The Walter Pyramid, formerly known as The Pyramid, is a 5,000-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California.
History
The Walter Pyramid was officially opened on November 30, 1994, when it hosted a Long Beach State 49ers men's basketball game against the Detroit Titans, which aired live on ESPN. A standing-room only crowd of 5,021 saw Long Beach come away victorious with a final score of 71-64.
The Walter Pyramid was designed by Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego. The building of Walter Pyramid cost approximately $22 million dollars. Each side of the perimeter of Walter Pyramid measures 345 feet (105Â m), making it a mathematically true pyramid. It is one of only three true pyramid-style buildings in the United States, the others being Luxor Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada and Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Walter Pyramid rises 18 stories above the Long Beach skyline and its exterior is uniformly clad in sheets of dark-blue corrugated aluminum.
Name change
On March 5, 2005, Long Beach State officially renamed The Pyramid to Walter Pyramid in honor of Dr. Mike and Arline Walter. The Walters were given this recognition for a $2.1 million donation given to the university. In addition to being the vice-president of Levi Strauss & Co., Dr. Mike Walter was also a dean for Long Beach State's College of Business Administration from 1993 to 2000.
Tenants
University athletics
The Walter Pyramid is currently home to the Long Beach State 49ers men's basketball and Long Beach State 49ers women's basketball programs, as well as the Long Beach State 49ers men's volleyball and Long Beach State 49ers women's volleyball programs. Prior to the construction of the Walter Pyramid on campus, the men's basketball team played some of their games in the Long Beach Arena in downtown Long Beach, and at the on-campus University Gymnasium later renamed Gold Mine, which has just 1,900 seats.
In addition to being the home for Long Beach State 49ers athletics, the Walter Pyramid as hosted several NCAA-sponsored events including numerous women’s volleyball NCAA matches, the 2001 and 2003 NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championships and the 2003 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Regionals.
Non-university athletics
The Southern California Summer Pro League used the Walter Pyramid during the summer months from 1995 to 2007. The league showcased 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. The league went on hiatus for the 2008 season and announced its intention to move to Los Angeles for 2009.
The Walter Pyramid was also home to the Long Beach Stingrays, a women's professional basketball team of the now-defunct American Basketball League for a time in 1997 and 1998.
The Walter Pyramid also hosts the World Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Championships or, in Portuguese language, Mundials.
The Walter Pyramid is also home to the Los Angeles Reign of the National Pro Grid League.
References
External links
- Walter Pyramid
