Photo Album - Echols Hall Floor Renovations

NORFOLK, Va. – Work recently finished on the handicap lift in the southeast corner of Joseph Echols Hall, wrapping up a full summer's worth of construction that also included the complete overhaul of the basketball floor.
 
A year after replacing the original wooden bleachers in the top levels of the gym with chair back seating, NSU replaced the entire floor system this summer. Like the bleachers, the old floor system in Echols was also an original from the arena's opening in 1982.
 
From the seats to the floors to the doors, NSU's basketball arena has seen numerous overhauls the last several years that make it one of the better arenas in the MEAC.
 
"I am extremely excited about the enhancements to Echols Hall. With the installation of the new floor and elevator lift, Norfolk State University has made significant progress in upgrading the arena in which the men's and women's basketball teams as well as the women's volleyball team compete," said Athletics Director Marty L. Miller. "The completion of this project and the replacement of the wooden bleachers in both the upper and lower levels of Echols Hall with chair back seating have created a great deal of excitement among our student-athletes and fans.
 
"Echols Hall is a beautiful facility and it reflects our commitment in improving all phases of the athletics program. I am happy to be a part of the growth that athletics is experiencing on the Division I level."
 
After years of sanding and wear and tear, NSU replaced the entire floor and sub-floor – the part that anchors into the concrete base – over the course of the summer. The old, rigid flooring system was replaced with a new "floating" floor, which provides move give and thus can lessen the potential for injuries.
 
Workers also installed conduits in the floor for current and future use. They now carry power to the goalposts and wires to run from there to the scorer's table, eliminating the exposed wires that used to be laid down on top of the floor and covered by rugs. The conduits were also built to provide wiring for a new sound and video board system down the road.
 
The basketball floor includes the same design as before. New this year, though, are four NSU Spartan Head logos, which were painted onto the floor near each of the four corner entrances. The university's insignia was placed on the floor by the arena's main entrance.
 
The doors and frames inside the arena were also painted and new tiling was put down between those doors and the actual wooden floor.
 
The elevator lift, located inside the arena near the southeast entrance doors, will provide access for individuals to the upper level of the gym, including handicap seating and concessions.
 
Also this summer, crews remodeled the football locker room in Gill Gymnasium. New carpet was put in, lockers were painted, a new ventilation system was installed, and new furniture was brought in for the players.
 
Netting was also installed recently behind the goalposts at Dick Price Stadium.