WELCOME TO FERTITTA CENTER
INAUGURAL SEASON FERTITTA CENTER
On Dec. 1, 1969, Hofheinz Pavilion officially opened with a Men’s Basketball showdown against Louisiana-Lafayette. Exactly 49 years later, that site will open again following a $60-million transformation to become the Fertitta Center. As impressive as Hofheinz Pavilion was when it first opened nearly 50 years, more fans dazzled will as be even they walk through the Cullen Boulevard or Holman Street doors to watch the Cougars throughout the 2018-19 season and well into the future. While the exterior was refreshed, the interior was renovated into a modern sports arena with all the luxury amenities that fans expect. Some parts of the building may feel familiar to long-time Houston Basketball fans, but all areas have been transformed to become part of the Fertitta Center. Fans who visit the Fertitta Center will soon see that these are only the latest capital Houston the Houston improvements Basketball Athletics and Department. for In 2016, both Houston Basketball teams moved into the $25-million Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, named in honor of the legendary Hall of Fame coach. TDECU $120-million Houston Football, Stadium, home opened the of in 2014. The impact of these firstclass facilities cannot be understated, and the results can be seen in competition. Less than two years after Houston Football opened TDECU Stadium, the Cougars captured the American Athletic Conference championship and defeated Florida State in the Peach Bowl. Two years after Houston Basketball opened the Guy V. Lewis Development Facility, the Men’s program won its first NCAA Tournament game in 34 years and fell just a buzzer-beating 3-pointer short of advancing to the Sweet 16 against the eventual national finalist, while the Women’s program advanced to the WNIT. With the opening of the Fertitta Center on Dec. 1, 2018, it is easy to see why optimism is running high around the Houston Basketball staff, the Houston Athletics Department and the Houston entire campus. University of ABOUT FERTITTA CENTER In August 2016, globally recognized entrepreneur and Chairman of the University of Houston System Board of Regents Tilman J. Fertitta presented a historic the to transform University arena. $20-million the of Houston basketball gift to It was donation the largest to Houston individual Athletics. “This gift is personal. It represents a commitment from my family and me to support the University of Houston in its quest to strengthen our nationally competitive institution both in academics and athletics,” Fertitta said at a press conference announcing the gift. “Upgrading our athletics facilities shows we are serious about competing at the highest levels of collegiate sports for many years to come. I’m proud of where the University of Houston is today and I’m proud to make this investment in my university’s future.” The facility’s renovations began following the completion of the 2016-17 Men’s and Women’s Basketball regular season. Both programs competed throughout the 2017-18 season and during the month of November in the campus 2018-19 H&PE of Arena nearby season on Texas the inside Southern University. PGAL and AECOM were selected as architects for the project with Turner Construction working as the general contractor. FERTITTA CENTER AMENITIES Serving as the home for Houston Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Volleyball, Fertitta Center will provide all the amenities that fans enjoy. Premium entry was built for Courtside Club and Legends Club patrons, providing immediate entry for these fans into the premium areas. CLUB EXPERIENCE The Fertitta Center provides two premium club experiences. The Legends Club is the exclusive area for courtside patrons, who will have access to pregame buffet service and a private bar in a 1,500-squarefoot area. The Courtside Club is available to Club, loge, barcalounger and terrace-seat holders in a 3,000-square-foot space. CONCESSIONS Two major concession stands anchor the food and beverage service for the Fertitta Center. Each of the major concession stands features 10 points of sale and were designed for queuing that would not impact traffic on the concourse. Two additional permanent concession stands are available inside the main entries, and the building was designed to incorporate portables and stand-ups to increase overall point-of-sale-per patron ratios. RESTROOMS As part of the renovations, the number of women’s restroom stalls was tripled, while the men’s number was doubled. VIDEO BOARDS Daktronics was selected to design, manufacture and install new, curved endwall LED video displays, halo ribbon display, fascia display and stanchion displays for the arena. Two curved LED video displays will each measure 13.5 feet high by 60 feet wide. Halo ribbon display will measure 2.5 feet high by 568 feet in circumference and feature 10-millimeter line spacing. SPORT LIGHTING The Fertitta Center is outfitted with LED lighting throughout the facility. The LED sports with instant lighting on/off. is also Lighting was provided by Sportsbeams. MULTI-PURPOSE FACILITY While the Fertitta Center will be the home for Houston Basketball and Volleyball, it will be the host venue for a wide range of events, starting with annual University of Houston commencement exercises and other University programs. The Harlem Globetrotters will bring their Fan-Powered World Tour to the Fertitta Center on Feb. 15-17 in the first outside event to visit the facility. Administrators are working to schedule additional concerts, comedy shows and other events inside the Fertitta Center with announcements coming in the near future. HOFHEINZ PLAZA An area adjacent to the Fertitta Center will become Hofheinz Plaza, where fans will be greeted by a bronze statue of Judge Roy Hofheinz. A portion of Holman Street will be renamed after the Hofheinz Family, and his records will be permanently archived and publicly accessible as a special collection in the University library. The Alumni Center will house an area describing the lives and public service of Roy and Irene Hofheinz. HOFHEINZ PAVILION HISTORY In a September 1969 meeting, the University of Houston regents accepted then President Philip G. Hoffman’s recommendation that the field house complex be renamed Hofheinz Pavilion in honor of Judge Roy M. Hofheinz and his late wife, Irene. Judge and Irene Hofheinz first met as students at the University of Houston in 1929. Hofheinz eventually became a county judge and mayor of the city of Houston during his career. He became known in the sports world as the president of the Houston Sports Association, which owned the Astros and served as the leaseholder of the Houston Astrodome. Hofheinz worked closely with Houston Hall of Fame Head Coach Guy V. Lewis and Athletics Director Harry Fouke to bring No. 1 UCLA to the Houston Astrodome to face the Cougars on Jan. 20, 1968. With a crowd of 52,963 and a television audience of millions across the nation, the event became known as the Game of the Century and paved the way for March Madness, which college basketball fans have come to know and love. Hofheinz Pavilion was originally built with a capacity of more than 10,000. More than 100 light fixtures illuminated the playing court with more than 225 speakers providing sound over the seating area. In addition to the basketball court, the facility also housed seven handball courts, ROTC offices and classroom, rifle range, indoor baseball batting cage and pitching mound, numerous classrooms and the Athletics Ticket and Business Offices. Hofheinz Pavilion was also used regularly including for convocations, commencement exercises, for student registration and student-sponsored music and variety shows. Renovations were done in 1992 through a donation from John and Rebecca Moores. The facility underwent further renovations in 1998, creating 28 suites and reducing capacity to 8,479. The Fertitta Center is located on the campus of the University of Houston at 3422 Cullen Blvd., Houston, TX 77204. It is specifically located on the corner of Cullen Blvd. and Holman St., next to the Guy V. Lewis Development Center.
PREMIUM SEATING AND ENTRY The facility features 712 premium seats, approximately a tenth of the overall seating capacity, with 542 Courtside Club seats, 76 floor seats, 44 loge, 30 terrace and 20 barcalounger.