Assembly Hall getting new $2M roof

The Hoosiers are getting another addition — but not to the roster.

The IU board of trustees announced Friday that Assembly Hall will get a new roof.

Because of persistent leaks and after years of temporary repairs, the board authorized IU Athletics to spend the funds, about $2 million, needed to strip the roof down to its decking and replace the 40-year-old top with a new insulated membrane roof.

“It has finally reached the point where we can’t find all the leaks and can’t stop them,” said Assistant Athletics Director for Facilities Chuck Crabb. “The membrane of the roof has just reached its life expectancy.”

While this is not the first time attempts have been made to repair the roof, this is the first time that it will be replaced entirely.

“If you were to go onto the roof, you would see that we have two or three different summers attempted to work in each quadrant of the building, trying to chase the leaks as best we could,” Crabb said.

IU Athletics Director Fred Glass said engineers were hired to evaluate the roof back in the fall. They said while there was no immediate danger, they would have to fix the roof after basketball season.

“If it wasn’t addressed fairly immediately, it could evolve into a public safety issue,” Glass said.

Crabb said many basketball fans have had to endure the leaks during games.
“There’s a lot of inconvenience for patrons attending events because it rains on them,” he said.

The construction will be done during the summer and will be finished by the time players resume practice.

Glass said there have been leaks during the current basketball season that have affected people in the stands, but the leaks have not hit the court or affected the players.

Most of the leaks came earlier in the season during heavy rainfall or when the snow began to thaw.

Glass said while the department does not have specific funding dedicated to this repair, it’s something that must be done.

“If the furnace in the house breaks, you can’t let the kids freeze,” he said. “It’s part of being the owner and operator of buildings, and we’ll get it figured out. The important thing is to get it done.”