02.21.19

The struggles and successes of the Convocation Center

Taylor Johnston / For The Post

Crowning Ohio University’s campus, The Convo was not always a popular building choice amongst faculty and staff.

“The faculty referred to it as the ‘big thermostat’,” Bill Kimok, university archivist and records manager, said.

One of the largest Schwedler domes in the United States at the time, The Convo was built to hold approximately 13,000 seats and host major campus events such as commencement, basketball games and other large gatherings, according to a 1968 report from Citizen-Journal.

In 1965, Fred Beasley, an Athens car dealer and “president of the largest engine-rebuilding industry in the country,” pledged $1 million to construct The Convo, which he requested to bear his name, according to a 1979 Post article.

Provided via the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

Convocation Center architect's rendering, circa 1966.

After former OU President Vernon Alden announced the construction of the building, plans were delayed, according to the chapter in OU's bicentennial book, "Ohio University: Change, Confrontation, and Crisis."

In 1966, the sign announcing “Fred Beasley Center” was covered, and it began being called The Convo by Alden and other faculty members.

“No formal statement was issued as to the whereabouts of the car dealer,” the article read.

A source close to the situation said Beasley had “become aged, his judgment became clouded and he couldn’t make the deals,” the 1979 Post article, said.

The prosperity of the 1960s collapsed into a recession in the 1970s, the debt on the building would become a “debilitating burden,” according to the chapter in the book.

Prior to the building, basketball games were held in Grover Center, which had 6,800 seats, according to the 1979 Post article. Grover was used as a gym throughout the ’90s, Kimok said.

Finally, in 1968, The Convo was completed for $8.5 million and other universities were completing their own arenas at lower costs, such as Miami University’s Millett Hall, which cost $6.5 million, according to the Post article.

The Convo houses basketball games, as well as volleyball and wrestling matches. There are offices inside for athletics, including the baseball, basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, track, volleyball and wrestling programs, and classrooms for the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. It is also a residence hall, according to OU’s website.

The Convo hosted its first game Dec. 3, 1968, against Indiana.

Provided via the Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections

Ohio University President Vernon Alden holds basketball during opening game in Convocation Center, 1968.

According to a 1969 Post article, it was estimated that the center would lose about $400,000 a year. The 1979 article states three reasons as to why The Convo was looked down upon.

At the time, OU had a population of 13,000 and the City of Athens had a population of 18,000, and the city was built too large to accommodate these factors. In its 10 years of existence, the center was only filled once in a 1970 conference basketball game against Bowling Green.

Also, it was not designed to be a “multi-purpose” facility. Originally, the Ohio Athletics director at the time, William Rohr wanted The Convo to include an indoor track, an Olympic-sized swimming pool and an indoor field house that extended outside for football practices.

Lastly, many architectural mistakes are apparent in its construction. For example, the press box at the top of the west side stands does not allow for broadcasters or press to see the court, only the seats on the opposite side of the arena.

The Convo celebrated its 50th anniversary on Feb. 2, 2018.

One of the most recent upgrades to The Convo included an upgrade to the video board which was completed before the Fall Semester 2018. The roof was reinforced to hold a four-sided display of screens, according to a Ohio Bobcats news release.

Future plans to upgrade the residence hall portion of the building planned during summer 2019, where $3.5 million will go to upgrading the bathrooms.

“This summer we are going to completely redo the 36 bathroom facilities in the residence hall section. The budget for the project is 3.5 million and the scope of the project includes new finishes, fixtures, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical in the bathroom areas,” Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Housing and Residence Life, said in an email.

The project will provide additional showers and water closets from the original building design, Trentacoste said in an email. The construction is anticipated to be completed this summer by the Fall Semester 2019.

Development by: Taylor Johnston / For The Post