"Al Lawson Center" | |
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Location | 1800 Wahnish Way Tallahassee, Florida 32310 |
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Coordinates | 30°25′28″N 84°17′26″W / 30.424318°N 84.290473°W |
Owner | Florida A&M University |
Operator | Florida A&M University |
Capacity | 9,639 (basketball) |
Surface | Hardwood |
Construction | |
Broke ground | July 27, 2007 |
Opened | April 4, 2009 (basketball) |
Construction cost | $40 Million ($56.8 million in 2023 dollars [1]) |
Architect | Williams-Russell & Johnson, Inc Akin & Associates Architects, Inc. |
Project manager | Turner Construction |
General contractor | F.L. Crane & Sons |
Tenants | |
Florida A&M Rattlers athletics |
The Alfred Lawson Jr. Multipurpose Center and Teaching Gymnasium (known as the Al Lawson Center) is a 9,639-seat multi-purpose arena in Tallahassee, Florida on the Campus of Florida A&M University. [2] It was built in 2009 and it is home to the Florida A&M men's and women's basketball teams and women's volleyball team. The arena replaced Jake Gaither Gymnasium, which is a 3,365-seat multi-purpose arena. The Al Lawson Center is the second biggest arena in Tallahassee, behind the 12,500-seat Donald L. Tucker Civic Center. [3][ failed verification] The official ribbon cutting ceremony was April 8, 2009. [4]
The center is named for Congressman Al Lawson, himself a former FAMU basketball player, who was instrumental in getting the funding for this center and other buildings on the campus of Florida A&M University during his tenure in the Florida Legislature. [5]
The Al Lawson Center is the 3rd largest arena in the Florida Panhandle, and is often used as an alternative to the much larger and older Donald L. Tucker Center.[ citation needed] It was the Tallahassee stop of actress/singer/native Floridian Ariana Grande's Honeymoon Tour in 2015.