 The exterior of the Fertitta Center on Cullen Boulevard | |
 | |
| Former names | Hofheinz Pavilion (1969–2017) |
|---|---|
| Location | 3875 Holman Street Houston, Texas 77004 |
| Coordinates | 29°43′29″N 95°20′49″W / 29.72472°N 95.34694°W |
| Owner | University of Houston System |
| Operator | University of Houston |
| Capacity | 7,100 (2018–present) 8,479 (1998–2017) 10,000 (1969–1998) |
| Record attendance | 7,933 (Post-2017 capacity) 8,918 (Post-1998 capacity) 10,660 (Pre-1998 capacity) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | 1967 |
| Opened | December 1, 1969 |
| Renovated | 1991, 1992, 1998, 2004, 2017 |
| Construction cost | $4.2 million[1] ($34.9 million in 2023 dollars[2]) $60 million (2017 renovation) |
| Architect | Lloyd, Morgan & Jones |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore[3] |
| General contractor | H. A. Lott, Inc.[4] |
| Tenants | |
| Houston Cougars (NCAA DI) (1969–present) Houston Rockets (NBA) (1971–1975) | |
| Website | |
| https://www.uh.edu/fertitta-center/ | |
The Fertitta Center, formerly known as Hofheinz Pavilion, is a 7,100-seat multi-purpose arena on the University of Houston campus in Houston. Located at 3875 Holman Street, it is home to the Houston Cougars men's and women's basketball teams and the women's volleyball team. The arena opened in 1967 as Hofheinz Pavilion, named after Roy Hofheinz and his late wife, Irene Cafcalas "Dene" Hofheinz, after they donated $1.5 million to help fund construction. Roy Hofheinz, known as Judge Hofheinz, was a UH alumnus and a Houston politician, businessman, and philanthropist. The arena is now named after restaurant magnate, Houston Rockets owner and UH alum Tilman Fertitta, who donated $20 million toward the complete renovation of the arena in 2016.[5] The court is named for Hall of Fame and former Cougars coach Guy V. Lewis. Like many arenas of its kind, the seating bowl of Fertitta Center is dug into the ground so that one enters the building at the top of the bowl.
In June 2010, the University of Houston announced a $40 million plan to renovate Hofheinz Pavilion. Ultimately in November 2015, the Board of Regents approved a $60 million complete re-design of the facility to open in 2018, funded in part by a $20 million gift from UH alum Tilman Fertitta. After the Hofheinz family objected to the building's being renamed, the school and the family reached a settlement to honor Judge Hofheinz by building a plaza containing a bronze statue of him near the facility and dedicating an alcove within to him. In addition, the UH library archived Hofheinz's historical records in a special section. Finally, UH petitioned the city of Houston to change the name of Holman Street between Cullen Boulevard and Scott Street to honor the Hofheinz family.[6] The renovation began in March 2017 at the conclusion of the 2016–17 basketball seasons, and was scheduled to be completed in time for the 2018–19 men's and women's basketball seasons, but construction delays pushed the reopening date to December 1, 2018. Both basketball teams played their home games on the campus of nearby Texas Southern University during the course of construction.[7]
The Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA) used the arena as their first home in Houston, from 1971 to 1975. In addition to athletics, the arena has been used for other purposes such as UH graduation ceremonies and area high school commencements. It has also hosted many concerts by famous artists. The Summit took over for much of these purposes in the city after its construction in 1975.
- ^ "Centers of Attention". Texas Comptroller. November 1995. Retrieved January 8, 2008.
- ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ "Arenas". Walter P Moore. Archived from the original on July 8, 2000. Retrieved November 10, 2013.
- ^ Markley, Melanie (February 18, 2004). "Deaths: Al Jensen, Executive of Firm That Built Dome". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved February 7, 2014.
- ^ "Tilman Fertitta donates $20M to University of Houston sports". USA Today. Associated Press. August 25, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ Laymance, Reid (June 14, 2016). "UH, Hofheinz family agree on plan for naming new basketball arena". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ Duarte, Joseph (March 4, 2018). "UH will begin next season at H&PE Arena while Fertitta Center is being finished". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 9, 2018.