April 9, 2004
One year ago the dream of building a new on-campus arena for the Gonzaga University community became a reality as the University broke ground on a new 6,000 seat arena on the site of the former Gonzaga baseball field. While construction on the new facility actually began on April 14 following the Bulldogs baseball series against the University of San Francisco, the official ground breaking took place on April 24, 2003. Now a year later the construction of the new McCarthey Athletic Center is well underway and will open during the 2004-05 basketball season for the men's and women's basketball teams. Follow along as GoZags.com marks some important dates from the first year of Arena Construction. Also check out the month-by-month construction updates from the photo gallerys below:
IMPORTANT ARENA CONSTRUCTION DATES FOR McCARTHEY ATHLETIC CENTER
April 11, 2003 - Gonzaga Trustees Approve New Gonzaga ArenaApril 14, 2003 - Construction crews tear down former August/A.R.T. Baseball StadiumApril 24, 2003 - Official ground breaking ceremony for new Gonzaga ArenaMay 20, 2003 - Construction crews pour cement foundations for new Gonzaga ArenaJune 12, 2003 - First cement retaining walls are poured into placeJuly 9, 2003 - First steel beams are lifted into place on new Gonzaga ArenaAugust 3, 2003 - Crews finish laying north side concourse level cementSeptember 16, 2003 - Crews place together steel beams to support arena roofOctober 24, 2003 - First pieces of roof are placed on new arenaNovember 5, 2003 - Plumbing fixtures are installed in new arenaDecember 4, 2003 - Work begins on new arena annex to connect both buildingsJanuary 15, 2004 - Workers begin to place side walls on outside of arenaJanuary 27, 2004 - Gonzaga reaches ticket commitment level for new Gonzaga ArenaFebruary 8, 2004 - Roof nears completion as workers begin inside constructionFebruary 28, 2004 - New Gonzaga arena officially named McCarthey Athletic CenterMarch 2, 2004 - Workers install catwalks and other roof supportMarch 21, 2004 - Workers begin brick and glass work on outside of arenaApril 9, 2004 - Crews pour cement for main court floor in McCarthey Athletic Center
RELATED STORYS ON THE GONZAGA ARENA PROJECT
ARENA CONSTRUCTION PHOTO GALLERYS
