Idaho State arena will get multimillion-dollar face-lift. What does renovation entail?
More than 50 years after its doors first opened, Idaho State University’s Holt Arena is getting a multimillion-dollar upgrade.
ISU President Kevin Satterlee announced Monday during his annual fall address to faculty and staff that Idaho Central Credit Union has agreed to fully fund the project, which will take approximately two years to complete.
“Holt Arena has been home to fantastic moments from our university’s history,” Satterlee said in a news release. “Now it is time for an upgrade, and I cannot imagine a better partner to make this happen. ICCU is a partner in the truest sense of the word, and their generous commitment to our success is phenomenal.”
The project will include new seating, elevators, improvements to the entryways, and the addition of donor hospitality suites, club space and premium seating. Renovations also will improve accessibility at the Pocatello facility. New turf that “meets the latest specifications and standards for performance and safety” is expected to be installed prior to the 2022 football season, while the remainder of the renovations are slated to be completed by August 2023.
Originally known as the Minidome, the 12,000-seat Holt Arena first opened on Sept. 26, 1970, and has held countless events since, including graduations, college football and basketball games, concerts, rodeos and high school football. The arena was the vision of former Idaho State Athletic Director Milton “Dubby” Holt, who hoped to draw more fans to Bengals football games by playing at night in a covered arena.
Holt Arena was built at a cost of $2.8 million and funded through student fees after the student body voted to support the project.
“Holt Arena is the most iconic building on our campus, and I am incredibly excited that this tremendous investment will solidify its legacy for the next 50 years,” Idaho State Athletic Director Pauline Thiros said in a news release. “These enhancements will not only dramatically improve the game-day environment, but are paramount to elevating the program and the experience of our student-athletes. ICCU is making it possible to execute one of the first of many, much-needed major capital improvements to the athletics facilities at Idaho State.”
Last month, Idaho State broke ground on another project — the $11.5 million ICCU Bengal Alumni Center, which is being constructed just north of Holt Arena. The 26,281-square-foot building will serve as a meeting place and events center, and will be the home of the ISU Sports Hall of Fame. Construction on the center is expected to be finished by spring 2023.
Idaho Central Credit Union, which is headquartered in Chubbuck and first opened in 1940, donated $10 million to the University of Idaho’s new basketball arena. The $51 million project is scheduled to be wrapped up in time for the upcoming 2021-22 basketball season.
This story was originally published August 16, 2021 at 2:48 PM.
