Members of the Miami community received a survey Jan. 28 asking for feedback on two potential arena sites, down from the nine buildable sites previously identified by a university map.
Miami University has shared a survey asking for feedback on two sites where a potential new arena could be built to replace Millett Hall.
In an email sent to students, faculty and staff on Jan. 28 and obtained by the Oxford Free Press, the Site Selection Committee requested feedback on two site: Cook Field and Southwest Quad in the current location of Williams Hall, Wells Hall, Joyner House and Bonham House. A previous map showed nine buildable sites including the green space next to Slant Walk, Lewis Place and the Miami Inn, which was torn down during winter break. The committee was appointed in advance of the December Board of Trustees meeting following outcry including letters to the editor in the Free Press and a staff editorial from The Miami Student.
According to the email, programs and offices that would be impacted by either site have been consulted on the plans. "The committee is confident that potential impacts to intramural spaces and parking availability in these locations can be mitigated or offset through concurrent campus planning initiatives," the email stated.
Students, faculty and staff were given until Feb. 3 to complete a survey asking them to share their thoughts on each location. A spokesperson for the university confirmed that "only the two sites described in the Jan. 28 campus email are under consideration." The committee intends to update the Board of Trustees during a Feb. 28 meeting.
"Ideally, the site of a new multipurpose arena would be centrally located on campus, within walking distance for students and to Uptown Oxford, able to hold multiple events concurrently, and could better host university and city events, such as lectures, convocations, concerts, career fairs, and graduations," the email continued."
At a December Board of Trustees meeting, treasurer and senior vice president David Creamer said the deferred maintenance costs to improve Millett would total roughly $80 million, while constructing a new arena could cost upwards of $200 million.
Both locations allow for construction of a facility with a volleyball arena and practice basketball facilities on one level to minimize construction costs, according to the email.
Southwest Quad site
As proposed, the Southwest Quad site sits on the southwest corner of Spring Street and Oak Street and would require demolition of four buildings — Williams Hall, Wells Hall, Joyner House and Bonham House.
The location would put the new arena near other athletic facilities including Goggin Ice Center and the Recreational Sports Center, as well as the Campus Avenue parking garage. According to the email sent Jan. 28, Williams, Joyner and Wells were all set to be torn down in the future based on "previously designed campus plans."
Williams Hall is currently home to the Department of Media, Journalism and Film. However, that department is set to move to Bachelor Hall after the $72 million renovations of that building conclude.
The Myaamia Center currently occupies Bonham House, also known as Stanton-Bonham House. The building was constructed in 1868 by then-Miami president Robert L. Stanton, the brother-in-law of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and a historic marker was dedicated in front of the house in 2015. "We will work closely with the Myaamia Center to ensure they have adequate space to support their important research and programming," the university email stated.
Joyner House was constructed in 1910 and is listed in the Ohio Historic Inventory (OHI). The home was the last private residence completely surrounded by the university, according to OHI documentation, and belonged to Fred Bunyan Joyner, an American history professor at the university.
Wells Hall is a residence hall which finished construction in 1923. The building currently houses the Student Veterans Center and is located next to the Alumni Veterans Tribute which recognizes almost 8,000 alumni who have served in the military. The Southwest Quad map shared in the Jan. 28 email includes a small portion of the tribute within the proposed site.
Adam Beissel, an associate professor of sport leadership and management, does research on sport stadiums and urban development. The Southwest Quad location could help the university establish an athletic precinct in the coming decades anchored by the Rec, Goggin and the new arena, as well as the parking garage. Phillips Hall, which is located just south of the site, is also home to the kinesiology department, and the university finished construction on the clinical health sciences building on the quad.
"There is a broader alignment beyond just athletics with that space on campus where it sort of becomes health, sport, exercise, physical activity in a pretty concentrated way," Beissel said. "One of the major benefits of that is you've got the parking garage that's suitable for the arena right there."
Cook Field site
The Cook Field site encompasses the entire recreational surface of the field, and the map shared Jan. 28 excluded most of the parking surrounding the field. According to the email, Pulley Tower would remain intact, but the fields "would be permanently relocated to another location on campus that would be convenient for students." No location was identified in the email.
Cook Field is used by intramural sports and includes both synthetic turf and grass surfaces. "Many student organizations conduct events such as Greek Week, First Year Institute Carnival, Relay for Life and many more," according to the university's recreation website.
Miami is also looking to contract with a company to build a university-affiliated hotel on-campus. During the December Board of Trustees meeting, all four proposals under consideration were located on Cook Field and featured between 110 and 150 rooms. The university previously told the Journal-News that the turf on Cook Field would be extended to the southern portion of the field if the site was selected for the eventual hotel.
According to the Jan. 28 email, the university would develop a master plan of the Cook Field site if it is selected for the arena. The plan "would provide for future projects, such as a conference center being integrated into the overall site in the future," the email read.
Beissel said the Cook Field location has the potential to align with a newer model of arena developments which focuses on integrating a variety of amenities like restaurants, hotels and event space into one development. The site has more available space to work with than the Southwest Quad proposal, which Beissel said could lead to more robust use.
"It allows for different sources of commercial activity and 365 days a year of use," Beissel said. "However, it does in some ways distance itself from Uptown and the community."
Millett Hall was constructed in 1968 and is one of the oldest facilities in the Mid-American Conference still in use. While a new facility could address issues like limited practice space for multiple teams and suitability for hosting non-athletic events, Beissel said Oxford's location presents unique challenges for a new arena. The city's small population and distance from major metro areas like Dayton and Cincinnati could make it difficult to host musicians, comedians or others who might perform at other Division I institutions in more populated areas.
"It's always going to be a challenge for Miami," Beissel said, "and to be honest, it's why we don't have a new arena already. Millett Hall has outlived its lifespan."
Any formal plans for a new arena would require coordinated fundraising efforts and approval from the Board of Trustees. The Board's next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 27 and 28.
