No more 16,300: Renovated Allen Fieldhouse, with new capacity, will be ready for 2024-25

KU basketball’s historic Allen Fieldhouse will look different in the upcoming 2024-25 basketball season as the venue reaches 70 years of existence.

The second phase of renovations will be completed before the start of basketball season.

“There is no other venue in sports with more history and energy than Allen Fieldhouse,” said Kansas athletic director Travis Goff said in a news release. “Going forward, we are incredibly excited for our supporters to couple the building’s tradition with an unrivaled game-day experience.

“Extensive scrutiny, thoughtfulness and attention to detail have gone into the renovation plan, and we are very confident our fans will enjoy the enhanced amenities and experience, while continuing to appreciate the aura they have always loved about Allen Fieldhouse.”

According to a KU Athletics release, concourses on the venue’s top two levels will be completely renovated and overhauled to look more modern.

“You’ll see a lot better (air) circulation, updating (the upper floors) and really cool storytelling about the history of Allen,” Jason Booker, KU’s deputy athletics director for external affairs and revenue generation told The Star. “All of those things you will now see will bring that to life outside the bowl.”

Allen Fieldhouse will feature a new videoboard that boasts two additional screens tilted down to the lower levels, which will make it easier for some fans to see the action and information on the scoreboard.

The Fieldhouse will also add two corner videoboards, which is part of why the building’s seating capacity is changing.

“We are working with ‘ShotTracker’ on some type of 2D stat animations that fans will be able to see,” Booker said.

Booker added that a new and enhanced hospitality area will be called the Crimson Club (formerly the donor atrium), which has been significantly renovated from the previous spot.

Another change: no more 16,300.

The Fieldhouse capacity will drop to 15,300, but 1,100 chairback seats will be added on the west side. The arena will also have a new food and beverage partner in OVG.

“Better food, it’s going to look different — standard concession stands, not carts with different signage on each one,” Booker said. “A lot better look, but also elevating the food experience for regular fans and in our donors in premium areas.”

Booker told The Star that phase two of the renovations will be done, for the most part, by the start of the season but added that there could be touch-ups depending on how the new renovations go.

Although Allen Fieldhouse won’t have air conditioning added, Booker expects the airflow to be better.

“With some of the mechanics moving, I think the airflow will be a little better,” Booker said. “That’s something we’ve been conscious about why we can’t get air conditioning and how we can improve that.”

As for what Kansas fans can look forward to?

“There will be some new court design that we will come out with down the road,” Booker said. “I think fans will be excited about where (that’s) headed.”