I helped construct Nationwide Arena, Value City Area, Huntington Park and renovate Ohio Stadium and St John Arena. All the brick around Nationwide Arena and landscaping around the others I did. Thanks for sharing this video!
As an old Columbus resident I am glad you included the Barn/Coliseum. That place was a mecca of high school basketball for decades, and I spent many March days and nights in that old drafty place with the wonky floor. It has also hosted monster truck rallies and jet ski races. The Schott, which is how most of us refer to Value City Arena, was a terrible move for OSU basketball. They did fill it up for years, and with a new coach will probably fill it again going forward, but it does not have anywhere near the atmosphere that old St John Arena had. It's funny we were so happy to get a new arena, then when it opened - it was terrible and now most of us old timers desperately want OSU basketball to move back to St John. The lesson here is - spend the money to update a historical basketball arena, but do NOT build a "multipurpose" arena for your basketball team,.
Fun fact about St. John from an ohio state student-athlete. The stadium is now a weight room for olympic sports athletes. And the scoreboard is gone. The wood floor is replaced by rubber and scarlet and grey turf. GO BUCKS!
I played dozens of hockey games at Taft during my high school years. It was the most humid/warm rink I've played in, even in the coldest winter months. The glass was commonly somewhat fogged up. Still fun to play in that big of a space though.
Interesting fact about St.John's arena; in the 1980s the university had to forbid the fans from doing the clapping and stomps of Queen's "We Will Rock You" because it matched the resonant frequency of the upper stands raising serious fibrations causing fears that if the fans kept it that the upper seating bowl may collapse.
The Ice Rink is connected to St Johns via tunnel. You can see it in the video of St Johns when he covers the arena...it also only holds like 800 people.
The capacity in there does not meet the threshold he has. It doesn't even fit 1,000 people. I guess he could've mentioned it when talking about St. John's though.
Ohio State Marching Band member here. I’ve got a little more information about St. John Arena. As of now, St. John is used pretty much exclusively by the band for a pep rally called Skull Session, which takes place two hours before kickoff on football Saturdays. We play the music to our traditional pregame and our halftime show for the week, both as a rehearsal and concert. Unfortunately, it is due for demolition at the end of the football season, and a new state of the art ice hockey complex will be built in its place.
@@spg5658 I have no idea where you're from but are you from the Philadelphia area? I'm trying to figure out your reason to say something about Philly ly like that
@@ericroundtree8180Not from there but have visited many times (prior to 2020). It was a wonderful fun place but since 2020 the crime has been out of control by choice, really. The Social Justice movement that exploded in 2020 ruined what was a cool place that was relatively safe in many areas . Very sad now
I don't truly believe you're ever been to Philly and to bring up 2020 as a representation of Philadelphia is wrong. I honestly think that you saw stuff or on TV online to have a opinion like this.
@@ericroundtree8180 @ericroundtree8180 I follow crime stats very carefully all across USA. What has happened in Philly is almost exactly like Chicago, where, prior to 2020, there were known safe areas and known bad areas and good folks could just avoid the bad areas and have a great time. They used to be two very fun cities. Been to both many times. Now, even in "good areas" like Centre City, you see crime that you never saw before 2020. The City would not tolerate it and for good reason. Same in Chicago. To see crime now on the North side is so sad. Used to be safe as any place in USA. Similar in Baltimore, DC, San Fran, etc. Terrible.
So Value City was built with the Blue Jackets in mind, just not in the way you might think; it was Ohio State's last despreate attempt to keep the NHL out of Columbus. They thought that if they built an NHL sized arena and forbade its use by the league, that expansion would die. They didnt predict Nationwide just building an arena anyway
Dwight Yoakum plays a musical genre called the Bakersfield Sound. The Horseshoe has to be the best of the lot on this vid but disagree it is not as good as the Big House.
For this Miami Boy, I will never like anything Ohio State, or Columbus... January 3rd 2003 Look it up my friends, a Football Crime was committed by a referee who gave them a national championship over my Miami Hurricanes.... With that being said, great video, and I hate Columbus, and Ohio State. 😁
@@devinmackey83 OK that's it you are not allowed to be my friend, and not allowed to visit Miami of Florida, OR Miami of Ohio (Our cousins) Ever again! there that's what you get!!!
Fun fact - inside the roof of the Ohio Stadium rotunda are maize and blue flowers, Michigan colors. Legend was that it was because OSU lost a bet when Michigan throttled them in the Stadium's dedication game in 1922, but the colors were actually approved before construction. Also, it was Michigan's marching band that actually taught the famous Script Ohio to Ohio State's band. Buckeyes are indebted to That School Up North more than they're willing to admit.
