HISTORY
Ground was broken April 2, 1996 for Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center - a testament to the vision of The Ohio State University Department of Athletics to provide modern, state of the art facilities for student-athletes, coaches, staff, supporters and fans - a commitment to excellence. After an aggressive construction schedule (3,888 cement trucks made their way to the building site to complete the 770,000 square foot building), the Center opened its doors November 3, 1998 for a Men’s basketball game kicking off an opening month with only one dark day. First and foremost the home of the Ohio State University Men’s and Women’s Basketball teams as well as Men’s Ice Hockey, the $115 million multipurpose facility also hosts a wide variety of special events, concerts, family shows and touring productions ... Home of the Buckeyes - Arena to the Stars!
With no major public funding, private support from alumni and friends was a critical element in the Center’s funding. Named after a generous $12.8 million lead gift, the Center pays tribute to Jerome Schottenstein, late Columbus businessman, philanthropist and founder of Schottenstein Stores Corp. Additional “partners” include Huntington Banks, after which the venue’s luxurious Huntington Club is named; The Kroger Company which contributed to the Center's Hall of Fame; and Nationwide Insurance, whose contribution went toward the venue’s extraordinary terrazzo floorscapes. $40 million was raised through gifts and private donations from loyal Buckeye supporters. Although the University received $15 million from the state for an initial design study, no student fees or University General Funds were (or are) used for the building.
Since the opening of the Center, the three Ohio State sports played in this facility, Men’s and Women’s Basketball and Men’s Ice Hockey, have excelled with numerous Big 10 Championship Titles, trips to the NCAA and NIT tournaments.
The 770,000 square foot multipurpose venue seats 17,500 for ice hockey, 19,500 for basketball and up to 20,000+ for concerts. It is the largest arena in the Big Ten. Averaging over 1 million guests per year, the building’s event line-up has included Neil Diamond, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Matchbox Twenty, The American Idol Tours, Tina Turner, Cher, Billy Joel, Ray Charles, Elton John, Usher, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Bill Cosby, Jimmy Buffett, the OHSAA wrestling and basketball Championships, The Frozen Four, Paul McCartney, The Three Tenors and recently Barbra Streisand. The Jerome Schottenstein Center, a nationally renowned sports and entertainment center, continues its tradition of making memories.
BACKSTAGE
The self-contained visitor complex features Star Dressing Rooms ... furnished like suites in a 5-star hotel that can be adapted using one of three sets of furniture tailored to fit the artists' request. Each contains a private shower and restroom. Elton John dedicated one room strictly for a person to do ironing, the Stones used a pair of locker rooms to set up an arcade complete with pool table and video/pinball games, and our largest dressing room is home to a special sink installed specifically to accommodate our first concert performer - Neil Diamond.
The private Athletic team complex boasts a full service training room, weight room, and laundry. The basketball teams share a 15,000 square foot practice gymnasium hidden on the SW side of the Center with 2 full courts for private workouts and allows the team to practice the same day as a concert is loading into the arena bowl.
How ice is made … The cement floor houses a cooling system, over 12 miles of pipes, which enables the ops crews to make and maintain an ice rink. The ice is built over 3 days by hand-spraying just a mist layer of water -- it takes over 40 layers to make ¾” of ice. The final ¼” is built using the Zamboni. After about 6 layers of ice, white tempura powder is mixed into the water to make the white rink (2-3 layers worth), two more layers of water are sprayed to seal the white - then a huge template is used to chalk the logo and hockey markings which are then hand painted with tempura paint. The paint never dries--it just freezes. The ice is then built to its final thickness of 1”.
For ice shows, extra layers of ice are built - then more white tempura is used to create a pure white floor. When the ice show is over, the Zamboni takes off the top layers of ice and the hockey rink is once again revealed. The ice sheet is covered with 4’x4’ polar floor (insulating) pieces for special events. Ice is usually left in for the entire hockey season - October through March - except for Monster Trucks and Ohio High School Athletic Association Wrestling Championships.
For basketball games, the polar floor is covered by 4’x8’ hardwood pieces of the court that fit together like a giant puzzle. Removing the ice takes two days. The floor is heated up until the ice begins to melt and then Bobcats are driven out to chop up the ice. The ice is then pushed into large pits where hot water is used to complete the melting.
WHAT is TERRAZZO?
A unique feature of the Center is the terrazzo floor anchored by six floorscapes designed by artist Alexis Smith. 8,350 gallons of epoxy secures over 5 miles of 1/16” zinc wire strips painstakingly bent and placed by hand. Color was marked paint-by-number style. 115 tons of stones, mother of pearl and glass chips were prepared in custom shades. The floor around the hockey player terrazzo contains more Mother-of-Pearl causing it to sparkle like ice. The floors were ground down three to five times to bring out the color. A diamond polish was added and the floors were sealed. Each rotunda took about six weeks to complete.
The John Havelicek floorscape, located in the Southwest entry just outside the auxiliary gymnasium, features the only non-scarlet and gray (blue) terrazzo to represent the opponent’s jersey. The basketball in John Havlicek’s hand is over 13 feet in diameter. Havlicek, a starter from 1960-1962, accumulated a record of 78-6, played in three-consecutive Final Fours, the 1960 National Championship team and was a 1962 All-American. After his career with The Ohio State University, he played for the Boston Celtics and eventually entered the NBA Hall of Fame.
The 1916 Women’s Basketball Club terrazzo floorscape, located in the Southeast rotunda, spotlights the uniform styles of the early 1900’s. Women’s basketball became a varsity sport in 1965. The Averill Roberts (1990-93) terrazzo pays tribute to a player that helped take the women’s team to the 1993 Final Four.
The hockey terrazzo, located in the Northwest rotunda, is the only floorscape that faces outward. The stick and puck extend down the hallway. The player’s face is Benji Wolke (1998), the stick depicted belongs to Perry Pooley (1984 All-American and 1984 Academic All-American) and the body is a composite of players from the 1980-1982 teams. Men’s Ice Hockey became a varsity sport in 1963-1964; it advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four in 1998.
The inclusion of basketball and hockey in the Schottenstein Center terazzo floorscapes seems logical, but why baseball? Baseball was the FIRST varsity sport at The Ohio State University - the image depicted in the Northeast rotunda of the 1890 baseball team actually features Buckeye basketball coach Fred Taylor, who played first base for the Buckeyes and became Ohio State’s first All-American baseball player in 1950.
- By The Numbers
The arena employs over 200 students and a total of over 600 part-timers in Administration, Event Services and Operations.
- One Million: Average number of guests that visit the Center.
- 700,000+: Total square footage of the Center (St. John Arena would fit inside 2 1/2 times.)
- 4 ½ hours: approximately how long it takes for the arena to be converted from hockey to basketball configuration. 3 ½ hours: approximately how long it takes to convert from basketball to hockey. A record of 2 ½ hours has been set for a double-header.
- If filled with Coca-Cola, the arena would hold 133,187,970 gallons.
- TOP GROSSING EVENTS -- The Rolling Stones, Pavarotti, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett and Kenny Chesney are all honorary members of THE MILLION DOLLAR CLUB.
- By raising the “elephant door” (elephants will not lower their head) on the west end we have enough clearance for elephants, semi trucks, tour buses, and monster trucks to enter the arena floor.
- The Jerome Schottenstein Center is the largest arena in the Big Ten and one of the largest capacity university arenas in the world - 17,500 for hockey, 19,200 for basketball and up to 21,000 for concerts.
- 10,000 gallons -- amount of water needed to make 1" of ice/ 12 miles of pipe is laid under the floor to run the ice cooling system
- 13' - Diameter of the ball in John Havlicek's hand, in the terrazzo artwork located SW rotunda.
- 551 - The number of goals the hockey team scored during their first five seasons.
- 225 - Number of 4' x 8' pieces of wooden floor that make up the Buckeye's home court
- Dimensions … The venue's roof sits 136 feet from the floor. The showerheads in the Buckeye Basketball locker rooms are 9.5 feet high.
- The designers of the Schottenstein Center were Curt Moody (Moody/Nolan Ltd.), a former walk-on OSU basketball player, lettering in 1971, '72 and '73, and Sink Combs Dethlefs.
HALL OF FAME
Sponsored by Kroger, this interactive site highlights the best in Ohio State University Athletics. The 1,370 square foot Hall of Fame contains pictures of all inductees to the Hall of Fame as well as a video presentation on the history of Ohio State Athletics. Fans can see Archie Griffin's Heisman Trophy (the only player to win two), Jess Owens' 1935 Big Ten Championship bronzed shoe (where he set 3 world records and tied a forth in a span of 70 minutes), the bronzed 1960 National Championship basketball and the 1997 Rose Bowl trophy. The Hall of Fame also features interactive kiosks containing information about teams and players. But if you stop there you'll miss the historical time line wrapping the Terrace Level concourse walls - displaying decade by decade the rich tradition and history of Ohio State Athletics. Guests can frequently be seen discovering favorite athletes or sports moments depicted on artistic pictorials ringing the entry-level concourse.
FRED TAYLOR ROOM
Located just inside the NE Rotunda, the Fred Taylor Room was the result of a generous donation from many of the players who played under Fred at Ohio State. As basketball Coach from 1959-1976, Fred Taylor earned a record 297 wins and 7 Big Ten Championships. Five teams earned NCAA berths and four teams advanced to the Final Four (1960 - National Champions, '61, '62 and '68). A Buckeye tree on the wall bears the names of all the men who played for him.
TOURS/ MEETING SPACE
Tours and meeting space are available by calling (614) 688-3939.
MERCHANDISE STORE
The "Official Team Shop," is located in the Center's east end - most accessible through the NE rotunda featuring the latest in Buckeye apparel, gift ideas and accessories. Merchandise is also available online at www.ohiostate.teamfanshop.com.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Jerome Schottenstein Center is committed to being an industry leader nationally recognized as the finest facility of its kind. We are committed to providing the best in service to clients and guests. We will provide students with educational, leadership and employment opportunities as we reach out to the campus and central Ohio community through the presentation of world-class athletic, entertainment, and other related events. We will operate in a fiscally responsible manner and strive to achieve the highest ethical standards. We celebrate uniqueness through the presentation of diverse events and programming, while providing a safe and welcoming environment for staff, guests, and participants. We will support the mission of The Ohio State University, the Office of Student Life and the Department of Athletics. We will work together as a team to achieve excellence beyond expectation.