Named for the late Roy Carver, a long-time supporter of the University of Iowa, Carver-Hawkeye Arena, one of the 25 largest university-owned facilities in the nation, opened in January of 1983 and underwent a multi-million dollar facelift that was completed in September, 2011.The Carver-Hawkeye Arena Addition and Renovation Project included a practice facility immediately north of the Arena for use by the UI's men's basketball, women's basketball and volleyball programs; renovation of the practice, fitness and weight-training facilities utilized by the UI's national championship wrestling program; renovation and expansion of other fitness and weight-training space in the Arena utilized by the majority of Iowa's 24 sports teams; the renovation and expansion of locker rooms in the facility; and the renovation of existing and the creation of new office, meeting, and storage space for use by administrative and coaching staff of the UI Athletics Department. This building received a 1984 American Institute of Architects Honor Award. In 2004, the Iowa Chapter of the AIA named Carver-Hawkeye Arena as one of the top one hundred buildings erected in the state of Iowa in the twentieth century. (courtesy hawkeyesports.com)
Roy J. Carver
1909 - 1981
Achievements
- Industrialist and philanthropist
- Earned a B.S. in engineering from the University of Illinois in 1934
- Married Lucille A. (Young) Carver in 1942 and the two became well-known benefactors
- Roy Carver began making high-quality contractor pumps in the 1930s at the Carver Pump Co. in Matherville, Ill., and later in Muscatine. Carver Foundry Products was established in the 1950s to supply molds for Carver Pump
- He was chairman and founder of the internationally successful Bandag Inc., which made a tire-retreading material and had operations in 90 countries. The company was later sold by the Carver family to Bridgestone Corporation in 2007 and became Bridgestone Bandage Tire Solutions
- Carver left one-quarter of his wealth for the purpose of a charitable trust, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, located in Muscatine, Iowa. It became the largest philanthropic foundation in Iowa
- In addition to supporting UI athletics, the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust supports University of Iowa healthcare, biomedical and scientific research, scholarships, and other programs including the "Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine", the Carver Biomedical Research Building, Carver Pavilion, and the Carver River Research and Education Facility
Building Information
Street Address
1 Elliott Drive
Year built
1983
Additional building information