Guenther said architects and engineers first need to study the building to see what can be done structurally, as well as what the building can tolerate. He said the architects also would have to come up with a new design that would keep the integrity with what was already built. Kent Brown, the sports information director, said even though Assembly Hall is 40 years old, it's a good building and a landmark on campus. However, special features like sky box seating and a scoreboard in the middle of the stadium weren't thought of when Assembly Hall was built. But the arena was not constructed as it would be today.
Thoughts are down the road two or three years, but it has started.
Because architects built Assembly Hall to be a multi-purpose building, it doesn't have the features that are important for a basketball arena. Already faculty members have tried to move more students onto the floor. Big Ten games sold more than 16,500 seats, and two sections in the arena don't even have seating, according to Brown. Faculty members want to fill in those areas with seats. He said they might lower and rotate around the floor as well.