Covelli Center


The Covelli Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The 3,700-seat facility is situated on the corner of Ackerman Road and Fred Taylor Drive, the area provides a home to seven varsity sports teams. The building is attached the Jennings Wrestling Practice Facility.

About

The 100,000 square foot facility was opened on June 4, 2019, and serves as the home to the fencing, men's and women's gymnastics, men's and women's volleyball, and wrestling programs. The site also occasionally serves as a venue for the Ohio State Buckeyes women's basketball team. This state-of-the-art arena is able to be configured to accommodate several athletic events and includes 10 locker rooms, seven coach's offices as well as athletic training and meeting spaces.
Construction of the arena began in September 2017 and was originally slated to open in 2018, but was delayed until June 2019.
According to Ohio State, the facility hosted 158 student-athletes, 58 competitions and around 1,500 youth campers in its first year.

Plans

The building was originally intended to replace the aging St. John Arena, which was built in 1956. After a public outcry, university officials changed the plan and built it in its current location. However, with the new location, 50 graduate-student apartments were torn down in Buckeye Village. Additionally, it raised the cost from an estimated $30 million to nearly $50 million.

Naming

The facility was named after Sam Covelli after he and his wife Caryn donated $10 million towards the project. Covelli is the founder and president of Covelli Enterprises, which is the largest Panera Bread franchisee. The remaining costs for the project were raised through private donors.

Tenants