LOOK: Florida Gators release renderings of $64.5M Stephen C. O’Connell Center renovation

By Adam Silverstein
September 8, 2015

The Florida Gators on Tuesday released a number of renderings of the soon-to-be-renovated Stephen C. O’Connell Center, a project that will come at a cost of $64.5 million with an opening date scheduled for Spring 2017.

Florida officially announced the project after signing with Brasfield & Gorrie, the construction firm that was responsible for the $17 million Indoor Football Practice Facility project which completed production just over two weeks ago.

Below are the rest of the O’Dome renderings, via Florida’s official website.


In terms of what the renovation will be adjusting, UF promises updated seating inside the bowl (chair backs on the first level), new premium seating areas, improved concourses, a “state-of-the-art center-hung scoreboard” and “upgrades to team spaces,” likely including locker rooms and other in-arena facilities.

Construction on the exterior of the building will begin in Spring 2016, though massive renovations will not get underway until the conclusion of the 2015-16 basketball season. The expected completion date is December 2016, ahead of Gators basketball’s Southeastern Conference slate.

Due to the renovation timeline, the volleyball team will play its 2016 home slate at Santa Fe Community College.

The men’s and women’s basketball teams will try to hold barnstorming tours across the state of Florida during nonconference action in the fall of 2016 before playing at home in the spring of 2017.

The renovation will also help out other teams that use the arena, including the three-time defending national champion gymnastics program and the swimming programs. There is no word as to whether the chlorine smell will disappear as well, though Florida’s announcement does note “improved indoor air quality.”

6 Comments

  1. SB says:

    It looks like they scaled back the renovations of the interior seating areas a ton.

  2. alex says:

    the rendering sorta looks like the second-level seats will become permanent rather than movable. are they removing the indoor track?

  3. Marc says:

    Chair backs for the Rowdy Reptile section? That doesn’t make any sense to me.

  4. Buster says:

    Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…. looks the same. Rather put $65M into new football facilities or upgrades(cover) to the baseball stadium.

  5. Buster says:

    This is a football school
    This money would give us facilities that compete with anyone

    Oregon football moved into its new, state-of-the-art, Phil Knight-funded facility this week. It cost a reported $68 million to build, and the sheer extravagance of the 145,000 square-foot building sets a new standard for college football facilities across the country.

    • 1974Gator says:

      It’s like a nuclear arms race, spending gets out of hand and no one really wins except the contractors. Although, it would be nice if the Gators had a Phil Knight type supporter. $68 Million is chump change that guy.

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