The Drum | |
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| Full name | Frank C. Erwin Jr. Special Events Center |
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| Former names | Special Events Center (1977–1980) |
| Address | 1701 Red River Street |
| Location | Austin, Texas |
| Coordinates | 30°16′37″N97°43′56″W / 30.2770°N 97.7322°W /30.2770; -97.7322 |
| Owner | University of Texas at Austin |
| Operator | University of Texas at Austin |
| Capacity | 17,900 (center stage) (concert) 16,540 (basketball, 2013–2022) 7,820 (theatre) |
| Record attendance | John Denver 17,829 |
| Surface | Terrazzo floor/portable basketball floor/portable turf |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | August 1974 |
| Opened | November 29, 1977 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Expanded | 2003 |
| Closed | May 21, 2022 |
| Demolished | November 2023 – May 19, 2024 |
| Construction cost | $34 million (original) ($176 million in 2024 dollars[1]) $55 million (renovations/expansion) |
| Architect | Wilson, Crain & Anderson Heery International (renovations/expansion) |
| Structural engineer | Walter P Moore[2] |
| General contractor | H.A. Lott Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| Texas Longhorns (NCAA) (1977–2022) Austin Wranglers (AFL/af2) (2004–2008) | |
TheFrank C. Erwin Jr. Center (originallySpecial Events Center) was a multi-purposearena located on the campus of theUniversity of Texas at Austin inAustin, Texas. It was also sometimes referred to as "The Drum" or "The Superdrum", owing to its round, drum-like appearance from outside (not to be confused withBig Bertha, the large bass drum used by the University of Texas marching band).
The multi-purpose facility hosted entertainment events and was the home court for theTexas Longhorns men's andwomen'sbasketball programs until 2022, when it was replaced by theMoody Center. The Erwin Center was located at the southeastern corner of the UT central campus and was bounded on the east byInterstate 35.
Built to replaceGregory Gymnasium as the men's and women's basketball teams' home arena, the Special Events Center was completed in 1977 for a total cost of $34 million. The Texas men's basketball team opened the events center on November 29, 1977, with an 83–76 victory over theOklahoma Sooners.[3] UT undertook extensive renovations of the facility from 2001 to 2003 at a cost of $55 million, adding, among other things, new and renovated seating, new video and sound systems, new lighting, and 28 suites.[4]
The building was named for former UT Board of Regents member Frank Erwin, who as a regent was very controversial due to his hostility towards the burgeoning on-campus, political counterculture movement of the late 1960s and was directly involved in the arrest of protesting students and the purging of what he deemed as "unpatriotic" faculty.[5] Originally known as the Special Events Center, the facility was renamed in 1980 to honor Erwin, who died that same year.
A two-level layout (the lowerarena and uppermezzanine) accommodated up to 16,540 spectators for basketball games and up to 17,900 spectators for concerts. The inner ring of the arena averaged around 20 rows deep, while the mezzanine is slightly deeper at around 24 rows. The size of the arena's inner ring was highly dependent on the event being hosted.
In 2013, theDell Medical Center, a $334 million teaching hospital for the university, identified the Erwin Center parking lot and the Waller Creek area directly across from the Center as being the site of Phase I of the Dell Center's construction, with the completion of following phases to require the demolition of the Erwin Center.[6]
In 2018, the University of Texas and theOak View Group announced that they had agreed to build a new arena for the Texas Longhorns basketball programs, at a cost of $338 million; the new facility would fill the role that had been played by the Frank Erwin Center.[7][8] The new arena is theMoody Center, named after the Moody Foundation, which had donated $130 million to University of Texas athletic programs. Agroundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Moody Arena was held on the UT campus, just south of Mike A. Myers Soccer Stadium, on December 3, 2019; the new arena was completed in 2022.[9] The Erwin Center hosted its last ticketed event on April 2, 2022; it was a basketball game which featured theHarlem Globetrotters. The newly completed Moody Center opened on April 20, 2022.[10][11] The final UT graduation ceremonies to take place at the Erwin Center were held on May 20–21, 2022; they were the Erwin Center's last scheduled events.[12]
A year after the closure of the Erwin Center, the UT System Board of Regents unveiled plans for the structure's demolition. The announcement was made on May 1, 2023, and the demolition process began during the following November. The Erwin Center was dismantled in phases, to preserve nearby structures and to facilitate the recycling of materials. The last remaining building supports came down on May 19, 2024, officially marking the end of the Erwin Center with the land to be cleared out completely by September.[13]
Located adjacent to downtownAustin, The Erwin Center was generally accepted to be Austin's current premier venue for large public and private events. The center held many events such as concerts, professional wrestling events,bull riding and private banquets.
The arena has hosted threeUFC mixed martial events:UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares in 2010,UFC Fight Night: Edgar vs. Swanson in 2014, andUFC Fight Night: Cowboy vs. Medeiros in 2018. Legendary professional boxerMiguel Cotto ofPuerto Rico had his debut fight there, knocking out Jason Doucet in the first round of a boxing show headlined by a fight between MexicanJesus Chavez and AmericanTom Johnson, contest won by Chavez by an eighth-round knockout on February 23, 2001.[14]
Music artists such asTaylor Swift,David Bowie,Tina Turner,Lana Del Rey,Ariana Grande,KISS,U2,Bon Jovi,Pearl Jam,Paul McCartney,Def Leppard,George Strait,Garth Brooks,Van Halen,Rush,AC/DC,Pink Floyd,Prince,Guns N' Roses,Rod Stewart,Madonna,Whitney Houston,Radiohead,Kanye West,Lady Gaga,Miley Cyrus and many others have performed at the arena.
The Erwin Center hosted the semifinals and finals of theUniversity Interscholastic League boys' and girls' basketball playoffs in all five classifications until 2015, when the playoffs moved to San Antonio.
The arena also hosted both UT commencement ceremonies and various local high school graduations.[15]
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