Hofheinz Pavilion
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Hofheinz Pavilion is an 8,500-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston, Texas. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the University of Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team. The building is named for Houston politician, businessman and philanthropist Judge Roy Hofheinz, who is a UH alumnus. The arena opened in 1969.
In addition to athletics, the arena has been used for other purposes such as UH graduation ceremonies and area high school commencements. Before the construction of larger Houston venues like the The Summit, it also hosted many concerts by famous artists like the Grateful Dead, Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Prince, Genesis and Yes. Popular music concerts are still held at Hofheinz, often when a major act decides against playing at the larger (and ticketing-industry controlled) venues in town. Prince held several shows at Hofheinz Pavillion on his Musicology Tour in 2004, but most current performances are by less popular artists.
Hofheinz Pavilion served as the first home to the NBA's Houston Rockets when the team relocated from San Diego in 1971. The Rockets played at Hofheinz during their first several seasons in Houston until the construction of The Summit was completed in 1975.
Hofheinz Pavilion has been renovated several times in recent years. A new ceiling, lighting and sound system were installed in 1991. Through a donation by alumni John and Rebecca Moores in 1992, the basketball locker rooms were enlarged and equipped with personal lockers for each player. Also added was a meeting area and lounge furnished with couches, a color television, a stereo sound system and a pull-down projection screen.
In 1998, Hofheinz again underwent a renovation as part of a capital improvement campaign undertaken by the university to upgrade its athletic facilities. In its original format Hofheinz Pavilion had a seating capacity of 10,000. As part of the renovation, a ring of luxury suites was added to the top of the seating bowl. This addition necessitated the removal of 1,500 seats, reducing capacity to its current level of 8,500. The new Conor Uni-Force Flooring System was installed in October 2004.
The first athletic event at Hofheinz Pavilion was held on December 1, 1969 when the Houston Cougars men's basketball team defeated Southwestern Louisiana University 89-72 before a crowd of 7,000. [1] Since then, over 2,000,000 fans have seen the Cougar men's basketball team play at Hofheinz Pavilion.
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| Current Basketball Arenas in Conference USA |
|---|
| Autry Court (Rice) • Avron B. Fogelman Arena (Tulane) • Bartow Arena (UAB) • Cam Henderson Center (Marshall) • Don Haskins Center (UTEP) • FedExForum (Memphis) • Hofheinz Pavilion (Houston) • Moody Coliseum (SMU) • Reed Green Coliseum (Southern Miss) • Reynolds Center (Tulsa) • UCF Arena (UCF) • Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (East Carolina) |
| Preceded by San Diego Sports Arena 1967–1971 |
Home of the Houston Rockets 1971–1975 |
Succeeded by Houston Summit 1975–2003 |
