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QUICK FACTS
The Stroh Center is a state-of-the-art venue for concerts, commencement, lectures, and numerous campus and community events, and serves as the home for the Falcon men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs. The facility includes locker rooms, meeting rooms, and coaching staff offices for the teams, the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, a team store, ticket office, and lounge. The Stroh Center is one of the most environmentally friendly buildings on campus with a Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification status.
The facility is named for Kermit F. and Mary Lu Stroh of Wapakoneta in Auglaize County, Ohio. Mr. Stroh is a former member (1993-2002) and twice chairman of the BGSU Board of Trustees and an honorary alumnus. The Stroh Family provided the lead gift of $8 million. Â Other significant contributions to the center included a $2 million gift from Bill Frack, for whom the Bill Frack court was named; a $1.7 million gift from Alan Schmidthorst, for which the Schmidthorst Pavilion was named; and $1 million gifts from Larry Miles and Neil Young.
DESIGN
-Rossetti and Associates (Detroit) - Architect
-URS (Cleveland) – Lead Engineering Firm
-Gilbane (Cleveland) – Construction Consultant
-BGSU Capital Planning
-BGSU Office of Design and Construction
-BGSU Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
-BGSU Dean of Students Office
CONSTRUCTION
-General Contractor - Mosser (Fremont, OH);
-HVAC Warner Mechanical (Fremont, OH);
-Electric – Romanoff (Toledo, OH);
-Plumbing – Dimech (Toledo, OH);
-Fire Protection – Absolute Fire (Toledo, OH)
BUILDING FACTS AND FIGURES
Square Footage
-Total 133,453 SF
-Event Level 85,516 SF
-Concourse 47,937 SF
Building Height
-Highest occupied floor 21'8" (Concourse)
-Highest portion of building 56"2" (East Lobby)
Capacity
-4,387 for Basketball and Volleyball
-5,209 for Convocation
-1,500 Floor Seats
-4,300 Fixed Seats
-End Stage 180 Capacity: 5,000
Included in the building:
-Seven locker rooms
-Team lounge
-Office suite for men's basketball, women's basketball, and volleyball staffs
-Athletic Box Office
-Sports Medicine area w/hydrotherapy pool and rehabilitation/exercise area
-Classroom to accommodate 40 with full audio/visual package
-28' 4 3/16" x 10' 6" HD Videoboard by Capturion including 30' 5' x 3' LED ribbon board, eight LED score tables and LED vomitory scoreboards
-Wood competition and practice court are RezillChannel Grade 1 maple floor by Connor Sports Flooring
-Building show power include three phase 400 and 200 amp service
-1,200 dedicated parking spaces
-Gold LEED Certification
FOOD SERVICE
-Concessions managed by AVI Food Systems
-Catering managed by Falcon Catering by AVI Food Systems
-Stroh food service includes a concession commissary, warming kitchen for catering, and cooking kitchen equipped with range hood, fryer, and grill
-Four concession stands – The Perch, Falcon Grill, Wooster Street Station, Bird Feeder
FALCON STATUE
-Located on the southeast corner of the building in the Spirit Plaza
-Designed by Jon Hair, Sculptor
-Cast in California and transported via flatbed truck to Bowling Green, Ohio
History
Opened in September 2011, the Stroh Center is a state-of-the-art venue for athletic events, concerts, student activities, lectures, commencement ceremonies, and campus and community events at Bowling Green State University. Seating approximately 5,000 for concerts and 4,700 for sporting events, the Stroh Center also serves as the home for the Falcon men's and women's basketball and volleyball programs. It was built to replace Anderson Arena in Memorial Hall that was inadequate for commencement and concerts, and lacks modern conveniences. Designed to meet requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification, the environmentally friendly facility includes a main arena, auxiliary gym, box office, and team lounge as well as the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame, Anderson Club, and Falcon Team Store. The Stroh Center was named for Kermit F. and Mary Lu Stroh of Wapakoneta, Ohio, who donated $8 million – the university's largest single private gift to date – to the construction of the $30 million facility. Mr. Stroh, a former chairman and member of the university's board of trustees, requested only that he have a say in selecting the urinals for the men's restrooms and that there always be freshly popped popcorn during events. Other significant contributions to the center included a $2 million gift from Bill Frack, for whom the Bill Frack court was named; a $1.7 million gift from Alan Schmidthorst, for which the Schmidthorst Pavilion was named; and $1 million gifts from Larry Miles and Neil Young.
Arena Specifications
- 1,500 Floor Seats
- 4,300 Fixed Seats
- End Stage Capacity: 5,000
- Arena Floor: 75 ft. (W) x 93 ft. (L) with telescopic seats extended
- Building Design: Rossetti Architects
- 1,300 dedicated parking spots, 20 handicapped accessible spots
Inside the Stroh Center lobby a special area has been designated as the BGSU Athletics Hall of Fame to display various photos, artifacts, and other memorabilia collected by athletics archivist Mickey Cochrane, former BGSU men's soccer and lacrosse coach. Nearby, on the south side main level, the Champions Circle Wall recognizes donors who support student-athletes at the highest annual giving level each year. The Stroh Center is located at 1535 E. Wooster St., Bowling Green, OH, and is easily accessible from Interstate I-75 at exit 181, State Route 25 and State Route 6. Discounts on tickets, including those for military members, children, elderly, and large groups, may be available for certain events. For discounts, season tickets, or requests for ADA seating, call the Stroh Center Box Office at (419) 372-0000.
Anderson Club
Although the Stroh Center is replacing Anderson Arena as BGSU's major events facility, the university wanted to ensure that the legacy of Coach Harold Anderson, who led the BGSU men's basketball team and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1985, would be remembered. To this end, the Stroh Center's club center was named the Anderson Club. Located on the south side of the arena above center court, the Anderson Club consists of a rentable meeting space that can accommodate 70-100 people depending on the event.The club room, which has an independent sound system, can be configured in numerous ways and features hospitality areas and high-definition televisions.
Falcon Statue
In front of the Stroh Center and in the center of the Falcon Spirit Plaza stands BGSU's Fighting Falcon statue, the largest falcon statue in the world. This statue was created after a $100,000 gift from Irwin Belk, a Charlotte, N.C.-based philanthropist and former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. Including the Fighting Falcon, which was designed and cast in bronze by sculptor Jon Hair of Cornelius, N.C., Mr. Belk has commissioned about 50 statues for colleges and universities across the country. This two-ton, 23-foot statue is the focal point of the Falcon Spirit Plaza.
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