AUSTIN, Texas — Demolition is officially underway at the Frank Erwin Center on the University of Texas at Austin campus.
The former home of Texas Basketball is being torn down to make way for new medical facilities. Its replacement, the Moody Center, officially opened to the public in April 2022 and in April 2023 celebrated its jam-packed first year.
In May, the UT System’s Board of Regents approved the demolition of the 500,000-square-foot arena and the 44,000-square-foot Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, next door.
On Tuesday, construction crews were spotted on the site.
The demolition project is expected to be finished by October of next year. It's estimated to cost $25 million.
Built in 1977, the Frank Erwin Center served as the arena for Texas men's and women's basketball games, as well as a concert venue and the location for UT's individual college graduations. The Denton A. Cooley Pavilion, built in 2003, has served as a basketball training facility.
In February 2022, the Texas Men's Basketball team played its final game at the Frank Erwin Center. In March, the women's team followed suit. The Frank Erwin Center officially closed in May 2022. Since then, "The Drum" has sat empty.
Once demolition is completed, UT will partner with cancer treatment center MD Anderson to build two new hospitals on campus. The hospitals will be located at The University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, featuring one hospital owned and operated by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and a UT Austin hospital.
MD Anderson's partnership with UT Austin will help raise the profile of Dell Medical School and greatly expand medical availability in the city. The UT MD Anderson hospital will be fully staffed by MD Anderson physicians.