Stadium Name: | W.L. Zorn Arena |
Location: | 105 Garfield Ave. Eau Claire, WI 54702 |
Opened: | 1952 |
Owner: | UW-Eau Claire |
Operator: | UW-Eau Claire |
Tenants: | UW-Eau Claire Blugold Men & Women's Basketball (WIAC) |
Seating Capacity: | 3,300 |
Publictransit: | ECT: |
W. L. Zorn Arena, more commonly known as Zorn Arena, is an arena located on the campus of UW-Eau Claire in Eau Claire, WI. The facility is home to the UW-Eau Claire Blugold Men's & Women's Basketball teams, UW-Eau Claire commencement ceremonies and other events (concerts, visiting artists and lecturers). As the home for men's and women's intercollegiate basketball, Zorn Arena seats nearly 2,500, with a total seating capacity with floor seating of 3,300.[1]
Concerts at the Zorn Arena include Johnny Cash in '74, Stevie Ray Vaughan in '85 (he died years later in a helicopter crash in WI), Tony Bennett in '92, The Wallflowers in '97 (with Bob Dylan's son), The Verve Pipe (from MI) in '97, Canadian comedian Howie Mandel in '97, Third Eye Blind with Smash Mouth in '98, Chicago band OK Go in '09, Eau Claire's Bon Iver in 2011 (for 2 nights), American Idol contestant and country singer Danny Gokey from Milwaukee in '16, and MisterWives (with a female singer) in '18, and St. Paul indie band Hippo Campus in 2019.
The facility is named for Willis "Bill" L. Zorn, UW-Eau Claire's former dean of men, director of athletics and head basketball coach. Zorn Arena is part of a larger complex that includes three adjoining facilities: Zorn Arena, C.J. Brewer Hall, the Earl S. Kjer Theatre.[2]