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| The Schottenstein Center | |
|---|---|
| Name | The Schottenstein Center |
| Location | Columbus, Ohio |
| Opened | 1998 |
| Owner | Ohio State University |
| Capacity | 18,809 (basketball) |
| Architect | HOK Sport |
| Tenants | Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball, Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball, Columbus Blue Jackets (occasional), concerts |
The Schottenstein Center is a multi-purpose arena on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio, serving as a venue for collegiate athletics, concerts, commencements, and community events. It opened in 1998 and has hosted teams and performers from across the United States and internationally, including NCAA tournaments, professional exhibitions, and arena tours. The arena occupies a prominent role among Midwestern venues and draws patrons from the Big Ten Conference, NCAA Division I, and the National Hockey League markets for special events.
The arena was conceived during the 1990s by administrators at Ohio State University and benefactors connected to the Schottenstein family and Jerome Schottenstein, following fundraising efforts influenced by donors associated with L Brands and institutions allied with philanthropic projects in Columbus, Ohio. Planning involved firms such as HOK and consultants with prior work for Madison Square Garden, Staples Center, and United Center. Groundbreaking followed approvals from the Franklin County authorities and coordination with municipal planners from the City of Columbus and the Ohio Department of Transportation. The facility opened with events that included appearances by NCAA programs such as Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball, North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball, and touring acts organized by promoters including Live Nation and AEG Presents.
Designed by HOK Sport in collaboration with engineering teams that had worked on venues like Gund Arena and Bankers Life Fieldhouse, the arena features a steel-framed bowl, unobstructed sightlines, and a seating configuration adaptable for basketball, ice hockey, concerts, and ceremonies. The complex contains locker rooms suitable for teams from the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball and Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball programs, press facilities used by outlets such as ESPN, CBS Sports, and FOX Sports, premium suites named for corporate partners like Nationwide Insurance and Wexner Center for the Arts affiliates, and concession spaces served by vendors similar to those at Cleveland Cavaliers arenas. Infrastructure supports ice installation for exhibition games involving franchises like the Columbus Blue Jackets and practice surfaces used by visiting squads such as the Detroit Red Wings and Pittsburgh Penguins during preseason events.
Primary tenants include the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball and Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball programs, with the arena hosting home games and conference tournaments affiliated with the Big Ten Conference. The venue has accommodated NCAA tournament rounds involving Duke Blue Devils men's basketball, Kansas Jayhawks men's basketball, Michigan Wolverines men's basketball, Michigan State Spartans men's basketball, and Indiana Hoosiers men's basketball. Concerts have featured artists and tours by U2, Madonna, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen, Justin Timberlake, Adele, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Kanye West, Drake, Rihanna, Lady Gaga, and Katy Perry. The arena has also been used for commencement ceremonies for Ohio State University graduates, political rallies involving figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Joe Biden, and wrestling events presented by WWE and AEW. Other tenants and event partners have included the Columbus Symphony Orchestra for special collaborations and local institutions like OhioHealth for health outreach initiatives.
Since opening, the arena has undergone technological and amenity upgrades inspired by renovations at venues such as Barclays Center, TD Garden, and Madison Square Garden. Upgrades have included installation of high-definition video boards similar to systems used by Amway Center and Staples Center, improvements to seating and sightlines influenced by design trends at Verizon Center, enhancements to suites and club areas akin to projects at Bank of America Stadium, and accessibility upgrades compliant with standards referenced by the Americans with Disabilities Act. Audio and lighting systems have been modernized to meet production requirements for touring productions managed by Live Nation and AEG Presents, and facility operations have integrated ticketing platforms compatible with Ticketmaster and campus ID systems used across Ohio State University.
Event attendance has drawn audiences from the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area, including patrons from neighboring regions such as Cincinnati, Ohio, Cleveland, Ohio, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Indianapolis, Indiana. Major basketball matchups against rivals like the Michigan Wolverines, Penn State Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers, and Maryland Terrapins have generated high gate receipts analyzed by local economic analysts affiliated with Ohio State University's economics department and regional chambers such as the Columbus Chamber of Commerce. Concert tours by global artists including Beyoncé, U2, and Taylor Swift produced ancillary spending tracked by hospitality partners such as Hilton Worldwide, Marriott International, and local tourism bureaus including Experience Columbus. Economic impact studies have compared the arena's contributions to those of venues like PNC Arena and Xcel Energy Center.
Notable sporting moments include high-attendance games against Duke Blue Devils, Kentucky Wildcats, and Michigan State Spartans, and appearances during NCAA selection weekends and early tournament rounds involving teams such as the Kansas Jayhawks and North Carolina Tar Heels. Concert milestones include sellouts by U2, Madonna, and Bruce Springsteen, and televised events produced by NBC, ABC, and CBS. The arena has hosted political rallies featuring Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, wrestling events with headline matches by John Cena and Dwayne Johnson, and special appearances by entertainers like Oprah Winfrey and Ellen DeGeneres. Records for single-game attendance, highest-grossing concerts, and notable fundraising events have placed the facility among peer arenas such as Gainbridge Fieldhouse and United Center.
Category:Sports venues in Columbus, Ohio Category:Ohio State University buildings