While providing a hub of recreational activity for all of midtown St. Louis, Chaifetz Arena was also designed to catalyze increased success among Saint Louis University’s athletics programs, improve student-athlete recruiting, increase fan attendance and enhance student life.
To intensify the spectator experience, the main event arena includes 10,600 seats that are positioned closer to the basketball floor than is typical in most similarly sized arenas, and the bowl features a special student section designed to harness the energy created by student fans. An absorbent acoustical panel system mitigates echo effect while still allowing sound to reach high volumes. To give each spectator in the arena an optimal view of event action, four 14-by-45-foot scoreboards (as opposed to one center-hung scoreboard) are mounted in each corner of the seating configuration.
The facility also boasts volleyball and practice basketball courts with 1,000 bleacher seats, meeting rooms, basketball and volleyball administration offices, private suites and an off-court club and bar area. The integration of program elements throughout the arena is exemplified by the locker rooms, which maintain a fluid interface between a sports medicine area, the practice facility and the main arena floor.