Gallery of Interior Photos of Crisler Renovation

Submitted by Raoul on

A gallery of photos showing progress on the interior renovation of Crisler has been posted on the Michigan women's basketball Facebook page. See Crisler Center Updates. The concourse is barely recognizable. A sampling below, with the original captions.

The Maize Rage entrance:

 

 

Another view of the concourse:

 

 

 

Working on the new floor at Crisler Center:

MichiganManOf1961

August 27th, 2012 at 3:55 PM ^

No good deed goes unpunished.  No one good deed excuses years of abusing the fanbase with his money-grubbing schemes and desecration of tradition.  The turncoats on this website who try to "defend" his actions will surely use the Crisler "improvements" as evidence of Brandon's benevolence, but those of us who can see the big picture, recognize the potential threats to Michigan his misuse of power foreshadows. 

~Herm

Mr. Yost

August 27th, 2012 at 5:15 PM ^

What has he done at Michigan that is so bad? Piss in your cereal this morning?

Even if he did, shut up...our teams are winning and he's a big part of it. I don't have to mention all of the facility imporvements and the money he has raised. I won't mention the coaches he's hired and retained.

I suggest you upgrade to eggs, some type of meat and toast.

Sweet Life

August 27th, 2012 at 6:53 PM ^

After 23 years of basketball season tickets, including sitting through the Ellerbie years and a lot of other really bad teams, I had to make an extra $200 "donation" to stay in the running for season tickets in the same section I sat in for years.  And the donation didn't even help as I got worse seats than I had before.  They wouldn't refund my donation when I complained about getting worse seats.  This is why I don't like Dave Brandon and why this will be my last season at Crisler.  No respect for fan loyalty, only for maximizing revenue.

inthebluelot

August 27th, 2012 at 10:04 PM ^

$200/ 20 home games = $10/ game.  I have to assume you have a minimum of 2 tickets, so it's $5 per seat.  If you have 4, it's $2.50 per seat.  Assuming a face value of $20 per ticket we are talking about an increase of roughly 12%.  I can assure you that there are far more things that have increased in the last year by 12% or more that impact you, and those things were not "optional entertainment expenses".  What I'm saying is, consider the increases in maintaining the program, the facility and the coaching staff.  It seems to be pretty much in-line with reasonable expectations.

Sweet Life

August 27th, 2012 at 10:40 PM ^

You missed my point.  I don't mind a reasonable increase in ticket prices.  But my problem is that after 23 years of gradually getting better seats, I am now paying more for worse seats.  There are a lot of loyal long-time season ticket holders in the same situation.  Loyalty to the program doesn't matter.

Sweet Life

August 28th, 2012 at 1:24 PM ^

OK, I guess you aren't a basketball season ticket holder so I'll try again since you still don't understand.  They could have offered long-time season ticket holders the chance to buy the same seats at a higher cost.  Instead they invoked a point system which just gave you a place in line but no sense of where you were in line or where you would need to be to get equivalent seats.  You had to make the donation just to secure a place in line, with no option to back out of the donation if you didn't like the seats you ended up with.  They gave extra points to long-time season ticket holders (although they only credited 20 years), but again there was no attempt to give fans any idea of relative value of those points.  I think they should and could have devised a system that gave long-time tickets holders the first option to retain their seats at the new going price, rather than putting us all in a new line with no idea where we stood.

I am not a football fan, so points, seat licences, etc are new to me.  Frankly I can't conceive of spending $5K per year for football tickets, but I am glad you feel you get your money's worth.  I have been a college basketball fan for more than 30 years and I do understand how money drives college sports.  I think they could have easily devised a system that would have increased revenues while still giving loyal fans the option to keep their seats.  The fact that they didn't try means that they really didn't care about fan loyalty. 

MichiganManOf1961

August 27th, 2012 at 5:41 PM ^

Why?  Because I, like so many others, appreciate continuity, tradition, history, and avoiding the bandwagoning which has overrun college football?  This country has become so enamored with whatever the "shiny new thing" is, we have lost sight of our origins.  I swear, people have started acting like children in a toy store, "I want it and I want it now!". 

Perhaps you don't view the changes as bad now, but we also must have to be able to look forward to see what these minor changes might (and most likely will) bring.  Have you forgotten the Arby's ads?  And what about the monitor outside of Michigan Stadium, I'm sure that was only erected to inform people of when the next women's soccer game is, and not to tell people to buy this week's new Adidas jersey.  You may not like me, and I don't care if you like me, but you must admit that I (and the "faction" you profess to hate) have a point and are standing up for a just and reasonable cause. 

~Herm

93Grad

August 27th, 2012 at 8:52 PM ^

I have a very hard time beleiving that the number of uniform changes were related to anything other than marketing and money, including a change of uniforms 15 minutes before the biggest frickin game of the season which was beyond idiotic and all on Brandon.  

I understand the need to generate revenues but there are certain things that should be exempt from the money grab and I am not sure I completely trust Brandon to strike that ballance appropriately.  

snarling wolverine

August 28th, 2012 at 6:23 PM ^

Whoa.  When did MSU become the biggest game of the season?  Would you honestly have traded a win over MSU for a loss to Ohio?  

Anyhow, I'm not saying all of the jersey changes last year were due to the fit problem, but it definitely exacerbated it.  Adidas definitely did not plan for us to bring back the unpopular  "elephant tusk" uniforms for the last two road games.  We had a situation where basically every road uniform had a problem:

-The "elephant tusks" were acceptable to the players, but unpopular with the fans (and thus Adidas)

-The Northwestern-game uniforms were unpopular with the players because of the fit issue

-The MSU-game uniforms were unpopular with the fans

The bowl game uniforms finally seemed to be acceptable to everyone.  

Assuming we don't have problems with the jersey fit, I think going forward we're probably going to only have one game a year where we wear something different.

 

 

 

inthebluelot

August 27th, 2012 at 9:57 PM ^

You are really starting to sound like a narrow-minded hater of all things progressive.  Let us not forget that you attended one of the most liberal institutions in the country.  When you go on and on about things that have ZERO impact on you as a fan or alumnus, your arguments lose any sort of validity.  So there were multiple uniform changes last year... why is that a problem for you. Did you not like the throwback to white pants that were worn in 1974?  DId you not enjoy the "classic" look of the numbered helmets?  How about the UTL jerseys that featured the striped sleeves that were worn in the early 1900's, you know, when Fielding Yost came a dug a huge hole in the ground.  If you were alive back then, and I'm assuming you weren't, but I can't be sure based on your position, would you have bitched about spending money on the new stadium?

I'm sure you can remember a time when a black QB at Michigan was an odd thing to see.  So, aren't you proud that your university showcases his talents as an athlete as well as his persona as a human being to further the diversity of the program?  Should we be forced to go back to 6'5" white QBs from Cudahy, WI?  Or should the program continue to change and evolve to remain competitive and relevant?  You need to figure out if you want to remain competitive, or remain in the same uniform for every game, because to attract the talent needed to be elite, you need to understand what an 18 year old kid wants in a football program, and you can't have both.

I can poke a million holes in Dave Brandon as well when it comes to his experience and business accumen in the corporate world, but I can tell you that he has made very few errors when it comes to managing facilities, marketing the Michigan brand, and creating new streams of revenue to ensure that the Ath. Dept. continues to operate in the black... despite huge expenditures for facility upgrades.  To blindly hate DB because he changed uniforms is just silly.

Now unless you owned Dominoes stck that took a bath under DBs watch, stop complaining and enjoy the season.  If the uniforms bother you that much, just listen on the radio... it will save you some obvious agony.

MichiganManOf1961

August 27th, 2012 at 10:45 PM ^

What the hell does being "progressive" have anything to damn do with it?  And yes it is now a liberal university, but how exactly do the political stances of the professors and administration play into the ultimately capitalistic beliefs and actions of the current athletic department.  And yes, the uniform changes, addition of advertisements on jerseys, reluctance to support the band, and numerous other actions which have shown where Dave Brandon's true intentions lie do impact me as a fan and as someone who has donated to Michigan.  If you want to accuse me of "going on" about something that has no impact on me as a fan or alumnus" you better just stand up and say that to every person here.  If the jerseys were worn in actual "tribute" to those teams, perhaps, but if you believe anything other than the fact that they were created by a bunch of Germans to make Adidas and the Michigan AD more money, you'd most likely be mistaken. 

And I can't believe you would bring race into the conversation, typical  crap thrown out by someone who actually does consider race.  I have not ONCE ever stated anything about race on this website and you somehow find the audacity to insinuate that I am a racist, perhaps because of my age or my perceived political stances.  Shame on you, though I would expect nothing less from someone of your realm. 

I have simply maintained a reasonable, and as I see it, understandable stance against the complete monetization of the Michigan football program at the expense of it's grand traditions and the core values of the University.  I was shocked today to see people exclaiming that Fitzgerald Toussaint should play against Alabama because "The SEC does it, or that he is obviously sorry and put in effort to correct his actions, or that it isn't that big of a deal."  Well goddamnit, I for one think it is a big goddamn deal for Michigan to hold itself to a higher standard.  If you want to win at all costs, go be a fan of Oregon or Auburn for all I damn care and don't let the door hit your on the way out.  And for God's sake, if you supporters of uniform changes every darn week want to say it helps with recruiting, you better prove it pretty damn quickly because your evidence is nill.  Have a nice night. 

~Herm

inthebluelot

August 28th, 2012 at 9:54 AM ^

I don't know how I could have ever mistaken you for a racist, especially after a comment like... "other than the fact that they were created by a bunch of Germans ". I'm guessing you don't drive a VW??? Also, your political ideaologies are irrelevent on a sports blog, but your hatred of capitalism is certainly evident, and therefor puts you into your box. You should applaud the fact that DB has created new forms of revenue, and not come to your door with his hand out. The money has to come from somewhere, and if having 12 different jerseys makes a kid buy 12 different jerseys to wear and represent Michigan football, so be it. You need to relax on the jersey thing... It's not going to change. There have been several instances where players have noted that they really liked the new jerseys and it creates a buzz with the very age group that DB wants to connect with, and you have lost touch with. If you don't think that getting kids to buy jerseys equates to a lift in recruiting, you're completely out of touch with what is going on.

As for the band, there are many times that the band has not travelled to away games, I'm not sure this is a huge change, but certainly you agree that it costs money to send the band on the road. Money that must come from somewhere, and jerseys are one stream of revenue. While were talking jerseys, there is not and never has been any type of advertising on a Michigan football uniform. Perhaps your heightened blood pressure has you seeing things, but a Nike logo, an Adidas logo, the American flag or the conference logo are not advertisements. They are the brands that are associated with Michigan athletics. The closest thing to advertising are the Bowl sponsor patches, and that is not DBs fault. The only example of ads on jerseys was for the Big Chill, in which case it was a one time "event" which helped to put a focus on a sport that generates little to no revenue, but benefitted from the exposure that the event provided. Again, it was a positive for Michigan, not a negative. You're running out of bullets in your hate gun pal.

inthebluelot

August 28th, 2012 at 10:14 AM ^

5 weeks 4 days ago Bo would've never wanted to
Bo would've never wanted to be deified, he was all about the team.  I don't like the "marquee"... just a Frenchie name for a billboard, something we don't need at the Big House.  Spending $3 million to tell people who Michigan is playing that day, what a grand idea Brandon.
~Herm

Something against the French?

inthebluelot

August 28th, 2012 at 10:19 AM ^

This is not about me young man.  This is about the continuation of traditions and a team which I hold dear to my heart.  I say "young" because your words appear to be quite similar to what I would expect to come from my 14 year granddaughter during an argument when she lacks a proper response, "Whatever".  If you cannot approach a reasonable argument with a reasonable response, please hold your childish repudiations to yourself.
~Herm

So, you dislike Germans, the French, and anyone under
80. You are going to have nobody to talk to soon.

Mr. Yost

August 28th, 2012 at 12:37 PM ^

Your point is terrible.

What does Dave Brandon have to do with that?

It was Brady Hoke's first year coaching and all these changes were made...why not blame him? Brandon was the AD when Rich Rod was here and you didn't see all of the jersey changes.

Point INVALID.

Also, don't you think the PLAYERS would have a say in this somehow? Especially the SENIORS. I mean, they asked for the numbers on the helmets all season.

To place all the blame on Dave Brandon is ridiculous. Especially over jerseys.

I'd say grow up, but...

inthebluelot

August 28th, 2012 at 4:54 PM ^

You hit it on the head!  The jerseys changed, however so slightly, almost every single season for the past decade going way back to Nike in 2000.  I should know, I have every single one of them.  Herm just needs a big hug!

ppToilet

August 27th, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^

The commercialization of college athletics is not new. If you have not read the Carnegie Report of 1929, then that would be a worthwhile place to start. Some would argue that the commercialization has itself become a tradition.

I appreciate that you do not came for the gimmicks nowadays. The kids, however, do care for them. They like different things than those of us who are older and they are the demographic that a bridge is being built to and for.

Ultimately, the product on the field and not the gimmicks will be remembered. Memories will be made and, as you are well aware, selective memories will be made. I do not find fault with Mr. Brandon as long as he does not price the average fan or family out of an experience at Michigan Stadium.

3rdGenerationBlue

August 27th, 2012 at 4:08 PM ^

I was fortunate to get a tour of the Davidson PDC a few weeks ago and came away very impressed. It is a HUGE improvement and will make a big impact on both the men's and women's basketball programs.

StephenRKass

August 27th, 2012 at 5:29 PM ^

Tasteful, classy, sunlight, spacious, useful, what's not to like?

I'm not a design guy, but there's a couple principles I think they followed well.

  • Space is good.
  • Simplicity is good.
  • Light is good.

I love clean lines, judicious use of color, classic materials, plenty of light, especially sunlight, not busy, not cluttered, not kitschy, not dark, not cramped. I think that whoever designed the space hit on all these things.

What was genius, in my mind, was not being limited by keeping the circle / oval of the arena intact. While it is true that the outside symmetry has been somewhat destroyed, the gains are well worth it. There is still the the clear and uncluttered lines of the roof, and there is the circle that is the interior concourse. However, I doubt that hardly anyone used the exterior concourse to walk. Converting this to shopping space, food space, grand entrances, upscale eating space, is absolutely wonderful. Having the right building makes a huge, huge difference. Well done!

Of course, changing the interior lighting, adding the scoreboard, changing the seating, (especially mustard yellow upholstery,) and adding new flooring, as well as the unseen heating/cooling infrastructure, is the most important change that has already largely been made.

snarling wolverine

August 27th, 2012 at 7:43 PM ^

Beautfiul.   In a couple of years we've gone from having some of the worst basketball facilities in the league to possibly the best.  Crisler is effectively going to be a new arena, for much less than the cost of actually building a new one (which many believed was necessary).

 

ThadMattasagoblin

August 27th, 2012 at 10:59 PM ^

I agree with Herm.  To those defending Brandon, were the Bumblebees a good progressive change?  We wore around 7 different uniform combos last year.  Is it that much to ask to wear our normal uniforms like most traditional powers do.  Pretty soon we'll have Arbys logos on our jumbotrons.

ppToilet

August 27th, 2012 at 11:11 PM ^

Not every swing at the plate is going to be a home run. Personally, I don't like all the uniform changes but I do like the fact that we are trying and experimenting with new things. Like playing a night game (which was incredible, no?). Like playing a hockey game in Michigan Stadium. Like upgrading the numerous facilities.

There will be good things and bad things. The only failure would be to sit back and believe that we've reached the pinnacle or that our best years are behind us. Part of Michigan's tradition is being at the forefront of change and being innovators. That's why Fielding Yost poured a foundation that could support 300,000 fans.

BlueGoM

August 28th, 2012 at 1:56 AM ^

Just because something is new and different, it doesn't mean it doesn't suck.  The MSU game jerseys were ... not.  good.  And Brandon isn't "changing things" to try to be new and exciting, he's doing it to bring in money.  Don't pretend he's some sort of visionary.

 

ppToilet

August 28th, 2012 at 5:47 AM ^

It's about the money. And I already agreed about the uniforms.

But college athletics is in no small part a business. And Brandon may indeed turn out to be a visionary as he will have modernized many facilities, brought in new coaches of high caliber, and used the money generated to advance secondary sports. So, when it's all said and done, I think his legacy may be much greater than he is being credited for at this point. Particularly if lacrosse, volleyball and soccer take off.

snarling wolverine

August 28th, 2012 at 7:57 AM ^

I agree that wearing all the road uniforms last year was annoying, but Brandon has said that after the Bama game, we won't wear any one-off uniforms this year.   He's also stated that there will not be advertising in the stadium, so I don't think your slippery slope argument ("Arby's ads on the Jumbotron") will come to pass.

He hasn't done a perfect job, but we've had other ADs run deficits, make bad coaching hires, and neglect facility upgrades.  What's Brandon's big crime?  Football uniform design?  I mean really, come on.  

 

ThadMattasagoblin

August 28th, 2012 at 8:59 PM ^

I don't think you understand me.  I like change when it's good ala night games and new facilities, but I don't get how wearing bars on the back of our uniforms advance the program.

AndArst

September 6th, 2019 at 9:31 AM ^

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