Nip, tuck, score!
Autry Court renovation is a net gain for Rice
After 57 years of accumulated structural wrinkles and sags, Autry Court was due for a facelift.
Thanks to $24 million in financial support from generous donors, the site for Owls basketball and volleyball home games underwent a dramatic transformation that included renovations and updates to the arena, seating arrangements, sound and game information systems, restrooms and concession areas — among many other improvements. Now the basketball and volleyball teams enjoy gleaming new locker rooms; fans can shop at a team store; and donors have access to a luxurious club room, which offers a balcony overlooking College Way and provides an area to meet, greet and eat prior to games.
In addition to a new look, the building also received a new name. Dubbed the Tudor Fieldhouse in honor of major donor and Rice trustee Bobby Tudor ’82 and his wife, Phoebe, it encompasses Autry Court and the new Youngkin Center, which replaced the facility’s old administrative section. Youngkin Center was named after donor Glenn Youngkin ’90 and his wife, Suzanne, and it houses a study area for student–athletes, a hydrotherapy room with hot and cold whirlpools, a first-aid room, and staff offices that overlook a weight and training room. The center connects Autry Court with the existing Fox Gymnasium, and students and fans will enter the renovated facility via an all-new plaza, which provides access to all of Rice’s sports venues and offers a feeling of continuity to the campus’s “athletic quadrant.”
On Nov. 15, just 16 months after renovations began, Tudor Fieldhouse unveiled its new look at an Owls basketball game, where athletes and fans alike enjoyed the center-hung LED scoreboard, crystal-clear sound and new student seating section on the court’s south side. After nearly six decades, Autry Court looks better than ever — and has finally taken its place among the nation’s premier athletic facilities.