BOWLING GREEN -- Bowling Green State University revealed the design of its new 5,000-seat Stroh Center arena on Wednesday.
Construction of the state-of-the-art center is slated to begin in fall 2009 and be completed in late 2011. The Stroh Center will serve as the new home for Falcon basketball and volleyball and be used for graduation and other campus and public events.
"First impressions mean a lot," said Greg Christopher, assistant vice president of student affairs and director of athletics, "and the Stroh Center will be a great first impression of BGSU for many people. From campus tours, concerts or games, nearly 500,000 people will use the arena each year. The Stroh Center will provide a terrific front porch for Bowling Green."
The center is named for Kermit and Mary Lu Stroh and their family, longtime BGSU supporters who donated $7.7 million for the arena project earlier this year. The Stroh family's contribution is the largest single private gift in BGSU's nearly 100-year history.
The $36 million arena will be funded through a combination of private gift support and debt service. To date, the university has raised $12.8 million of the $14 million private fund-raising goal.