Stroh Center

The Stroh Center is a 4,387-seat multi-purpose arena on the campus of Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States, that opened in September 2011. It replaced Anderson Arena as the home of the Bowling Green Falcons men's and women's basketball and women's volleyball teams and hosts music concerts and the university's commencement ceremonies. The arena was designed by the architectural firm Rossetti Architects, designers of Red Bull Arena and Rio Tinto Stadium, and engineering firm URS Group Inc.

History

After almost five decades of service to Bowling Green State University, it became apparent that Anderson Arena was at the end of its useful life due to its limited accommodations. There were only two restrooms in the entire arena and poor acoustics for concerts, and it also lacked air conditioning. The most glaring factor that demanded replacement of Anderson Arena was that it was severely out of compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. All of these proved detrimental to the university's image and recruiting abilities. At the men's basketball 2008 home finale against rival Kent State, Kermit Stroh, a trustee of the university from 1993–2002, and his late wife Mary Lu donated a university record $8.7 million to the university towards interscholastic athletics with $7.7 million marked for the building of a new convocation center that was to replace venerable Anderson Arena.