Foster Auditorium
University of Alabama
Historic Foster Auditorium, once the home of the men’s basketball program, had fallen into disrepair, and the Davis team was tasked with modernizing the three-level, 48,000 sf facility for the women’s basketball and volleyball programs while maintaining its traditional design. The 3,500 seat arena received new wood athletic flooring, telescoping bleachers, state-of-the art A/V systems, scoreboards, and lighting systems. Adjacent spaces were converted to team locker rooms and lounges, concession stands, and coaches offices. A 11,500 sf expansion was designed to house a tiered team meeting room, weight room, training and hydrotherapy rooms, equipment storage, visitor locker rooms, and public restrooms. In addition to supporting these programs and attracting recruits, Foster Auditorium has become a popular venue for other campus and community activities.
The Davis team also worked with the university on the renovation of the entry plaza, now designated the Malone Hood Plaza. This plaza commemorates June 11, 1963, when Governor George Wallace stood in the doorway of Foster Auditorium in a failed attempt to prevent the enrollment of two black students, Vivian Malone and James Hood. That moment served as a turning point for the first steps toward racial equality at the university and within the state.
“It’s a great atmosphere, keeping the traditional looking parts of the building with some of the bells and whistles that we needed to have... That’s a tough combinatio - not make it a museum but make it a functional building and also make it one that can attract and recruit young people.”
At a glance
Located in Tuscaloosa, AL
59,500 sf
Completed November 2010
Services
Architecture
Interior Design
Furniture Specification
Landscape Architecture
Renovation + Restoration