King Arena replaced Centennial Gym in 2000 as the home of Wheaton College basketball, volleyball and wrestling. The arena is not a different building but a renovation of Centennial Gym, which was completed in 1960. The renovations for King Arena were funded in large part by the late Leroy King.
When it was built, Centennial Gym was part of the Centennial expansion program. Planning for the facility had actually begun as early as February, 1956 in order to have it ready for the 1959-60 school year. Ground was broken for the new gym, to be built at a projected cost of $400,000 by J. Emil Anderson and Son, on Nov. 2, 1958. The new gymnasium, made of brick to harmonize with the other campus architecture, seated 3,400. At completion, fully equipped, the building cost $524,000.
King Arena is part of the Sport and Recreation Center (SRC), completed in 2000, also includes the Eckert Recreation Center and the previously existing Chrouser Fitness Center. The Sports and Recreation Complex also features a weight room, student recreational gyms, in addition to an indoor running track.
The 2,650-seat arena is equipped with four scoreboards, sound system, eight basketball hoops, a new floor and ethernet connections at the scorer's table. It has seating on all four sides where Centennial Gym only had two, and one side
KING ARENA PHOTO GALLERY
