Lee and Penny Anderson Arena is a proposed

indoor arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

located in

Saint Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota, Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississip ...

. The facility is planned to be the home arena of the

University of St. Thomas St. Thomas University or University of St. Thomas may refer to: *Saint Thomas Aquinas University, Colombia *Saint Thomas Aquinas University of the North, Tucumán province, Argentina *St. Thomas University (Canada), Fredericton, New Brunswick *St. ...

basketball and hockey teams.

History

In 2020, St. Thomas received approval to move its athletics programs directly from

NCAA Division III NCAA Division III (D-III) is a division of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States. D-III consists of athletic programs at colleges and universities that choose not to offer athletic scholarships to their stu ...

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of College athletics, intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major ...

as a result of being removed from the

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) is a college athletic conference which competes in NCAA Division III. All 13 of the member schools are located in Minnesota and are private institutions, with only two being non-sectarian. ...

. At the time, it was noted that athletics facilities would need to be assessed, due to Division I's elevated requirements. Continued use of existing facilities, leasing other facilities, or building new facilities were all listed as options. Since 2003, St. Thomas' men's and women's hockey teams have played at St. Thomas Ice Arena in

Mendota Heights Mendota Heights is a city in Dakota County, Minnesota, Dakota County, Minnesota, United States. It is a first ring southern suburb of the Twin Cities. The population was 11,744 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Geography According to ...

. With a capacity of just 1,000, it is the third-smallest arena in Division I men's hockey. In February 2022, St. Thomas offered $61.4 million to purchase nearby

Town & Country Club The O Forum Kentish Town is a concert venue in Kentish Town, London, England owned by MAMA & Company, and originally built in 1934. History The venue was built in 1934 and was originally used as an art deco cinema. After the cinema was clos ...

, with the intent to build athletic facilities on the site. The country club's board of directors voted to reject the offer. In June 2022, it was reported that the university planned to build sports facilities, including a new hockey arena, at the former

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

Twin Cities Assembly Plant The Twin Cities Assembly Plant is a former Ford Motor Company manufacturing facility in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States, that operated from 1925 to 2011. In 1912, Ford's first assembly and sales activities in Minnesota began in a former wareh ...

redevelopment site known as Highland Bridge. In July 2022, St. Thomas announced it no longer planned to build a hockey arena at the Highland Bridge site and would focus on on-campus locations. On January 17, 2023, St. Thomas announced that it had received a $75 million gift from Lee and Penny Anderson to construct a multiuse on-campus arena in St. Paul. With a total project cost estimated to be $175 million, the arena would be home to St. Thomas' basketball and hockey teams. The arena would also host commencement, speakers, career fairs, and other events for the broader community, such as concerts. Several buildings will need to be demolished to make room for the arena, including

Cretin Hall Cretin Hall is one of the male undergraduate residence halls at the University of St. Thomas in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It resides on the South Campus, which is just south of historic Summit Avenue. Cretin was originally constructed as the South S ...

, a dormitory designed by

Cass Gilbert Cass Gilbert (November 24, 1859 – May 17, 1934) was an American architect. An early proponent of skyscrapers, his works include the Woolworth Building, the United States Supreme Court building, the state capitols of Minnesota, Arkansas and We ...

and built in 1894.

Design

The arena will feature a Gothic architectural style similar to many other buildings on campus. It will be designed such that quick conversions can be made between hockey, basketball and other events. The complex will also house basketball and hockey practice facilities, including a second ice sheet.

LEED Silver Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is a green building certification program used worldwide. Developed by the non-profit U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), it includes a set of rating systems for the design, construction ...

certification will be sought, a sustainability benchmark for green building certification. The arena is pursuing utilizing both

geothermal energy Geothermal energy is the thermal energy in the Earth's crust which originates from the formation of the planet and from radioactive decay of materials in currently uncertain but possibly roughly equal proportions. The high temperature and pres ...

and

groundwater Groundwater is the water present beneath Earth's surface in rock and soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations. About 30 percent of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater. A unit of rock or an unconsolidate ...

to be the first sustainable ice rink in the US and one of the most efficient ice rinks in the world.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lee and Penny Anderson Arena College ice hockey venues in the United States Proposed indoor arenas in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in Minnesota Buildings and structures in Saint Paul, Minnesota St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's basketball St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies men's ice hockey St. Thomas (Minnesota) Tommies women's ice hockey