Erv Thompson: Reynolds Coliseum more than a museum
The Sept. 29 letter “Expensive showcase” about N.C. State’s Reynolds Coliseum was both misleading and inaccurate. The writer said, “Reynolds is no longer the home of the Wolfpack.” Wrong! Reynolds never was “the home of the Wolfpack,” it was the home of Wolfpack basketball.
The writer also said, “It’s a museum piece now – $35 million for a coliseum they don’t even use anymore.” Wrong again! It’s now the beautiful home of Wolfpack women’s basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and wrestling. The renovated Reynolds will be used more than ever before.
Reynolds truly is a historic building, the best of its kind in its day. But when buildings become old and outlive their original intent, choices have to be made. We can tear them down, or we can renovate them for continued use.
In a stroke of brilliance, N.C. State decided to do the latter. The university preserved the historic nature of the building while making it a showplace for four lesser-known, but very important, Olympic sports.
It truly is a thing of beauty, as well as a fully functional sports facility ... just different sports this time around.
Erv Thompson
Raleigh
This story was originally published September 30, 2016 at 3:55 PM with the headline "Erv Thompson: Reynolds Coliseum more than a museum."