Galen Center
Encyclopedia
The Galen Center is a multipurpose indoor arena
and athletic facility owned and operated by the University of Southern California
. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard
and Figueroa Street
in the Exposition Park
area of Los Angeles
, it is right across the street from the campus
and near the Shrine Auditorium
and is the home of the USC Trojans basketball
and USC Volleyball
teams. The architect
ural firm behind the design of the Galen Center is HNTB
. In addition to basketball and volleyball events, the Galen Center hosts concert
s, pageants
and theatrical performances. Local high school
graduation
ceremonies as well as CIF
championships and the Academic Decathlon are held at the Galen Center.
USC had planned to build an on-campus indoor arena for over 100 years. Before the Galen Center, USC basketball had been played at a variety of locations, including the neighboring Shrine Auditorium
stage, the old Pan-Pacific Auditorium
in the Fairfax District
, and since 1959 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
.
The final push to build the new facility began in 2002, when Louis Galen
, a successful banker and long time Trojan fan, and his wife Helene donated $10 million to the new center immediately after USC football quarterback
Carson Palmer
won the 2002 Heisman Trophy
. The Galens donated an additional $25 million to the project to have the building named after them and later upped their donation an additional $15 million to make sure that a connected practice facility would also bear their name, bringing the total donation to $50 million. Previously, the USC men's and women's basketball teams practiced at the smaller, on-campus North Gym. The Galen Center replaced the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
as the home for USC men's and women's basketball.
Galen Center construction
cost an estimated $147 million, which includes the arena, team offices, and a state of the art practice facility. The largest tax
revenue would be generated by the city of Los Angeles' 10 percent parking tax. Other sources of tax revenue will include sales tax
, utility users tax, business license tax, and income from advertising
. In addition, two new parking structures were built: a 1,200-space structure located between the Radisson Hotel
and the arena, with access from Flower Street, and a second structure at the southeast corner of Figueroa Street and Exposition Boulevard. The additional parking structures also increased the available parking for both the USC campus and the nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
.
Construction officially began on October 31, 2004, with a groundbreaking
ceremony
including Los Angeles City Council
members Bernard Parks and Jan Perry
along with Helene and Lou Galen, longtime USC fans for whom the facility is named.
The first event, a women's volleyball game between USC and Stanford University
, took place on October 12, 2006. The first concert at the Center was October 21, 2006 and featured Al Green. The first men's basketball was held on November 16 against the University of South Carolina
. The first sellout crowd was the men's basketball game against the UCLA Bruins
on January 12, 2007 with an attendance of 9,682. The highest attendance in the first year was for the Cal Bears men's basketball game on February 24, 2007 at 10,027.
On January 31, 2008 the USC men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats
set the arena's attendance record with crowd of 10,258 in attendance.
The Galen Center's basketball court
was named after former USC Basketball player Jim Sterkel, who played for the Trojans
for two unremarkable seasons in the 1950s, averaging only 10 points a game. Two unique factors in the naming rights
were the obscurity of the name choice and that the Sterkel family was not aware that the court was named after the late Jim Sterkel until after the facility had already opened. B.Wayne Hughes, a longtime friend of Sterkel, made the $5 million dollar donation under the agreement that his name never be revealed. In an interview with Los Angeles Times
columnist Bill Plaschke
, Anonymous revealed that he grew up with Sterkel: both attended Mark Keppel High School
, both began at USC in 1955 and were roommates, and though Sterkel never graduated from USC, the two remained friends. Later in life, Sterkel was hired by Anonymous, who had become a successful businessman. When Sterkel contracted cancer
, Anonymous helped with his treatment. When Anonymous' own son contracted leukemia
, Sterkel wrote a poem for Anonymous, sealed it, and ordered it only to be read if Anonymous' son died. Sterkel died from cancer in 1997, Anonymous' son succumbed less than two years later. Touched by the poem and Sterkel's care, Anonymous made the donation to the Galen Center noting: "Some people don't deserve to be forgotten." http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-plaschke1-2006,0,2374417.story?page=1
is 10,258, and there are 22 private
suite
s. The rights to purchase tickets for approximately 1/3 of the seats are being sold through lifetime personal seat licenses, or PSL's, ranging from $2500–$10,000 per seat.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
and athletic facility owned and operated by the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. Located at the southeast corner of Jefferson Boulevard
Jefferson Boulevard
Jefferson Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles and Culver City. Its eastern terminus is at Central Avenue east of Exposition Park. At its entrance to Culver City, it splits with National Boulevard. North of Sawtelle Boulevard, it merges with Sepulveda Boulevard...
and Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street
Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa , governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California...
in the Exposition Park
Exposition Park (Los Angeles)
Exposition Park is located in University Park, Los Angeles, California, across the street from the University of Southern California. Exposition Park houses the following:* Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum* Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena...
area of Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, it is right across the street from the campus
Campus
A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls and park-like settings...
and near the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
and is the home of the USC Trojans basketball
USC Trojans Basketball
The University of Southern California Trojans men's basketball program is the college basketball team that competes in the Pacific-12 Conference of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I and represents the University of Southern California on the court.The program began playing...
and USC Volleyball
USC Volleyball
The USC Trojans women's volleyball team is currently coached by Mick Haley, who began in 2001. Under Haley, USC became the first repeat NCAA Volleyball National Champion in 2002-03 since Stanford in 1996-97...
teams. The architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
ural firm behind the design of the Galen Center is HNTB
HNTB
HNTB Corporation is an architecture and engineering consulting firm headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri that has designed many bridges, roadways, airports and professional sports stadiums across the United States and around the world.The firm started in 1914 as Harrington, Howard & Ash...
. In addition to basketball and volleyball events, the Galen Center hosts concert
Concert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
s, pageants
Beauty contest
A beauty pageant or beauty contest, is a competition that mainly focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants, although such contests often incorporate personality, talent, and answers to judges' questions as judged criteria...
and theatrical performances. Local high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies as well as CIF
California Interscholastic Federation
The California Interscholastic Federation is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and...
championships and the Academic Decathlon are held at the Galen Center.
History
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
stage, the old Pan-Pacific Auditorium
Pan-Pacific Auditorium
The Pan-Pacific Auditorium was a landmark structure in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles, California which once stood at 7600 West Beverly Boulevard near the site of Gilmore Field, an early Los Angeles baseball venue predating Dodger Stadium...
in the Fairfax District
Fairfax District, Los Angeles, California
The Fairfax District is an area of neighborhoods in the Mid-City West area of Los Angeles, California.- Geography :It is roughly bordered by West Hollywood on the north, Highland Avenue on the east, West Hollywood and Beverly Hills on the west and Wilshire Boulevard on the south...
, and since 1959 at the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in the University Park neighborhood, of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park. It is located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, just south of the campus of the University of Southern California.-History:The Los Angeles...
.
The final push to build the new facility began in 2002, when Louis Galen
Louis Galen
Louis "Lou" J. Galen was an American philanthropist. Before he retired he was a successful banker and CEO of Golden West Financial Corporation....
, a successful banker and long time Trojan fan, and his wife Helene donated $10 million to the new center immediately after USC football quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer
Carson Palmer is an American professional football quarterback for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals first overall in the 2003 NFL Draft. He played collegiately at the University of Southern California and won the Heisman Trophy in 2002...
won the 2002 Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
. The Galens donated an additional $25 million to the project to have the building named after them and later upped their donation an additional $15 million to make sure that a connected practice facility would also bear their name, bringing the total donation to $50 million. Previously, the USC men's and women's basketball teams practiced at the smaller, on-campus North Gym. The Galen Center replaced the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
The Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena is a multi-purpose arena, in the University Park neighborhood, of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park. It is located next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, just south of the campus of the University of Southern California.-History:The Los Angeles...
as the home for USC men's and women's basketball.
Galen Center construction
Construction
In the fields of architecture and civil engineering, construction is a process that consists of the building or assembling of infrastructure. Far from being a single activity, large scale construction is a feat of human multitasking...
cost an estimated $147 million, which includes the arena, team offices, and a state of the art practice facility. The largest tax
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
revenue would be generated by the city of Los Angeles' 10 percent parking tax. Other sources of tax revenue will include sales tax
Sales tax
A sales tax is a tax, usually paid by the consumer at the point of purchase, itemized separately from the base price, for certain goods and services. The tax amount is usually calculated by applying a percentage rate to the taxable price of a sale....
, utility users tax, business license tax, and income from advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
. In addition, two new parking structures were built: a 1,200-space structure located between the Radisson Hotel
Radisson Hotels
Radisson Hotels is one of the leading, full-service global hotel companies with more than 420 locations in 73 countries. The first Radisson Hotel was built in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1909, and was named after the 17th-century French explorer Pierre-Esprit Radisson...
and the arena, with access from Flower Street, and a second structure at the southeast corner of Figueroa Street and Exposition Boulevard. The additional parking structures also increased the available parking for both the USC campus and the nearby Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a large outdoor sports stadium in the University Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, at Exposition Park, that is home to the Pacific-12 Conference's University of Southern California Trojans football team...
.
Groundbreaking
Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
ceremony
Ceremony
A ceremony is an event of ritual significance, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin.-Ceremonial occasions:A ceremony may mark a rite of passage in a human life, marking the significance of, for example:* birth...
including Los Angeles City Council
Los Angeles City Council
The Los Angeles City Council is the governing body of the City of Los Angeles.The Council is composed of fifteen members elected from single-member districts for four-year terms. The president of the council and the president pro tempore are chosen by the Council at the first regular meeting after...
members Bernard Parks and Jan Perry
Jan Perry
Jan C. Perry is an American municipal politician. She is currently representing the 9th district of the Los Angeles City Council. She is a member of the Democratic Party.-City Council elections:...
along with Helene and Lou Galen, longtime USC fans for whom the facility is named.
The first event, a women's volleyball game between USC and Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
, took place on October 12, 2006. The first concert at the Center was October 21, 2006 and featured Al Green. The first men's basketball was held on November 16 against the University of South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. The program attained national prominence under hall of fame coach Frank McGuire, posting a 205-65 record and three NCAA Sweet 16 appearances from 1967-1976...
. The first sellout crowd was the men's basketball game against the UCLA Bruins
UCLA Bruins
The UCLA Bruins are the sports teams for University of California, Los Angeles . The Bruin men's and women's teams participate in NCAA Division I as part of the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation . For football, they are in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I...
on January 12, 2007 with an attendance of 9,682. The highest attendance in the first year was for the Cal Bears men's basketball game on February 24, 2007 at 10,027.
On January 31, 2008 the USC men's basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats
Arizona Wildcats
-Athletic program:The University of Arizona participates in the NCAA's Division I-A in the Pacific-12 Conference Arizona participates in the conference's South Division, along with Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC, and Utah...
set the arena's attendance record with crowd of 10,258 in attendance.
Jim Sterkel Court
Basketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
was named after former USC Basketball player Jim Sterkel, who played for the Trojans
USC Trojans
The USC Trojans are the athletic teams representing the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. While the men's teams are nicknamed the Trojans, the women's athletic teams are referred to as either the Trojans or Women of Troy...
for two unremarkable seasons in the 1950s, averaging only 10 points a game. Two unique factors in the naming rights
Naming rights
In the private sector, naming rights are a financial transaction whereby a corporation or other entity purchases the right to name a facility, typically for a defined period of time. For properties like a multi-purpose arena, performing arts venue or an athletic field, the term ranges from three...
were the obscurity of the name choice and that the Sterkel family was not aware that the court was named after the late Jim Sterkel until after the facility had already opened. B.Wayne Hughes, a longtime friend of Sterkel, made the $5 million dollar donation under the agreement that his name never be revealed. In an interview with Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
columnist Bill Plaschke
Bill Plaschke
William Paul "Bill" Plaschke is an American sports journalist who has written for the Los Angeles Times since 1987. As a child he attended St. Albert the Great Elementary School in Louisville. He then went on to attend Ballard High School. He spent his freshman year at Baylor University in Waco,...
, Anonymous revealed that he grew up with Sterkel: both attended Mark Keppel High School
Mark Keppel High School
Mark Keppel High School is a four-year California Distinguished School located in the city of Alhambra, California in the Alhambra Unified School District. The school is on the southern edge of Alhambra, adjacent to the City of Monterey Park, and borders the Interstate 10 Freeway...
, both began at USC in 1955 and were roommates, and though Sterkel never graduated from USC, the two remained friends. Later in life, Sterkel was hired by Anonymous, who had become a successful businessman. When Sterkel contracted cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
, Anonymous helped with his treatment. When Anonymous' own son contracted leukemia
Leukemia
Leukemia or leukaemia is a type of cancer of the blood or bone marrow characterized by an abnormal increase of immature white blood cells called "blasts". Leukemia is a broad term covering a spectrum of diseases...
, Sterkel wrote a poem for Anonymous, sealed it, and ordered it only to be read if Anonymous' son died. Sterkel died from cancer in 1997, Anonymous' son succumbed less than two years later. Touched by the poem and Sterkel's care, Anonymous made the donation to the Galen Center noting: "Some people don't deserve to be forgotten." http://www.latimes.com/sports/columnists/la-sp-plaschke1-2006,0,2374417.story?page=1
Facility information
The facility is 255000 square feet (23,690.3 m²), with a 45000 square feet (4,180.6 m²) pavilion, and has three practice courts and offices. The seating capacitySeating capacity
Seating capacity refers to the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, both in terms of the physical space available, and in terms of limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that seats two to a stadium that seats...
is 10,258, and there are 22 private
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
suite
Suite
In music, a suite is an ordered set of instrumental or orchestral pieces normally performed in a concert setting rather than as accompaniment; they may be extracts from an opera, ballet , or incidental music to a play or film , or they may be entirely original movements .In the...
s. The rights to purchase tickets for approximately 1/3 of the seats are being sold through lifetime personal seat licenses, or PSL's, ranging from $2500–$10,000 per seat.
Events
- Taiwanese Mega Star Jay ChouJay ChouJay Chou is a Taiwanese musician, singer-songwriter, music and film producer, actor and director who has won the World Music Award four times. In 1998 he was discovered in a talent contest where he displayed his piano and song-writing skills. Over the next two years, he was hired to compose for...
held his first concert on December 24, 2007 for his World Tour 2007. - The 2011 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards2011 Kids' Choice AwardsNickelodeon's 24th Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on April 2, 2011 at 8 p.m. ET at the Galen Center at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles's University Park neighborhood due to renovations disallowing use of traditional venue Pauley Pavilion until at least 2013. Jack Black...
was held at the arena on April 2, 2011. - LAPD Cadets of Class 1-11 was held in May 2011