James A. Rhodes Arena, nicknamed "The JAR," is an

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 ...

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

, United States on the campus of the

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

. It was built next to and replaced the University's 3,000-seat Memorial Hall gymnasium. Named for former

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

governor

Jim Rhodes James Allen Rhodes (September 13, 1909 – March 4, 2001) was an American Republican politician who served as Governor of Ohio from 1963 to 1971 and again from 1975 to 1983. , Rhodes was one of only seven U.S. governors to serve four four-yea ...

, the arena opened in 1983 and is home to the

Akron Zips Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city pr ...

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

History

The new facility was six years in the making. In 1977, the Ohio General Assembly appropriated $8 million to build a 10,000-seat building over the next two years. But by October 1978, when preliminary plans for the new complex were presented and accepted by the Ohio Board of Regents, the cost of construction had risen to $12.5 million. So the University scrapped the original design in favor of a scaled-down version: a building, including an wood floor, designed by architect Thomas T. K. Zung. The University Board of Trustees approved the new version in July 1981, and ground was broken on March 8, 1982. The building opened on December 3, 1983. The building sits on the eastern edge of campus, on the northeast corner of Union and Carroll streets, on a site that once served Fire Station No. 5 and a parking lot. The JAR hosted the

Ohio Valley Conference The Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States. It participates in Division I of the NCAA; the conference's football programs compete in the Football Cham ...

men's basketball tournament in 1986. In 2002, renovations included a new hardwood floor, four Opto Tech LED displays screen above the game floor, and a $1.1 million sound system. The new system, built under the guidance of the University Athletic audio engineers, replaced a distributed horn-powered PA system with very narrow dispersion angles, coupled with near-proximity

coaxial speakers A coaxial loudspeaker is a loudspeaker system in which the individual driver units radiate sound from the same point or axis. Two general types exist: one is a compact design using two or three speaker drivers, usually in car audio, and the other ...

for the upper deck. This setup led to several hot zones and many fans wondering what the announcer said. That changed in 2005 with the installation of a fully zoned system employing EVH-model horn-loaded boxes coupled with six TX Series subwoofers in the South catwalk for the tipoff "Thunderstruck" kick. A separate zone was also included for the floor for the UA Dance Team and Basketball team warmups. Precision series EV combined amplifiers and DSPs tune the system. A Midas Venice series mixing console along with several channels of external dynamic channel processing, as well as better hyperspheric modulation accelerators, handle all audio inputs. The system has reached a 115 dB during games, and is rated up to 130 dB.http://www.gozips.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=10800&KEY=&ATCLID=319729 Over the years, the dedication to auditory excellence of the University's audio engineers has never wavered as they ushered in a new era of high fidelity with several upgrades, bringing the UA fan experience into the digital age. Five hyper-spheric modulation repeaters were added to bridge the gap. UA fans will now enjoy data-optimized audio experiences bringing a personalized, mobile audio experience to every fan. The facility seats 5,500 people on two floors. In addition to the court, the first level features locker rooms, a sports medicine and training facility, a ticket office, a fan team shop and meeting rooms. During the early 2000s, when

LeBron James LeBron Raymone James Sr. (; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", he is widely considered one of the greatest p ...

played on the boys basketball team from nearby St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, some home games were played at the JAR, where they typically outdrew the Zips' men's games.ESPN.com: NCB - Zips try to retake Akron from LeBron
/ref> The decision to name the arena after former governor Rhodes was highly controversial; he ordered the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army National Guard is called to fed ...

to nearby

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

before the May 4, 1970 shootings. Because of anticipated protests, the dedication of the building was not publicly announced in advance.

References

External links

James A Rhodes Arena - Akron Zips
{{coord, 41, 4, 33, N, 81, 30, 31, W, type:landmark, display=title College basketball venues in the United States College volleyball venues in the United States Akron Zips men's basketball Akron Zips women's basketball Basketball venues in Ohio Sports venues in Akron, Ohio Tourist attractions in Akron, Ohio Sports venues completed in 1983 1983 establishments in Ohio

History

See also

References

External links