Welsh-Ryan Arena to Get Complete Renovation

EVANSTON, IL - A $110 million renovation project is planned for Welsh-Ryan Arena, the home of Northwestern University basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams, the University announced Monday. 

The planned improvements include new seating, wider concourses, new restrooms, better lighting and a lobby expansion. New locker rooms are planned for the men’s basketball, women’s basketball and volleyball teams. 

“The new Welsh-Ryan Arena will be a dramatic transformation for our varsity sports programs that call it home and for the fans who devotedly support our student-athletes,” said Jim Phillips, Northwestern’s vice president for athletics and recreation. “A central tenet of our commitment to providing a world-class experience for our Wildcats is a passionate home crowd. This complete overhaul of our most used and versatile venue will create a state-of-the-art experience accessible to all Chicagoland sports fans while they support our student-athletes in competition.”

The improvements will be paid for by gifts from Patrick and Shirley Ryan, Stephen and Susan Wilson and other Northwestern benefactors. 

“The inspiring leadership of the Ryans has benefited Northwestern in so many ways over the years, and we are extremely grateful for this latest gift,” Northwestern President Morton Schapiro said.

Construction on the project is expected to begin at the end of the 2016-17 basketball season and be completed by the fall of 2018.