Bartow Arena
Bartow Arena (formerly UAB Arena) is an 8,508-seat multi-purpose arena located on the block between 6th and 7th Avenue South and 13th and 14th Streets on the UAB campus on Birmingham's southside. It is home to the UAB Blazers men's and women's basketball teams.
The 165,000 square-foot arena was designed by Giattina Fisher Aycock and completed for $10.6 million in January 1988. It has 18,000 square feet of floor space on the court level with the lower seats retracted. The permanent seating capacity is 8,508. The largest crowd to witness a basketball game at Bartow Arena was 9,354 on February 5, 2005 vs. Louisville.
On January 25, 1997, the arena was renamed "Bartow Arena" in honor of Gene Bartow, who, as head coach and athletics director, built the UAB basketball program from the beginning and pushed for the construction of an on-campus arena.
In 20 seasons at the arena, the Blazer men are 259-54 (.828) on their home floor. The arena is also used for UAB graduation ceremonies and for concerts and other events.
A concrete sculpture of UAB's "Blaze" dragon mascot was placed outside the arena's south entrance in 2008.