May 11, 2009

UCLA announces $185m Pauley facelift

This afternoon, UCLA officials unveiled plans for the first overhaul of the 44-year-old Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, where a record 11 men's NCAA championship banners hang from the rafters.

The school says the $185 million plan, which it expects would take two and a half years, would increase capacity (currently at 12,829) to nearly 14,000, bring fans closer to the court by adding seating behind the baskets, and modernize the scoreboard, restrooms, locker rooms, concession stands, and entrance ways, along with a number of other improvements. Judging by the rendering of the renovated arena, the plan would maintain much of the venue's original character and feeling. Perhaps one motivation for the Bruins was its bitter crosstown rival, USC, which opened the Galen Center in 2006.

The Los Angeles Times reports that funding would come from a variety of sources:

The university hopes to raise $100 million of the construction costs through "The Campaign of Champions." Annual fees that students already pay would provide $25 million and the remaining $60 million would come from external financing. At this point, the document said, UCLA has received $3 million in gifts, $14 million in pledges and $33 million in unconfirmed pledges. That leaves $50 million still to be raised.

The school did not specify what those "external sources" are.

As for the student fees, those were just raised last week, to help the University of California's regents alleviate a recent $115 million cut to the system's fund by the state, which is facing a $42 billion budget deficit.