page_title: The Pit (arena)
section_title: Renovations
hierarchical_section_title: The Pit (arena) / History / Renovations
caption_attribution_description: English: The Pit arena, viewed from the University Stadium.
context_page_description: The Pit, formally named Dreamstyle Arena, is an indoor arena in Albuquerque, New Mexico, serving primarily as the home venue of the University of New Mexico Lobo basketball teams. The facility opened in 1966 as University Arena but gained the nickname "The Pit" due to its innovative subterranean design, with its playing floor 37 feet below street level. The arena is located on the UNM South Campus and has a seating capacity of 15,411 for basketball and up to 13,480 for concerts, with 40 luxury suites and 365 club seats.
  The Pit is widely recognized as one of the top college basketball venues in the U.S., and as one of the loudest. The New Mexico Lobos have enjoyed tremendous success at The Pit, winning over 80% of their games there, and attendance has consistently been among the best in college basketball. Renovations completed in 2010 added more space and state-of-the-art amenities for fans, coaches and players.
  The Pit has frequently hosted NCAA basketball tournament games, including the 1983 Final Four, which featured one of the most famous games in college basketball history where North Carolina State upset Houston.
context_section_description: The Pit has undergone two major renovations.  In 1975 the arena was expanded at a cost of $2.2 million. A cantilevered deck was extended above the original seating for meeting space, offices, and a mezzanine level with 2,300 additional seats. The concourse was enlarged to allow concession space to be quadrupled, along with dedicated standing-room only space, increasing seating capacity to 18,018.
  The second renovation, begun in 2009, was completed in time for the 2010–11 basketball season, costing $60 million and bringing the facilities up to state-of-the-art standards.  The renovation added 60,000 square feet (5,600 m²) of new space, with new amenities such as forty luxury suites and 365 club seats, digital signage and video boards, expanded concourses, additional restrooms and concession stands, a new ticket office and Lobo store, interactive kiosks, and a UNM Lettermen's Lounge. New locker rooms for both men's and women's squads were added, as well as an upgraded strength and conditioning center and training facilities. Project architect John Pate of Molzen-Corbin in Albuquerque recognized the need to tread gently in designing changes to preserve the historic character of the building. "Players like the noise," he noted. "They want to keep it loud in there." The upgrade reduced seating capacity to 15,411, trading some seating for greater comfort and amenities.
  The building facade was transformed from simple red brick to a high-rise look with a 56-foot (17 m) glass tower, lit from within and supported by a steel superstructure. The shape of the roof was curved into a half-figure-8 to be more visually interesting than its former box-like appearance. Extensive glasswork encases the street level, adding light and providing views of the Sandia Mountains to the east and picturesque Southwest sunsets to the west. "We're building a little jewel box around the building," said Pate. "We want the Pit to be seen as an urban destination ... an attractive, up-to-date building with better access for everyone." The building also achieves high environmental standards, with water efficiencies and heating and cooling processes designed to minimize energy loss, while 95 percent of all waste materials from the renovation were recycled.
  In 2006, prior to the renovation, UNM dedicated the Rudy Davalos Basketball Center, named after the then-departing athletics director, located adjacent to the south end of The Pit. The 26,000-square-foot (2,400 m²) facility includes practice courts, offices for coaches, a video control room and theater, and a multi-purpose room for press conferences and special events. The recent renovations integrated the Davalos Center with The Pit, allowing players to move seamlessly between the two facilities for practice, games, and training.
caption: The Pit (east facade, viewed from University Stadium) in 2011
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