Wolstein Center

Henry J. Goodman Arena at the Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Center

The Convo
Former names	CSU Convocation Center (1991–2005)
Location	2000 Prospect Avenue Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Owner	Cleveland State University
Operator	Quicken Loans Arena
Capacity	13,610 (8,500 for CSU games)
Surface	Multi-surface
Construction
Broke ground	August 1989
Opened	November 1, 1991
Construction cost	USD$55 million ($95.6 million in 2024 dollars)
Architect	URS-Dalton Consultants, Cleveland, Whitley/Whitley Architects, Cleveland, OH
Tenants
Current: Cleveland State Vikings (NCAA) (1991–present) Former : Cleveland Crunch/Force (NPSL/MISL) (2001–2008)

The Henry J. Goodman Arena at the Bert L. & Iris S. Wolstein Center, commonly known as the Wolstein Center or "The Convo", is an indoor arena located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States, on the campus of Cleveland State University. It is home to the Cleveland State Vikings men's and women's basketball teams and the former home of the Cleveland Crunch and Cleveland Force of the NPSL and MISL. The building opened in 1991 as a replacement for Woodling Gym and was known until 2005 as the CSU Convocation Center. The arena seats 13,610 for basketball, and with additional floor seating can hold 15,000 for concerts and professional wrestling. In addition to the arena, the Wolstein Center also has a practice gym and grand ballroom. It is the largest basketball arena in the Horizon League and the second-largest college basketball arena in Ohio by seating capacity.

For most CSU basketball games, seating capacity is reduced to a maximum of approximately 8,500 as the basketball floor is placed closer to the eastern baseline and the western third of the arena is blocked off with a curtain system. For many games only lower level seating is available and upper level seating sections are covered with tarps, further reducing available seating. The area behind the curtain is used for a variety of other purposes, including a "Kids Fun Zone" children's play area during games, and the curtain itself is adorned with various banners facing the court.

The Wolstein Center has also hosted numerous concerts, featuring artists such as David Bowie, Elton John, Martina McBride, Fall Out Boy, Carrie Underwood, Justin Bieber, and TobyMac. The arena was site of the 1998 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships and served as host for first and second round games of the 2000 and 2005 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournaments.,

History

Interior view of the arena during a CSU men's basketball game in 2015

Construction on the Wolstein Center began in August 1989 in the aftermath of the team's run to the Sweet Sixteen in the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament. Prior to its opening, the team played at Woodling Gym on campus or at the 10,000-seat Public Auditorium. The arena was completed on November 1, 1991 at a cost of $55 million. The 13,610 seats made the Wolstein Center the largest arena in downtown Cleveland until the opening of Gund Arena in 1994, and it was the largest university-owned arena in Ohio until 1998 when Value City Arena opened at Ohio State University.

The main arena is named the Goodman Arena after Henry J. Goodman, former chairman of the Cleveland State board of trustees, while the building is named after Bert and Iris Wolstein, who donated $6.5 million towards the building's construction, the largest philanthropic gift in CSU history. The building also contains a practice gym, a 23,744 square feet (2,205.9 m²) grand ballroom, six-room conference center, and eight concession stands. In the arena, there is a 100-seat party loge located above the seating in the west baseline.

Other events

The Wolstein Center has been the site for first and second round games of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, first in 2000 and then again in 2005. In the 2005 tournament, the 12th-seeded Milwaukee Panthers and 7th-seeded West Virginia Mountaineers won both of their respective games played at the Wolstein Center to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The 1998 NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships were also held in the arena, won by the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Twice the arena has hosted conference basketball tournaments. Both the 1992 Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball tournament and the 2002 Horizon League Men's Basketball Tournament were held at the Wolstein Center.

The PBR's Bud Light Cup tour hosted a bull riding event at this venue in 2000 and 2001.

NBC News held a Democratic Party presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama on February 26, 2008 at the Wolstein Center. The debate was broadcast live on MSNBC, and was moderated by Brian Williams with Tim Russert.

The Wolstein Center also hosted multiple professional wrestling events from numerous companies, including WWE's Monday Night Raw on January 26, 2009, and Friday Night SmackDown on December 28, 2010. World Championship Wrestling also held numerous events (including episodes of WCW Monday Nitro) at the center until WCW's folding in 2001, and TNA Wrestling's weekly Impact Wrestling program taped two weeks worth of shows on August 29, 2013.

Establishing and maintaining a steady stream of bookings for the facility, however, has been a somewhat more elusive goal. In August 2010, CSU hired a sporting event marketing company and a management company (Global Spectrum) to manage and promote the facility.

Partnership with The Q

In 2015, it was announced that CSU had an agreement with the management of Quicken Loans Arena (The Q), where The Q would essentially take over operations of the Wolstein Center, promoting and booking events at the venue, while in return select Vikings men's basketball games would be played at The Q.

See also

• Krenzler Field
• List of indoor arenas in the United States

External links

• Official site
• Wolstein Center CSU Profile