State Budget Committee OKs funding for Hulman Center project

WANTED: Passionate Sycamore Fanatics. That You?

Register NOW to join our community of die-hard Sycamore fans.

Register Log in
Headed to game tonight so don't attack me ---and I AGREE totally with what appears to very disappointing new plans.
BUT -- with about $50 million to spend, did you really think any of those designs were feasible ? Or a dramatic concourse overlook ? Or wonderful suites ?
Or all new seating ? Or fantastic electronics ? Wow lighting ? ETC ETC ?????

Yes I hoped for all those things, but you're probably talking $100 million ++ to do those things.

Having said that ---- pretty disappointing
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
BUT ....

With that said -- unless its all been kept very hush hush ISU has done nothing about seeking donors, corporate sponsors, etc.
Hell the Hulmans got the place built in the 70's -- might be time for them to pony up some more $$$$$ to keep it the "Hulman Center"
:annoyed:
 
Westbadenboy said:
Headed to game tonight so don't attack me ---and I AGREE totally with what appears to very disappointing new plans.
BUT -- with about $50 million to spend, did you really think any of those designs were feasible ? Or a dramatic concourse overlook ? Or wonderful suites ?
Or all new seating ? Or fantastic electronics ? Wow lighting ? ETC ETC ?????

Yes I hoped for all those things, but you're probably talking $100 million ++ to do those things.

Having said that ---- pretty disappointing
Click to expand...

Just a few years ago, the University of Notre Dame completely renovated an arena that is older than Hulman Center, turning it from an aging, ugly, OLD facility into a state of the art, intimate, beautiful arena. All for 1/2 of what we are supposed to spend on Hulman Center. How did they do what they did for $26M when we get this for (supposedly) $50M? I don't buy that $50M isn't enough to do what was proposed. Actually it was, but for some reason, ISU only wants to spend something like $42M. I don't get that, either.

If the building was as derelict as the administration is making it out be, someone (or multiple someones) needs to be held accountable for allowing a major university asset to fall in to total disrepair. In my mind, that's the issue that no one is discussing. That's malfeasance.
 
What exactly is so difficult about putting actual real blue seats like we have in the lower level in the upper level. ISU really does know how to screw everything up. $50 million to downgrade the Hulman Center. I'll go ahead and eat crow. What a disgrace.
 
I don't care what amount of money we have. They simply added a different material on the outside of the building, some windows and a freaking vestibule & said here you go Sycamore fans - eat your heart out.

I'm equally concerned about the inside of the building - but to put out that many sets of renderings and then arrive at this final rendering with bids starting next week is inexcusable.

Hell you got the top Engineering school in the country about 3 miles down the road - solicit some free help and see if they can offer any budget friendly alternatives... I mean don't tell me they didn't have an ample amount of time to come up with other alternatives (3 freaking years and counting).
 
Last edited:
Okay guys/gals. I have looked everywhere I know to look....where did you see they are putting in bleacher seats. The article i read said the orange seats would be changed to match the lower bowl, but that's all I saw.
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
WOZ said:
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the bleachers won’t be orange.
Click to expand...

Maybe we should just replace the blue seats down low with orange ones? Might not look as stupid if they are all the same color. If we actually put bleachers in the Hulman Center then we should just go D2 and join the GLVC, because it will just prove how bad our current administration is. Seems like we have no issue having those schools come the Hulman Center every year anyways. (For those who don't know UMSL, UINDY, IL-Springfield, McKendree, and Truman State all participate in that league. Quincy is also in the GLVC, but I don't think we've ever played them in basketball or at least recently.)
 
Last edited:
BlueBleeder said:
Okay guys/gals. I have looked everywhere I know to look....where did you see they are putting in bleacher seats. The article i read said the orange seats would be changed to match the lower bowl, but that's all I saw.
Click to expand...

Www.indstateplanroom.com

Hulman Center Renovation and Expansion

Bid Set Vol. 1

Page 7

35959751-A34C-49B7-B75D-75E040BF0456.jpg

The photo references about 3200 chair back seats and roughly 9000 linear feet of bench seating. I hope I’m reading that wrong, but 3200 is about the number of lower bowl seats.
 
Last edited:
Given the choice brand new bleacher style seating or just keep the old orange seats and call it good I would vote for the old seats every single time. We're going all Eastern Illinois - which is just fantastic.
 
Are we sure that the bleachers aren't for the lower bowl where the curtains currently are to make an actual bowl in the lower section? Just a thought.
 
Last edited:
Sycamorefan96 said:
Are we sure that the bleachers aren't for the lower bowl where the curtains currently are to make an actual bowl in the lower seaction? Just a thought.
Click to expand...

I'm really not sure on the Wrigley Field style seating - it could make for a really cool party atmosphere who knows. I'm just going off what everyone else is saying on that point - I'm not interested in digging too deep into those plan documents. I expect another rebid to be perfectly honest.
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
SycamoreStateofMind said:
I'm really not sure on the Wrigley Field style seating - it could make for a really cool party atmosphere who knows. I'm just going off what everyone else is saying on that point - I'm not interested in digging too deep into those plan documents. I expect another rebid to be perfectly honest.
Click to expand...

Already got a couple exclusive pictures of fans partying up there:
































































































End of pictures.
 
The good news about this is that by going alone, ISU cut the chance of someone going to federal prison because of something by about 97%
 
IndyTreeFan said:
Www.indstateplanroom.com

Hulman Center Renovation and Expansion

Bid Set Vol. 1

Page 7

View attachment 1399

The photo references about 3200 chair back seats and roughly 9000 linear feet of bench seating. I hope I’m reading that wrong, but 3200 is about the number of lower bowl seats.
Click to expand...

Page 163 of that same document has all of the upper bowl seats listed as "REFINISH SEATS, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF UPHOLSTERY FABRIC, REMOVAL OF PAINT AND REPAINTING OF SEAT BOTTOMS AND ARMS"
 
SycfromBirth said:
Page 163 of that same document has all of the upper bowl seats listed as "REFINISH SEATS, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF UPHOLSTERY FABRIC, REMOVAL OF PAINT AND REPAINTING OF SEAT BOTTOMS AND ARMS"
Click to expand...

That certainly is better news than bleachers! I wonder what 10,000 linear feet of bench seating would be for in light of this? I hope that I must stand corrected!!! I like my crow medium-well, with a nice hollandaise on the side, please...

Do the upper bowl seats have arms?
 

Become a Supporting Member to remove this ad and help support the site.
IndyTreeFan said:
That certainly is better news than bleachers! I wonder what 10,000 linear feet of bench seating would be for in light of this? I hope that I must stand corrected!!! I like my crow medium-well, with a nice hollandaise on the side, please...

Do the upper bowl seats have arms?
Click to expand...

I gotta think its the kind of seats that pull out probably where the varsity club is. I doubt 10,000 linear feet is that many rows
 
niklz62 said:
I gotta think its the kind of seats that pull out probably where the varsity club is. I doubt 10,000 linear feet is that many rows
Click to expand...

I am happy to see that they are proposing to restore the "bowl" with the moveable seating. I think it will look better as well as increase the crowd noise and provide better sightlines.

Hopefully it will provide a better experience for the students as opposed to having them sit in the upper bowl and be completely separate from the lower tier.
 
niklz62 said:
I gotta think its the kind of seats that pull out probably where the varsity club is. I doubt 10,000 linear feet is that many rows
Click to expand...

250-300 rows maybe? Depending on the length of a "row"...

You could be right. And you probably are. I am confused by the breaking out of chair back seating of 700+ moveable and 2500+ permanent. It would make sense that the moveable sections are the benches, I suppose. It's weird, though, that the document references benches with backs and benches without backs. Just odd stuff.

I guess I should stop reading construction documents. Terribly confusing stuff...
 
Last edited:
As long as we have blue seats (not bleachers) up high and the retractable bleachers to make the lower bowl an actual bowl I will be happy. Looks like both will likely happen. Hopefully the retractable bleachers will also be blue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top