This 400,000 square foot multipurpose facility was established on January 6, 1996. Just across the street from Beaver Stadium on Curtin Road, the 16,000 seat arena is known for hosting “circuses, sports exhibitions, family shows, commencements, lectures, and Big Ten Basketball, as well as some of the top-name performers in the music entertainment industry.” Not to mention, it’s the location of THON’s 46-hour dance marathon weekend.

In the upper level of seating area, on the left side if facing the stage area, there is a hovering ladder above the camera platform. After a series of ladders, I arrived 80 feet above the court floor on the catwalk. The view from there alone was intriguing enough as I looked down through the steel bar platform to examine the entire arena. From this level, I was adjacent to the new HD scoreboard, but at the time it was on the court floor undergoing maintenance check. Maneuvering through a maze of cable cords and boxes of what I assumed to be more cable cords, I walked the entire catwalk just to get to the center of the whole arena where a 50 foot ladder would take me to the roof. It wasn’t so much of the 130 foot drop that made me nervous; it was more of not being able to distinguish where to place my footing as I looked down  since the ladder blended in with the platform below.

Once on top, I was greeted with wind-gusts of icy rain from all directions. As you can tell from the sidewalk view looking up, the roof is at a downward slant. Being that the roof already collected a layer of icy rain, I kept safe and stayed at the center. Along with being told that I was one of the few people who have ever been on the roof of the BJC, I was also told that the best time to enjoy this view would be for the 4th of July firework show held at Beaver Stadium. Good luck trying to get a seat.