Viking Hall is getting a makeover.
On May 10, the university announced its intention to expand and renovate the 46-year-old Peter W. Stott Center, home to Viking basketball and volleyball.
Viking Hall is getting a makeover.
On May 10, the university announced its intention to expand and renovate the 46-year-old Peter W. Stott Center, home to Viking basketball and volleyball.
The college hopes the new building will become a destination for all kinds of events, but the new arena promises a big upgrade for Viking athletics.
“It’s something we’ve been talking about for quite a while,” men’s basketball head coach Tyler Geving said. “It would be nice to play in a bigger venue.”
The Stott Center is currently the third-smallest basketball venue in the Big Sky Conference, with a capacity of 1,500. The new building, dubbed the Viking Pavilion, would have room for 4,700. More than half of the teams in the conference play in arenas that seat more than 5,000.
The Viking Pavilion would be used for more than athletics, with Viking sports making up less than half of the new building’s 125 annual events, but athletics director Torre Chisholm said the Viking experience would remain the same.
“They’ve designed it in the spirit of the Viking,” Chisholm said. “It’s actually designed to have the feel of a Viking ship. We want to build something that enhances the Viking spirit. There’ll be a character to the facility. It’ll be taller than other buildings, so that students can look out of their windows and know if an event is taking place. The PSU Hall of Fame will be relocated to the concourse of the new arena, so that people coming in for any event will get to experience the tradition of PSU athletics.”
The project is still in the planning stages. The university is looking for $22 million in private investment before they put in a final proposal. Naming rights for the building are still available. The original center was named for Peter Stott after he donated $1 million to its construction.
Vice President for University Advancement Françoise Aylmer cautioned that the project isn’t final yet.
“We want to be very careful,” Aylmer said. “There’s so much enthusiasm around this project. It’s really taken on a life of its own.”
The Viking teams that currently play at the Stott Center will have the use of both the new arena as well as their current gym, which will remain at the rear of the facility.
“As much as we’ve tried with the existing gym, it’s not a destination venue,” Chisholm said. “With sports of all levels, the facility is part of the draw. A big impact is that the current venue limits us on recruiting. In terms of attracting high school students, they’re attracted to better facilities.”
Viking athletics is hoping the Viking Pavilion will be a boon to athletic recruitment. Gevingsaid the current building, with its bare brick exterior, has limited basketball recruiting.
“Unfortunately, for the high school kids, the arena might be more important than the team and who they’re playing with,” Geving said. “For the junior college and Division 1 transfers, it doesn’t matter as much as playing time.”
He said high school recruits could be drawn to glitzier venues, such as Weber State’s 12,000-seat Dee Events Center. “I wouldn’t say it’s a disappointment,” he said. “It just isn’t what they imagined themselves playing in.”
