Virtual Tour
For a 360 degree view of our multipurpose facility, please click the area you would like to view.
*please note that this tour requires Apple's Quicktime.
Additional virtual tours are available by clicking here.
Interesting Facts
Construction began in the fall of 1977 and the building was completed over three years later in December of 1980.
Including site clearance and design fees the total cost of the project was $15.9 million. The money came from a portion of several generations of student fees earmarked by the Board of Regents and the legislature for capital improvements.
The O'Connell Center covers 3.6 acres or approximately 296,000 square feet and is actually a building within a building.
The fabric cover over the concourse, or outer perimeter, is stretched tight to energy-saving earthen berms. This area is attractively landscaped with plants that thrive well indoors under the indirect sunlight.
The O'Connell Center was primarily built to house instruction and recreation. There are scheduled activities from 6am to 10pm seven days a week. Up to 1,500 students a day take participate in physical education classes while many more take advantage of the facilities for recreational swimming, martial arts, weight-lifting and other activities. Many of the University athletic teams such as the basketball and gymnastics use the building for their training and practices. More than a thousand persons can simultaneously be involved in at least nine different activities.
The various events hosted in this building have ranged from rock concerts to philharmonic orchestras, from international swimming meets to basketball games, and from circuses to engineer's fairs. Additionally the O’Connell Center is the site for UF commencement ceremonies as well as area high school graduations.
Originally, the building featured a translucent roof made of Teflon-coated Fiberglass, kept inflated by huge fans that boosted the air pressure in the main arena.
During the summer of 1998 the O'Connell Center underwent a major renovation when the air-supported roof was replaced with a permanent, steel structure that reaches 118 feet above the main arena floor. At the same time new lighting and sound systems were purchased and the wooden bleachers on level one were replaced with contoured, Fiberglass benches. The total cost of the entire roof project was $8.5 million.