On the 405 freeway, the Walter Pyramid can be seen from miles away; it has come a long way from initial blue prints, and some changes are on the way for the structure.
To help improve the fan experience, the university installed a new video board, which was used at the homecoming season opener; the process of adding Wi-Fi to the facility is also in the works.
Assistant Athletics Director of Media Relations Roger Kirk said he hopes the Wi-Fi will be working before the end of the calendar year.
“We are very excited to add the new video board free Wi-Fi over the course of the year,” Kirk said. “Which should make the atmosphere even better.”
Kirk said he has never quite seen another college gym like the pyramid at Cal State University Long Beach.
“The building stands as a unique icon to both the University and athletic department,” Kirk said.
CSULB athletic director Vic Cegles said he thinks the pyramid is the best facility in the Big West conference, and this new edition should be exciting.
“Putting in the video board is big,” Cegles said. “For us to get to the next level and fill this thing [Walter Pyramid] for every game we have to make it an event.”
Cegles said he thinks the average fan needs to have interactive entertainment to make the basketball games an event.
Kirk said he thinks the hydraulic seating is a big advantage to the building.
“I don’t know of another [college gym] that has the hydraulic seating,” Kirk said. “People that come from other schools are really impressed with the facility.”
“It’s unique, because [think about] how many pyramids are there,” Cegles said.
Jon Regnier, a former building and facilities planner who was in charge of constructing the pyramid, is partly responsible for this.
The color of the pyramid was Regnier decision. Regnier explained that the material was cheap, and the supplier of the metal had a price break on the color blue.
“The pyramid is blue because it stands out, and it fades into the sky,” Regnier said.
Now the pyramid will not only be memorable for its figure, but also for the ambience it will provide to attendees.
“We have a great atmosphere,” Kirk said. “A lot of places would be jealous because we are able to sell out back-to-back basketball games at the start of the season.”