Multi-purpose arena at Wichita State University, Kansas
Charles Koch Arena
is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose
arena
in
Wichita, Kansas
, United States. It is located on the southeast corner of 21st and Hillside on the campus of
Wichita State University
in northeast Wichita. The arena is home of the
Wichita State Shockers
men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams.
History
[
edit
]
Charles Koch Arena
Interior of Charles Koch Arena
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.
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. The basketball court itself became
Devlin Court
, named after a family of program supporters.
[3]
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.
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.
[4]
Events
[
edit
]
Elvis Presley
gave three performances at the arena with the first concert there happening on June 19, 1972. The other two times were October 7, 1974, and December 27, 1976, with the latter occurring almost seven months before his death on August 16, 1977.
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 Division I men's 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
, both as Levitt Arena and Koch Arena.
American Idols
Live! has performed annually at Koch Arena since 2003.
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.
See also
[
edit
]
- Sports facilities on WSU campus
- Facilities in Wichita area
References
[
edit
]
- ^
1634?1699:
McCusker, J. J.
(1997).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda
(PDF)
.
American Antiquarian Society
.
1700?1799:
McCusker, J. J.
(1992).
How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States
(PDF)
.
American Antiquarian Society
.
1800?present:
Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
"Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800?"
. Retrieved
February 29,
2024
.
- ^
"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
- ^
"Roundhouse Renaissance: Charles Koch Arena"
.
The Wichita Eagle
. October 12, 2003. p. 9
. Retrieved
July 20,
2021
– via newspapers.com.
- ^
"King's Court: Home sweet home"
.
ESPN
. January 13, 2013
. Retrieved
April 2,
2013
.
External links
[
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]
- Historical
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Venues
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Rivalries
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Culture & lore
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People
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Seasons
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NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
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Venues
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Culture & lore
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People
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Seasons
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First generation
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Second generation
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Third generation
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Fourth generation
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- Elizabeth Koch
: 1976
- Chase Koch
: 1977
- Wyatt : 1986
- William: 1997
- Charlotte: 1996
- Robin: 1999
- Kaitlin: 2006
- David Jr.: 1998
- Mary Julia: 2001
- John: 2006
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Major companies
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Other organizations
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See also
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