The Donald W. Reynolds Center opened in December 1998. The 138,000-square foot, $28 million multi-use facility includes an 8,355-seat arena. The facility, located on the northwest corner of Harvard Avenue and 11th Street, south of Mabee Gymnasium and east of Skelly Stadium, is the home to several intercollegiate athletic programs, including men's and women's basketball along with women's volleyball. The Donald W. Reynolds Center is a cutting edge facility for video editing and strength training; and the state's only accredited academic program in athletic training/sports medicine.
The Reynolds Center also directly supports and expands student commencement activities, career fairs, student-sponsored concerts, cultural festivals, student intramural competitions, classroom instruction and campus-related community events.
The Reynolds Center is a crucial component of the university's master plan, approved in 1994, which moved the campus toward a more residential environment.
The center provides the campus with an exceptional indoor events facility where, for the first time in TU's history, the entire university community can gather at once. The facility is a physical anchor for the campus that will strengthen TU's community outreach and energize the surrounding community - enabling the university and the city to come together at TU with spirit and pride.
The facility supports the university's commitment to its NCAA Division I athletic program while broadening opportunities for increased revenue and decreased rental expense. The center is the nation's first collegiate arena to provide the latest in permanent two-way fiber-based communication links to the broadcast community through Venue-net, a technology that is the standard for professional sports in North America.
The Donald W. Reynolds Center provides a prominent window for TU and the city of Tulsa.
The impact that the Reynolds Center has on student recruiting and TU's national visibility is significant. Since opening, the Reynolds Center has hosted a Reba McIntyre concert, NAIA national basketball tournament and a Bob Newhart concert. Sinbad will perform in the center as part of this season's homecoming festivities. The Reynolds Center served as host site for the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Western Athletic Conference men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments.
Kansas City-based HOK Sports Facilities Group, Inc. designed the facility, the leader in the field. The leader in the field, other HOK projects include the design of the United Center in Chicago, Tulane's Riley Student Recreation Center, Texas A&M's Recreational Sports Center, Oriole Park in Camden Yard and Coors Field in Denver.