I guess I’m old. I can clearly remember when the Dean E Smith Student Activity Center, aka The Dean Dome, opened. I wasn’t even that young – I was in high school.
And now that building is turning 20 and is considered “middle-aged.”
As far as basketball arenas go, the Dean Dome is a pretty good one. It doesn’t have nearly the charm or energy of Cameron or Allen Fieldhouse at Kansas, but it is still a great place to watch the game. With all of the cushy seats and staid old fans, it can feel a little stuffy, but all those banners (they are everywhere – for league championships, national championships, honored jerseys, retired numbers, etc.) and all of that baby blue reminds you that you are somewhere special. I like to hear that there are no plans on replacing the building and that they think it can last for decades to come. There’s nothing like history to make a building feel really special.