Portland State University held Grand Opening ceremonies for the new Viking Pavilion at the Peter W. Stott Center today on the PSU campus. Several hundred of members of the campus community, donors, boosters, alumni and citizens of the region attended.
Attendees were allowed to walk the building and see all the amenities of the new facility, and refreshments were plentiful. A short program of speakers included Portland State President Rahmat Shoureshi, Peter Stott, OHSU President Joe Robertson, PSU Director of Athletics Valerie Cleary and Student Life Director Roosevelt Sowka. There were also student group performances.
The long-awaited arena and events facility becomes a first-class venue for the university and the Viking Athletics program. The Pavilion has already hosted TechFest NW on Apr. 5-6. Viking volleyball will host exhibition matches this weekend. The first major athletics event will be on Apr. 28 when PSU hosts a Grand Opening Gala (Wine and Roses).Â
The Viking Pavilion, a 141,700 square foot facility, will be home to the Portland State volleyball and basketball teams in an arena that seats just over 3,000 people. Seating is more than double the size of the old Stott Center main gym. The facility also has a new weight room, locker rooms, academic center and administrative offices as well as the new OHSU Sports Medicine Center. A new Viking Athletics Hall of Fame display is coming this fall.
Other additions include five new classrooms, new student lounges and a new cafe coming this fall. Â
The $52.1 million project, which was part renovation and part rebuild, was designed by Woofter Architects/Perkins+Will. Fortis Construction was the general contractor. $19.1 million came from private gifts and PSU project funds, $7.5 million was a sponsorship from OHSU, $24 million are from state bonds and $1.5 million are from student fees. None of the funding came from general operating funds or tuition dollars. Formal fund-raising began in 2013. An official ground breaking took place on April 23, 2016.
UPCOMING EVENTS
