Walter Pyramid
The Walter Pyramid, formerly known as the Long Beach Pyramid, is the on-campus basketball and volleyball arena for the NCAA college basketball and college volleyball teams of Long Beach State University 49ers. Finished in 1994, it is located in Long Beach, California. It is a large pyramid-shaped building, uniformly clad in sheets of dark blue corrugated aluminum.
The Southern California Summer Pro League uses the Pyramid during July. The league is a showcase for current and prospective NBA basketball players, including recent draft picks, current NBA players working on their skills and conditioning, and international professionals hoping to become NBA players.
Although it is the home of LBSU basketball and volleyball teams, professional teams like the Long Beach Ice Dogs and the Long Beach Jam (an American Basketball Association team featuring Dennis Rodman) play at the Long Beach Sports Arena, a bigger facility that is located closer to the downtown area of Long Beach.
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[edit] History
Before the Walter Pyramid was built on campus, the Long Beach State basketball team played most of their games in the Long Beach Sports Arena in downtown Long Beach.
The arena opened for its first 49er basketball game on November 30, 1994. In that game, which was televised on ESPN, the 49ers defeated the University of Detroit Mercy, with a final score of 71-64 before a standing room only crowd of 5,021.
The Walter Pyramid was designed by Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction of San Diego. The building of The Walter Pyramid cost approximately $22 million USD.
[edit] The renaming
The Pyramid was renamed The Walter Pyramid on March 5, 2005. It was renamed for Dr. Mike and Arline Walter in appreciation for their long-time financial support of the school. Dr. Walter was a dean of the CSULB well-regarded School of Business at one time and the vice president of the Levi Strauss & Co. at another time.
[edit] Facts about The Walter Pyramid
Each side of the perimeter of The Walter Pyramid measures 345 feet, making it a mathematically true pyramid. There is a Frog's Gym and a conference center located in The Walter Pyramid.
