust Bank Arena (alternate; 2010–present)

Culture & lore	History WuShock

People	Head coaches

Seasons	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

NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Basketball arenas in the Missouri Valley Conference

Carver Arena (Bradley, men's) Renaissance Coliseum (Bradley, women's) Knapp Center (Drake) Ford Center (Evansville) Redbird Arena (Illinois State) Hulman Center (Indiana State) Joseph J. Gentile Arena (Loyola) JQH Arena (Missouri State) McLeod Center (Northern Iowa) SIU Arena (Southern Illinois) Charles Koch Arena (Wichita State)

City of Wichita

General	Demographics Education Geography and climate Government History Timeline Media Metropolitan area Notable people Sports Transportation

Neighborhoods	College Hill Delano Downtown Wichita El Pueblo Midtown Riverside

Landmarks and culture	Botanica Epic Center Joyland The Keeper of the Plains Music Theatre Wichita Orpheum Theatre Sedgwick County Extension Arboretum Sedgwick County Zoo Towne East Square Towne West Square Wichita Public Library Wichita Symphony Orchestra

Museums	Exploration Place Great Plains Transportation Museum Kansas Aviation Museum Kansas Sports Hall of Fame Mid-America All-Indian Center Museum of World Treasures Old Cowtown Museum Wichita Art Museum Wichita-Sedgwick County Historical Museum

Event venues	Century II Performing Arts & Convention Center Cessna Stadium Charles Koch Arena Cotillion Ballroom Eck Stadium Hartman Arena Intrust Bank Arena Kansas Coliseum Lawrence–Dumont Stadium

Colleges and universities	Friends University Newman University University of Kansas School of Medicine Wichita Area Technical College Wichita State University

Koch family

Parents	Fred C. Koch: 1900–1967

Children	Frederick R. Koch: 1933 Charles Koch: 1935 David H. Koch: 1940 William Koch: 1940

Other	Harry Koch: 1867–1942

Major companies	Koch Industries

Other organizations	Koch family foundations Citizens for a Sound Economy Americans for Prosperity David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research Bill of Rights Institute Cato Institute

See also	Political activities of the Koch brothers Mary R. Koch (ship) The Science of Success (book) Mercatus Center Charles Koch Arena David H. Koch Theater

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