Owner University of Iowa Surface Parquet Capacity 15,500 Phone +1 319-335-9431 | Operator University of Iowa Broke ground July 15, 1980 Opened 3 January 1983 Architectural style Postmodern Architecture | |
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Former names Hawkeye Sports Arena (planning) Location 1 Elliot Drive
Iowa City, Iowa 52242 Address Carver-Hawkeye Arena, 1 Elliot Drive, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA Similar Kinnick Stadium, Welsh‑Ryan Arena, Mackey Arena, Crisler Center, State Farm Center | ||
Carver–Hawkeye Arena is a 15,400-seat multi-purpose indoor arena located in Iowa City, Iowa. Opened in 1983, it is the home court for The University of Iowa Hawkeyes men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the university's wrestling, gymnastics, and volleyball teams. It was named for the late industrialist Roy J. Carver of Muscatine, Iowa, a prominent statewide booster, who donated $9.2 million to The University of Iowa before his death in 1981. Prior to the arena's opening, Iowa's athletic teams played at the Iowa Field House.
Entirely funded by private contributions, the arena was expected to be open for the 1982–83 school year, but weather slowed construction to the point where the first event was held on January 3, 1983. Iowa's wrestling team defeated Oklahoma and two days later, the men's basketball team played their first game – a loss to Michigan State – in the new arena.
Notable athletic events in the arena include the Big Ten and NCAA wrestling championships, the National Duals, the U.S. Olympic wrestling trials in 1984 and 2012, and the NCAA Women's Division I Basketball Tournament.
The arena also serves as the site of commencement exercises for several of the university's colleges, and has hosted concerts by artists such as Whitney Houston, Stevie Nicks, *NSYNC, Metallica, Guns N' Roses, and Red Hot Chili Peppers, and speeches by Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton as well as Desmond Tutu and Jane Goodall. Carver-Hawkeye has also hosted many of Hancher Auditorium's performances since that building sustained damage in the Iowa flood of 2008. It also hosted World Wrestling Entertainment while its primary Eastern Iowa venue, the U.S. Cellular Center in Cedar Rapids, underwent renovations from 2011 to 2013.
Predecessors
Iowa basketball and wrestling teams initially competed at a building named the "Armory", which was located on the east bank of the Iowa River. With a capacity of 3,000, the Armory was easily large enough, considering that the fan support Iowa's teams received in that era was much less than it is today. Later, in 1927, the Iowa Field House was opened during Paul Belding's tenure as athletic director. Considered as a "magnificent structure for its day", the Field House was home to Iowa's basketball and wrestling teams, and included an indoor track and a swimming pool.
The Field House, however, was known for its steel balconies and sub-par acoustics, along with columns that obstructed views. When demand was high for Hawkeye basketball, bleachers were placed behind the baskets, allowing some 15,000 to attend games. Season ticket sales skyrocketed during the highly successful tenures of head coaches Ralph Miller and Lute Olson, and support for a new arena gradually increased. Following approval from the Iowa Board of Regents, construction of Carver–Hawkeye Arena began.
On December 6, 2008, Iowa set the national collegiate wrestling dual meet attendance record as 15,955 fans packed the arena for Iowa-Iowa State match. The previous record of 15,646 was set Feb. 1, 2002, when Minnesota hosted Iowa at the Target Center in Minneapolis. Tom Brands, Brent Metcalf, and Tony Ramos are the only Hawkeye wrestlers to never lose a match during their college career in Carver–Hawkeye Arena.