Charles Koch Arena is a 10,506-seat multi-purpose

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 ...

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

, United States. It is located on the southeast corner of 21st and Hillside on the campus of

Wichita State University Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...

in northeast Wichita. The arena is home of the

Wichita State Shockers The Wichita State Shockers are the athletic teams that represent Wichita State University, located in Wichita, Kansas, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the NCAA Division I ranks, primarily competing in the American Athletic Conference (A ...

men's basketball, women's basketball, and women's volleyball teams.

History

The arena was originally built in 1953 as the University of Wichita Field House by what was then the Municipal University of Wichita. It was considered several years ahead of its time because of its circular design, which gave nearly every fan a clear sight line and put the seats very close to the action. As a result, it was quickly nicknamed "The Roundhouse," a name that has stuck to this day. When Wichita joined the state university system in 1964, the arena was renamed the WSU Field House. In 1969, the arena was officially renamed Levitt Arena after Wichita department store magnate Henry Levitt, who had recently died. Levitt's Wichita clothing store sponsored basketball team won three consecutive national

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It h ...

titles in the 1930s at a time when colleges and corporate-sponsored teams competed in the same tournament. Following a $6 million endowment from

Charles Koch Charles de Ganahl Koch ( ; born November 1, 1935) is an American billionaire businessman. As of November 2022, he was ranked as the 13th richest person in the world on ''Bloomberg Billionaires Index'', with an estimated net worth of $66 billio ...

the arena underwent a $25 million renovation in 2002–03, popularly known as the "Roundhouse Renaissance". The old arena concourse was completely demolished and a new one built around the original playing/seating area. A portion of the seating bowl was remodeled to make for more legroom. The basketball court itself became Devlin Court, named after a family of program supporters. All new seating was installed as well as a video scoreboard, and virtually every surface that was not renovated was given a fresh coat of paint. The Shocker basketball teams played at the

Kansas Coliseum Kansas Coliseum was an entertainment complex in unincorporated Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. It was located north of Wichita, Kansas, Wichita at the intersection of I-135 and 85th Street North. It hosted sporting events, concerts, show ...

for the 2002–03 season while the arena was rebuilt, while the volleyball team played at the Heskett Center on the WSU campus. In December 2012,

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...

ranked Charles Koch Arena at number 10 in the nation in a poll on home-court advantages in College Basketball. In January 2013,

's Jason King listed Koch Arena as the 7th best home court advantage in college basketball.

Events

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

gave three performances at the arena with the first concert there happening on June 19, 1972. The other two times were October 7, 1974, and December 27, 1976, with the latter occurring almost seven months before his death on August 16, 1977. It hosted the 1977 and 1989

Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...

men's basketball tournament title game. It also hosted games for the opening rounds of the

1981 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The 1981 NCAA Division I basketball tournament involved 48 schools playing in single-elimination play to determine the national champion of men's NCAA Division I college basketball. It began on March 12, 1981, and ended with the championship g ...

. In addition to concerts, the arena has also hosted the

Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (also known as the Ringling Bros. Circus, Ringling Bros., the Barnum & Bailey Circus, Barnum & Bailey, or simply Ringling) is an American traveling circus company billed as The Greatest Show on Ear ...

, Disney on Ice and

Champions on Ice Champions on Ice was a touring ice show in the United States. The show featured a large cast of both professional and Olympic-eligible figure skaters along with novelty acts such as skating acrobats. The shows were focused primarily on solo per ...

, both as Levitt Arena and Koch Arena.

American Idol ''American Idol'' is an American singing competition television series created by Simon Fuller, produced by Fremantle North America and 19 Entertainment, and distributed by Fremantle North America. It aired on Fox from June 11, 2002, to Ap ...

s Live! has performed annually at Koch Arena since 2003. Koch Arena hosted the 2008 Kansas State High School Activities Association Class 6A state wrestling tournament. The arena also hosts numerous high school basketball games involving schools from the Wichita City League. The KSHSAA Class 6A boys and girls basketball state tournaments moved to Koch Arena from

Emporia State University Emporia State University (Emporia State or ESU) is a public university in Emporia, Kansas, United States. Established in March 1863 as the Kansas State Normal School, Emporia State is the third-oldest public university in the state of Kansas. E ...

William L. White Auditorium William L. White Auditorium, commonly known as White Auditorium, is a 5,000 seat multi-purpose arena in Emporia, Kansas. It is home to the Emporia State University men's and women's basketball teams, as well as the volleyball team. History The ...

in 2011.

References

External links

Official athletic site

Charles Koch Arena information
wichita.edu
WSU Campus Map
wichita.edu ;Historical
1954 to 1978 arena history
specialcollections.wichita.edu
1965 aerial view looking west toward WSU campus
wichitaphotos.org
1952 aerial view looking northeast showing grounds before the Field House was built (edge of football stadium in upper-right corner)
wichitaphotos.org {{Authority control College basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Kansas

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 ...

Indoor arenas in Kansas Wichita State Shockers men's basketball Basketball venues in Kansas Sports venues in Wichita, Kansas

History

Events

See also

References

External links