"Al Lawson Center" | |
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| Location | 1800 Wahnish Way Tallahassee, Florida 32310 |
|---|---|
| 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 ($54.6 million in 2022 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.