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with excavators that broke up the concrete, that sheared the steel and separated out the materials to enhance a lot of the recycling efforts that went into this project." Renascent removed non-essential ele- ments out of the building, non-structural, non-load bearing walls and other things on the interior that were not helping it stand. The idea was to strip the arena to the bare frame and then further weaken it by drilling holes before loading the explosives. Campbell explained there were compli- cations that Renascent discovered in their initial evaluation of the structure that forced them to go with the implosion option. "U-Hall was a building that as we were looking at this project initially, we really had to consider from an engineering stand- point how we wanted to bring the structure down," he noted. "The building wasn't so tall that we couldn't reach it, it wasn't so large that we didn't have the excavators for doing it, but there was a portion of this structure that had been altered. "At the top of a lot of dome structures, there is a reed beam … and that's a post- tension structural element to the top that gives support to the actual dome itself. This structure had been altered at some time after its initial construction." Because the reed beam had been changed, the engineers decided to drop the build- ing by implosion versus mechanical means. Specialized curtains were strategically placed in and around U-Hall to limit flying debris and control the dust and other parti- cles during the explosion. With several other structures and practice facilities around the arena, Campbell said protecting those areas was paramount. "When we look at a building, we have to look at are we trying to protect buildings, are we trying to protect infrastructure, are we trying to protect elements that can't be moved?" he explained. "In this particular one, there was the McCue Center on the back side that has an electrical transformer that is very, very close to this structure. "The McCue building itself is close and we have all of the practice facilities that are very close." Here is a look back at some of the most notable moments at University Hall: Nov. 13, 1965 — University Hall opens with a concert by the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra. Dec. 4, 1965 — An announced crowd of 8,000 watches the first basketball game at U-Hall, with UVA falling 99-73 to eventual national runner-up Kentucky. The Wildcats' Louie Dampier scored the first basket in the arena, while Pat Riley propelled the UK victory with a game-high 29 points. Dec. 11, 1968 — The Wahoos post their first-ever win over a ranked team in U-Hall by taking down No. 9 Duke 81-75. Feb. 15, 1969 — UVA tops Maryland 84-78 in the arena's first televised contest. Jan. 11, 1971 — BARRY PARKHILL drained the game-winning jump shot to defeat No. 2 South Carolina 50-49. The victory launched the Cavaliers in to the Associated Press top 20 for the first time. Dec. 11, 1971 — Parkhill scores a U-Hall and school-record 51 points in a 117-83 triumph over Baldwin-Wallace. Dec. 12, 1973 — Virginia defeats Old Do- minion 46-40 in the home opener of its in- augural women's basketball season. Nov. 30, 1979 — Ralph Sampson made his collegiate debut in U-Hall and scored 17 points in a 95-58 victory versus Johns Hopkins. Jan. 25, 1981 — Sampson dominates Ohio State with a career-high 40 points. The na- UNIVERSITY HALL MEMORIES JUNE 2019 13 Since its first game on Dec. 4, 1965 (above), University Hall has hosted historic moments and tran- scendent players, such as three-time National Player of the Year Ralph Sampson (right). PHOTOS COURTESY UVA