Athletic department announces $110-plus million renovation of Welsh-Ryan Arena

Max Schuman, Assistant Summer Editor

Welsh-Ryan Arena will receive a complete renovation beginning at the end of the 2016-17 basketball season estimated to cost more than $110 million, the athletic department announced in a release Monday.

The renovation is planned to be completed by fall of 2018. According to the release, the athletic department is in the process of finding locations for teams displaced by the renovations during the 2017-18 school year to play and practice.

The renovations will include new seating, expansions of the main lobby and concourses, and new restrooms, lighting and concession areas. Additionally, the men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball locker rooms will be renovated.

“This complete overhaul of our most used and versatile venue will create a state-of-the-art experience accessible to all Chicagoland sports fans while they support our student-athletes in competition,” athletic director Jim Phillips said in the release.

The arena underwent minor renovations in 2014, which resulted in the installation of a new floor and video scoreboards.

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