It's about time. Millett Hall is very outdated and far too large for the crowds it draws most of the time. Sure they'll pack it out for a concert, event or when Xavier and UC occasionally come to town but otherwise it's empty most of the time. They need a 5-7,000 seater max.

Miami University approves millions toward designing potential new arena, replacing Millett Hall

 

Miami University is taking the next steps toward a new sports arena in Oxford.

 

Miami’s board of trustees approved up to $3.5 million Friday, Dec. 13, to authorize planning and design contracts for the potential new facility. These funds are expected to cover all costs occurred for the schematic design.

 

The new arena still has to be approved by the board of trustees, but the funds will allow for the university to continue exploring its options. No cost beyond what has been approved will be incurred until the project is approved by the board.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2024/12/13/miami-approves-funds-design-new-basketball-arena.html

 

I'm glad this is moving forward. Miami needs a good 5,000 seat venue for basketball and volleyball. Millett is just dull and too big.

I think something like Idaho's new arena or College of Charelston or Georgia State's new venues would be great for Miami.

 

 

SMU has a nice one as well. Theirs is 7k capacity I believe. 

 

22 hours ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

I'm glad this is moving forward. Miami needs a good 5,000 seat venue for basketball and volleyball. Millett is just dull and too big.

 

I personally love Millett. While other schools were building arenas with lots of cinder block and concrete floors, Miami built an arena with tiled and terrazzo concourses and floating staircases. An elegant, classic design worth keeping.

 

 

More troubling that replacing Millett is locating the new arena on Slant Walk. Miami literally picked-up and moved Van Voorhis Hall / gymnasium a century ago to avoid removing the woods around Slant Walk when constructing Odgen Hall, and now that seems all but forgotten. 

7 minutes ago, ink said:

 

I personally love Millett. While other schools were building arenas with lots of cinder block and concrete floors, Miami built an arena with tiled and terrazzo concourses and floating staircases. An elegant, classic design worth keeping.

 

 

More troubling that replacing Millett is locating the new arena on Slant Walk. Miami literally picked-up and moved Van Voorhis Hall / gymnasium a century ago to avoid removing the woods around Slant Walk when constructing Odgen Hall, and now that seems all but forgotten. 

Is that actually the plan.  I cannot even imagine a small arena on Slant Walk.

41 minutes ago, Htsguy said:

Is that actually the plan.  I cannot even imagine a small arena on Slant Walk.

 

Apparently, that is one of the sites under consideration. I've heard it from several reliable local contacts and WVXU reported the same:

 

https://www.ideastream.org/2024-12-11/miami-university-basketball-arena-slant-walk 

6 minutes ago, ink said:

 

Apparently, that is one of the sites under consideration. I've heard it from several reliable local contacts and WVXU reported the same:

 

https://www.ideastream.org/2024-12-11/miami-university-basketball-arena-slant-walk 

Thank you for the link. That article just blew my mind. Who are these idiots in the administration. That they would even suggest tearing down Lewis place for an arena is crazy.  The slant walk site is also a no go for all the reasons stated in the article.

Miami University eyes campus site for potential new arena to replace aging Millett Hall

 

Miami University is taking the next step toward building a new arena to replace its aging Millett Hall.

 

A committee of university faculty, staff and alumni that has been working to review potential locations for a new multipurpose arena has recommended Cook Field to Miami President Greg Crawford.

 

Cook Field is located on the northeast corner of state Route 73 and Patterson Avenue in Oxford. Currently, it's used primarily for intramural sports like soccer, softball, flag football and ultimate frisbee, as well as other community events and programs.

 

The committee also recommended moving the intramural fields to near where Millett Hall currently stands.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/02/20/miami-university-new-arena-recommends-cook-field.html

Miami University board OKs location for Millett Hall's $187M replacement

 

Miami University’s board of trustees has approved the proposed site for the new arena to replace the aging Millett Hall, a project that will carry a nine-figure price tag to complete.

 

Miami's board during its Feb. 28 meeting approved Cook Field as the site location for a potential new multipurpose arena on its Oxford campus.

 

Cook Field was recommended to the board and university President Greg Crawford earlier that month by a committee of Miami faculty, staff and alumni. The project, still in the exploratory phase, can continue with the initial concept and design phase now that the site has been approved.

 

The committee also considered the Southwest Quad, but ultimately determined Cook Field to be more advantageous.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/03/03/miami-university-arena-cook-field-millett-hall.html

11 hours ago, ColDayMan said:

Miami University board OKs location for Millett Hall's $187M replacement

 

Miami University’s board of trustees has approved the proposed site for the new arena to replace the aging Millett Hall, a project that will carry a nine-figure price tag to complete.

 

Miami's board during its Feb. 28 meeting approved Cook Field as the site location for a potential new multipurpose arena on its Oxford campus.

 

Cook Field was recommended to the board and university President Greg Crawford earlier that month by a committee of Miami faculty, staff and alumni. The project, still in the exploratory phase, can continue with the initial concept and design phase now that the site has been approved.

 

The committee also considered the Southwest Quad, but ultimately determined Cook Field to be more advantageous.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/03/03/miami-university-arena-cook-field-millett-hall.html

Almost as bad as putting it on Slant Walk (which would have been a crime).  Don't see why they just don't put it in front of the current Millett Hall.  Seems like plenty of space, especially after they tear Millett down, and plenty of parking.  I would also add more facilities for club sports 

I think I agree, it just makes sense to keep all the big venues up on the north side of campus and have the big parking area in one spot so it can be shared between football and basketball instead of putting this in the middle of campus and trying to squeeze new parking in around it. I think in theory an arena in the middle of campus is great, like at UC for example, but the vibe of Miami is so much more pastoral and classic college town that filling in all the green spaces to create a more urban campus layout misses the point here. I know it's artificial grass, but losing the activated green space in the middle of campus seems like a real loss and it is used all the time for regular recreation not just intramural organized sports. 

 

It could be cool if done right with green spaces and entry plazas etc. so I'll withhold judgment until I see the proposed site plan and how it incorporates public space with Pulley Tower. 

Edited March 4Mar 4 by ucgrady

The new arena won't be nearly as big as Millett and Miami's attendance doesn't warrant an arena larger than say 6,000. Goggin is right in the middle of campus and seems to work just fine. I do stats at Miami athletics events as a side hustle and it seems students are more apt to go to Goggin and the baseball field than Millett. 

Agreed, and Goggin is a good example of not being surrounded by parking lots, and even with the potential future hotel development it should only take up half the Cook field space. If they leave the remaining area as active green space or design the public space well I think the new location could be great I guess I'm just concerned that with parking garages, an arena and a new hotel that the whole cook field block will get developed in a way that really reduces the activated green spaces.

 

The same logic of less students attend basketball games because of how far away millet is compared to Goggin should also apply to less students participate in recreational sports and spend less time hanging out and exercising outside because the rec fields are so far away"

I'm glad that Slant Walk never seemed to get very far in the site consideration. Cook Field is probably fine but it will be quite a change.

 

 

On a larger level, it is a frustrating juncture that we've come to in higher education where we are cutting humanities and academic programming at the same time that we need to build new arenas, luxury housing, student centers, rec centers, etc. to keep up with attracting students. 

1 minute ago, ucgrady said:

 

 

The same logic of less students attend basketball games because of how far away millet is compared to Goggin should also apply to less students participate in recreational sports and spend less time hanging out and exercising outside because the rec fields are so far away"

Exactly.  And it is not like it is in no man's land.  It is right across the street from all the north quad dorms and multiple frats.  If attendance is the issue, put a good team together .  My freshman and sophomore years (when dinosaurs rule the earth) we had a great team and attendance was always between 5,000-7,000.  One game with UC approached 11,000 with students ringing the court.  I think the bigger issue is that MAC sports are less of a big deal with students these days with all the multiple distractions that we just did not have.

Miami reveals higher nine-figure price tag for new arena, seeks design team

 

Miami University has revealed the nine-figure price tag on its replacement arena for Millett Hall.

 

Miami issued a request for qualifications, or RFQ, in search of potential architect/engineer candidates to design its new $233 million arena and multipurpose event center. The proposed arena was previously expected to cost no more than $187.7 million, which included significant contingency and escalation costs for inflation during the design period. Now, the RFQ estimates the construction cost to be about $180 million and the total project cost to be $233 million.

 

The arena, which would replace Millett Hall if officially approved by the board of trustees, would sit at the board-approved site, Cook Field.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/03/19/miami-university-rfp-design-basketball-arena-cost.html

 

That seems steep for an arena for a school the size of Miami. 

It's going to have multiple practice facilities in addition to the main court.  Plus offices, performance space, and more university functions per the article.  Miami has almost 20,000 students.  They're not some small college and this new arena is long overdue.  

 

A rich price for a school that hasn't put a team in the NCAA tourney since 2007 and hasn't won a tournament game since 1999.  They almost made it this past Saturday and I was cheering for them.

 

Hopefully this is accompanied by a plan to provide some NIL funding in order to compete in the changing landscape of college athletics.

22 hours ago, Cincy513 said:

It's going to have multiple practice facilities in addition to the main court.  Plus offices, performance space, and more university functions per the article.  Miami has almost 20,000 students.  They're not some small college and this new arena is long overdue.  

 

 

That makes sense. If the plan is to demolish Millett, they're losing their practice facilities too. 

7 minutes ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

 

That makes sense. If the plan is to demolish Millett, they're losing their practice facilities too. 

They should keep Millett and turn it into a facility for club sports.

I agree, Millett would be a great venue for club sports since you can fit a bunch of extra courts in there but I think the Rec Center covers that. I think the plan is to put the club sports fields in the Millett parking lot though.

1 hour ago, JaceTheAce41 said:

I agree, Millett would be a great venue for club sports since you can fit a bunch of extra courts in there but I think the Rec Center covers that. I think the plan is to put the club sports fields in the Millett parking lot though.

I am the last person to opine about the status of things on campus as I have not been there since the early 90s.  However, I have a vague recollection of reading something-I don't recall where-that there was a shortage of space for club sports after they tore down Withrow Court.  That was a few years ago so maybe they remedied the situation.

Miami University offers first look at potential arena district design

 

Miami University has offered an early sneak peek at its potential new arena district weeks after the school launched a search for a firm to design the multimillion-dollar project.

 

Miami University President Gregory Crawford gave students and faculty a preview of the potential arena district during his spring update April 2.  

 

The arena district, which will replace Millett Hall, carries a $233 million price tag and will be located on Cook Field in Oxford. The university noted the new district would include more facilities than Millett Hall, including two basketball practice courts and a volleyball arena.

 

More below:

https://www.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/news/2025/04/15/miami-university-arena-district-design-revealed.html

 

the mansard roof is hilarious. 

and... who is that academic giant with the stun gun?!


 

I question the intelligence of giving volleyball a completely separate arena. 

I sure hope that is a concept and not an actual design... 

That seems like too many structures to try to stuff into a relatively small area. 

 

It's been 40+ years since I was a student there, but the open sports fields at the front door of the university help preserve the historical character of the original campus. 

 

Not sure why Miami needs to turn itself into a high density "urban" UPenn clone?

 

Oh well, "Love and honor to Miami our college old and grand." 

Edited April 16Apr 16 by DO_Summers

Also not a big fan of tearing up Cook Field.  Lots of fond memories of playing touch football freshman year when I lived in Dennison (in those days Cook was actually the practice field for the football team and we use to watch practice in the afternoon coming home from class) as well as other fun things.  I wish I had a nickel every time I walked across it to go to the Res or visit other Freshman in South Quad.  I have one vivid memory of forging a path in the snow across it for early morning class with scores of other students the first day of second semester in Jan. 77 when the whole state had been hit by this historic cold snap including southwest Ohio and the temp was -20F without taking into account wind chill.  Crunch, crunch, crunch.  (I guess this days students would just skip class or petition that they be held on-line).

 

My choice would be to just build a new arena in front of Millett.  Seems like plenty of space, next to other sports facilities and the parking is already in place.  If they have to rely on the Millett footprint to do this, just do it in phases.

 

Of course,  IT IS ALL ABOUT ME, but that's my two cents.

Edited April 16Apr 16 by Htsguy

They were building some sort of geothermal plant in front of Millett IIRC.

 

Yeah I really don't understand the need for a separate volleyball arena.

2 hours ago, Htsguy said:

Also not a big fan of tearing up Cook Field.  Lots of fond memories of playing touch football freshman year when I lived in Dennison....  I have one vivid memory of forging a path in the snow across it for early morning class with scores of other students the first day of second semester in Jan. 77

 

Of course,  IT IS ALL ABOUT ME

Hey @Htsguy,  I'm coming around to the notion that it IS really all about you.  I will need to adjust my future UHIO (Urban Heightsguy in Ohio) ramblings to run my drafts through you for approval. 

 

PS, Evidently we missed each other by one year. I spent my freshman year in Dennison in Fall 77 to Spring 78. 😉

17 hours ago, DO_Summers said:

Not sure why Miami needs to turn itself into a high density "urban" UPenn clone?

To be fair Miami has been sprawling for several decades, with entire academic programs (business, engineering) moving out of the rectangle of Patterson, High, Campus, and Spring, and the buildup of dorms on Western Campus. This and the Student Center are just about the first “infill” that’s happened in a long while. That being said for this purpose I still prefer the Millett parking lot, seems an obvious answer but I’m sure they were worried about where people would park during the years of construction. I was a fellow east quad guy and cook field will be missed. It was also basically my first ever sight of the campus coming in from 73 and I remember it vividly.

Edited April 16Apr 16 by mu2010

I just can't imagine anyone affiliated with Miami U. over the past two centuries who would gaze on the open space of Cook Field and think what a great place to build a massive sports arena. 

 

Is there any public pushback to this announcement @mu2010 and @Htsguy? 

1 hour ago, DO_Summers said:

I just can't imagine anyone affiliated with Miami U. over the past two centuries who would gaze on the open space of Cook Field and think what a great place to build a massive sports arena. 

 

Is there any public pushback to this announcement @mu2010 and @Htsguy? 

Actually I believe they was significant opposition by certain  members of the student body, but the search committee basically ignored it.  I think there was an even bigger uproar by students, faculty and alum to one of the other proposed locations.  That was slant walk across the street from the Beta house and then down along High Street.  I would like to know what idiot suggested that location.  Even more idiotic was that it was apparently seriously considered by the search committee, along with a third location that would have required the demo of Wells Hall.

Opinion piece from the Miami Student: 

 

A new “Arena District” on Cook Field, but at what cost? - The Miami Student

21 hours ago, Htsguy said:

... slant walk across the street from the Beta house and then down along High Street.  I would like to know what idiot suggested that location.  Even more idiotic was that it was apparently seriously considered by the search committee, along with a third location that would have required the demo of Wells Hall.

@Htsguy  like you, I have little standing in this argument having been away from Oxford for 40+ years. Gulp 😟!  My guess is the other and worst locations were chosen on purpose because the fix was already in for Cook Field. 

Edited April 18Apr 18 by DO_Summers
Typo

Obviously looking to decentralize athletic facilities with Goggin at one corner, Yeager and Millett in others.