Tudor Fieldhouse facelift complete after 15 months

By Sarah Rutledge     11/13/08 6:00pm

The building formerly known as Autry Court now has a new name and a new face, after almost two years of construction. Former Rice basketball player Bobby Tudor (Hanszen '82) fulfilled a longtime dream when he donated $7 million for Autry renovations, which began in February of 2007. Tudor Fieldhouse had its grand opening last Friday and will open for the 2008- '09 basketball season tonight when the women's basketball plays California State University-Northridge. The athletic court itself will keep the name Autry in honor of Mrs. James L. Autry, whose daughter donated to the gymnasium building. Assistant Athletic Director and Media Relations Director Chuck Pool said a new Autry Court has been a dream for a very long time. Bobby Tudor, after whom Tudor Fieldhouse is named, was told that renovations to Autry Court were on the table when he went on his high school recruiting trip to Rice 31 years ago. The plans became a reality when Rice received a $7 million contribution from Tudor and his wife, Phoebe. Tudor is a former Rice basketball player and is now chairman and CEO of Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., LLC.

The opening, which took place over Homecoming Weekend, included tours of the building's interior, a dinner on the floor of the court and a presentation honoring contributors. The event was initially planned as a Grand Opening, but was scaled back due to the continuation of renovations. Pool said the building's essential features for fans and athletes are complete, but some secondary elements, such as downstairs areas for post-game interviews, are not finished. He said this was standard for all types of building openings.

"It's the way it always seems to go when people build houses," Pool said. "They end up moving in and still have carpenters fixing up stuff because they had a deadline to move in when everything was not quite finished."

---

---

There are some ongoing projects, such as the renovation of the pool, which will have to wait until the Recreation Center opens next fall, he said.

"You're not going to walk in on Friday and see complete total renovation of entire Autry Court facility," Pool said. "But it's a pretty significant upgrade from where we were two years ago."

The entire gymnasium building has been redesigned. The new facility contains several fan-friendly features, including enhanced wheelchair access, concession windows, remodeled seating and improved bathrooms. Autry Court also has a new sound system and scoreboard equipped with a JumboTron, a giant television.

"It runs the full spectrum," Pool said. "There are basic standards that fans have come to expect [when attending] any level of athletic event . we now have a facility that addresses a lot of those areas."

Pool said the new facility is a testament to the quality of athletes' experience at Rice.

"It has been remarkable to see the development from contributions made from former basketball players," he said.

Pool said that the new facility will benefit all aspects of Rice's athletic programs.

"Alumni, athletes and fans can all take great pride in what is in store," he said.

A tailgate with pizza and burritos will take place at 1 p.m. before the Rice and Portland State University's men's basketball game Saturday afternoon. The athletic court, which began renovations in February 2007, first opened for a black-tie sneak peek event last Friday.

---