McCamish Pavilion

Certainly a huge improvement from the older stadium! Chairs are comfortable and enough screens to see the game on TV and live. Attended plenty of graduations here too.
I would like to have seen more be done on ensuring enough parking is in the area or clear signs for people to follow for parking.

Really nice interior space, even if more than a little parking challenged.
The recent refirb provides for great sightlines and I really like all the standing tables along the big, wide corridor which houses the munchies. There is a Chik-​Fil-​A on site and it does a ton of biz, but the wait was not too bad.
The size of the arena seems perfect for Tech, assuming Tech’s hoops fortunes improve. As for the close of this season, students arrived late, left early, and generally had better things to do. Visitors from off-​campus just need to hope construction near the parking decks across the interstate wraps up soon. Causes far too many headaches getting in and out.

Finally! The Rock has returned to McCamish Pavilion.

Note: I’m not a Tech grad — so I have nothing to compare when it comes to new versus old looks.
All I will say… the place is super nice. I don’t think there’s a bad view ANYWHERE. Definite props to you Tech folks! My company sometimes give us free Tech tickets + my bf loves all kinds of Basketball + we live near by, so why not?! Always happy to attend — plus it’s a nice date night kind of activity :)
I just wish there was better parking, but hey it’s ATL. What can you expect? There are lots of people walking around campus during game time, so nothing to worry about. I just hate walking in the freezing weather haha.
Food — as usual like other places — a bit over priced. I had a CFA sandwich and it cost like $ 5.50. Expensive much?! However, I will say I rather eat CFA versus other concession foods. Sort of a picky eater, I know.
When you walk inside — it just… looks really neat. TVs, lights, the court, and etc — I’m exhausted after work on Fridays, but when I come here, I wake right up. I guess b/​c I’m very fascinated with how everything is built.
Seating — it’s very easy to find sections. If you can’t find it, the security folks are really nice. Won’t give you much trouble.
Definitely enjoy watching games here — even though GT isn’t where I graduated. It’s just nice to have a drink + CFA/​popcorn + watch some college kids play some ball. Makes me miss my college days!

I went there for the NCAA dunk & three point contest last week. It is better than the old Thriller Dome. There is not a bad seat in the entire place. I will have to come back and check out some GA Tech basketball games next season.

Only reason it wasn’t 5 was because we lost last night :-(.
Well done — I don’t think there is a bad view ANYWHERE in the place — good job, Techsters!
Came tonight as a function of the Intown Alumni Network that I get to lead this year; fun group and good time had by all (where the HELL is the beer in this place???).
See pic of moi and the boy at the game (thanks Michael for the snap!); he got admitted in December and will be generation #3 at the North Avenue Trade School!

Most Tech fans are thrilled with the new McCamish Pavilion, and don’t get me wrong, the old Alexander Memorial Colosseum was in desperate need of a refresh. We’ve got 3 GT degrees in our household and we are former basketball season ticket holders and have 14 years of football season tickets at GT. We’re fans. I’m just not as big of a fan as the McCamish Pavilion as most.
1^st. I know we’re a technology school, but seriously GT? Blow the budget on wrap around plasma screens but no tile or mirrors in the ladies room? Or how about a nice acid wash on the bare concrete floors in the lobby? Everyone talks about how gorgeous this building is, to which I give the side eye, this is a very bare bones project that blew the budget on A/​V stuff. It’s lipstick on a pig. Seriously, the light fixtures over the lower floor seating near the breezeway are the same fixtures that usually get specified for storage units. Those lights should never be placed in customer touch areas.
2^nd. The view from the seats in the upper level are not as good as the old upper level seats. By raising the upper level up over the lower level, you feel like you’re peering over a cliff to watch the game, and it’s bit unnerving. I know the seats were lifted to create a more open lobby and circulation space, but in effect we’ve made worse line of sight issues, and isn’t the whole point of the building the line of sight for watching the game? I guess not.
3^rd. I love that they reused the old basketball floor as a decorative wall in the main entry lobby. I just wish they hadn’t cut out rectangular sections of it and back lit it w/​crappy circular can lights. The same technique was used in the veneered floating ceiling in the lobby, large rectangular cut outs, back lit w/​crappy round can lights. Why not cut the openings to to the size of the fixtures? Why not use rectangular fixtures in rectangular openings? It just looks not well thought out.
Lastly and probably my biggest issue, was how GT handled this project. Pretty much every architecture firm with any sports facility experience bid on this project, many of which have huge portfolios of gorgeous basketball facilities and employ a large number of Georgia Tech graduate architects. GT awarded this project to the architecture team that didn’t employ a single GT Architect, in fact, Populous doesn’t even have an office in Georgia. So during the most devastating recession to the architectural field in decades, where GT Architects with masters degrees are begging to stock shelves at Target, GT takes a job that could keep any architecture firm alive for well over a year, and gives it to a firm where the jobs not only don’t go to Georgia Tech graduates, but takes jobs out of Atlanta, out of Georgia, and gives them to the midwest. There were massive layoff’s amongst the design firms in Atlanta once this project was awarded, many were hoping it was the project that could float them through the recession. When I look at this building, I see a message from Georgia Tech, «We’ll train you, but our training isn’t good enough to hire you for our big jewel projects. But come buy our tickets. » When I look at this building, I see the faces of my laid off classmates, and I wanted the design to be as awesome as most people have said, to make it all worth it. Unfortunately I’m disappointed.

This is such an improvement over the old Alexander Memorial Coliseum! I love how open it is! I love how the lights focus on the court, rather than being so bright on the fans.
In terms of seats, everything is well-​labeled and easy to find. We had corporate seats from a friend for a Sunday afternoon game, and they were pretty comfy — the bottoms were regular theater seats that fold down and are cushy. The backs weren’t much more than hard plastic, but the game had us up and down a lot cheering, so we didn’t mind.
There are now lots of flatscreen TVs around the outside that you can watch if you’re in line at the concession stand. The new scoreboard in the center is pretty, with more information that you can possibly need (it took me an embarassingly long few seconds to figure out what the actual score was…).
The bathrooms don’t have mirrors over the sink — just by the exit, which is a little weird, and they were definitely a lot colder in temperature than the seating area. The food and prices seem the same as before.
I’m not the biggest basketball fan (I’ll leave that to Daniel B and Katie W), but I’m more likely to tag along with my raised-​in-​NC husband now that AMC is the McP.

It’s so pretty here! I am a Tech fan so I might be a little biased but when I entered McCamish Pavilion for the first game of these season, I was delighted. I swear there were angels singing. It is bright and open and festive and just lovely.
The lighting is very cool — it’s like at Staples Center where the court is lit up but it’s pretty dark in the seats. It’s easy to get to your seats and my view from the lower level end is great. The new giant center scoreboard display is very cool, too. I ventured to the upper level which feels like you’re suspended on scaffolding and is a little dizzying but fun. There is an observation area up there, too, so you can walk up there and stand and watch the game.
So far the food seems to be the same as it was before, which is not very good. I was really hoping the food options might improve — maybe they still will. In any case, it is still absolutely worth coming here to catch a basketball game to check it out.

I’ve never been more excited about the upcoming basketball season than now. I was born a GT fan and I’ve never missed a men’s season since I started going as a small child. I’m also a season ticket holder for the women’s team for the past 5 years. I look forward to seeing the squads back in their rightful place.
This is going to be a great venue to add to the stellar ACC basketball community. I went last night for the season ticket holder sneak preview and really liked the renovations. There doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house. The seating capacity changed from Alexander Memorial Coliseum’s 9,191 to 8,600 and there’s a cozier feel to this venue for me. My men’s seats are in the balcony and I have a perfect overhead view of the court like I did in AMC. My women’s seats are on the court level and again, great view.
As a longtime fan, it’s nice to see a renovation incorporating Alexander Memorial Coliseum’s structure and not a complete demo. The color flip from AMC’s white and gold to dark grays for the seats and ceiling really emphasize and bring the focus to the action on the court. I can’t wait for the fun to begin again in the Thrillerdome! Go Jackets!

I attended a special season ticket holder open house to Georgia Tech’s McCamish Pavilion last night. McCamish Pavilion is Tech’s brand spanking new baskeball coliseum. Last night was the public’s first glimpse into the new facility. Athletic Director Dan Radakovich and men’s and women’s coaches Brian Gregory and MaChelle Joseph were on hand to greet fans and give them a tour of the new arena.
I am a hardcore Georgia Tech men’s basketball fan. I’ve been a season ticket holder for eight consecutive years now. Before then, I was in school at Tech and part of the basketball «Swarm,» the group of students that stood the entire game on the floor underneath either side of the basket. I will miss the old Alexander Memorial Coliseum as I built up 11 seasons of memories there (last season was spent off-​campus), going to almost every single home game during that time span.
McCamish Pavilion has been over a year in the making. It broke ground in May 2011. It’s not *completely* finished, e.g. some paint work still needs to be done, some TVs need to be installed, some finishing touches need to be added to some of the furniture. For the most part, though, this place is ready to rock and roll. There will be a special men and women’s basketball event, «Jacket Jam» on Sunday, October 21. The first official men’s game will be Friday, November 9 against Tulane.
The new coliseum looks great and is totally different than the old coliseum. Seating capacity has been slightly reduced from just over 9,000 seats to just under 9,000 seats (I’m not sure of the exact figures). Despite the reduction in capacity, the new arena feels much bigger. The old AMC felt more intimate for some reason. Perhaps it was the round/​circular configuration. McCamish Pavilion is designed like a typical «rectangular» basketball arena.
One of the biggest changes between AMC and McCamish is the lighting. In the old AMC, the entire coliseum was brightly lit. McCamish Pavilion, on the other hand, will use theatrical lighting much like the Lakers use at Staples Center and the Hawks use at Philips Arena. Theatrical lighting for basketball means the court will be showcased and lit up, while the lighting for the seats will be dim. It’s a signifcant change.
Another big change is the concourse. McCamish Pavilion has a lot of glass. Think Cobb Energy Centre. Floor-​to-​ceiling in some sections. It gives you enormous views into Tech campus and out onto 10^th St. and Turner’s offices. Thus, during the daytime, a lot of natural light fills the arena. Not only that, but the concourses open up into the lower level seating itself. So, from some seats in the arena, you can see outside. Very cool views.
The club section, dubbed the Callaway Club, is pretty awesome. The old center court from the last arena is used as a large part of the wall decoration for the club. Also, slivers of the old court are used throughout the concourse as decoration. You’ll see them at every aisle entrance. I love how they incorporated that (the old court) into the new design.
There’s a lot of concrete and steel, but it looks good. Everything is shiny and new. The only things that remain from the old coliseum are the structural arch support beams and the dome, which has been repainted. The outside of the coliseum looks completely different. It’s super modern and looks great. I love it. I especially love the GT logos plastered on either side of the main entrance facing 10^th and Fowler.
Inside, there are homages to past Tech greats, whether it’s Mark Price (point guard), Al Ciraldo (radio announcer), Bobby Cremins (coach), or the 2004 men’s Final Four team (my favorite, as I was in school then and close to that team). It’s speaks to Tech’s past and brings a bit of nostalgia and tip of the cap to the greats that built Tech basketball up to what it is today.
The court itself, Cremins Court, looks magnificent. I love the different wood stains, a la the Minnesota Timberwolves’ home court at the Target Center. Georgia Tech consulted with ESPN, among others, in what would look good on TV. Speaking of which, the students will now line center court, Cameron Indoor-​style (Duke) and face the TV cameras. It should give Tech a bigger homecourt advantage. And just like Duke, Tech’s benches will have its backs facing the camera, which I think is rare in college basketball.
The center-​hung scoreboard is amazing. Four crisp, bright, vivid, HD screens with additional displays at the bottom. Around the inside of the arena, there is a 360-​degree digital high-​def ribbon board. It’s so big and clear that you can read the text through the glass driving down Fowler. The sound system has totally been upgraded, so the sound and visuals in this place are near state-​of-​the-​art.
Overall, I am very pleased with McCamish Pavilion. It looks fantastic and I’m very excited for the season and a new era of Tech basketball to start. Go Jackets!