Over the last two years, Longwood and Farmville have watched the Joan Perry Brock Center rise and take shape. Countless students, faculty, and visitors have peeked through construction fencing to peer inside the steel girders and imagine a basketball floor and packed stands.
On Friday, Aug. 25, the vision that was announced in 2019 will become a reality. The Joan Perry Brock Center will celebrate its grand opening in front of the building’s white façade at 10 a.m.
The entire Longwood and Prince Edward communities are invited to join President W. Taylor Reveley IV as the building is officially opened.
The Joan Perry Brock Center is going to be a place for the community to gather for decades to come, not only at basketball games, but for concerts, ceremonies, speakers, and other events.
President W. Taylor Reveley IV Tweet This
After the ribbon is cut, the public is invited to experience the building for the first time on self-guided tours—exploring the wraparound seating and intimate environment that has the feel of a classic college arena like Duke’s Cameron Indoor or Kansas’s Allen Fieldhouse.
“The Joan Perry Brock Center is going to be a place for the community to gather for decades to come, not only at basketball games, but for concerts, ceremonies, speakers, and other events,” said Reveley. “It has limitless potential as a venue for not only the university community but also for the town and region. I cannot wait to see the excitement on our students faces as they walk through the doors for the first time.”
More than a basketball arena the Joan Perry Brock Center is a convocation hall, concert venue, and performance forum. This will be the inaugural year of Convocation—with its annual tradition of capping seniors with decorated mortarboards—being held in the center. And already plans are underway to host a slate of concerts and comedy performances in the arena this academic year.
The basketball seasons will kick off in conjunction with Homecoming on November 11, with the first game played on the new floor. Season schedules will be announced in the coming weeks.
A signature feature of the seating plan is floor-level bleachers for students directly behind the team benches, where the loudest and most energetic student fans—the Lancer Lunatics—will stand and spur the team on with chants and cheers. Students, who will have free admittance to basketball games, will also sit under the west basket, where opponents’ foul shots will be met with distractions of all sorts.
The rest of the bowl is available for season ticket holders and single-game visitors in padded seats. Concessions, merchandise store, and the box office are located on the first-level concourse.
Season tickets are currently on sale at go.longwood.edu/seasontickets which guarantees a padded seat for all men’s and women’s home basketball games for the 2023-24 season. Single game tickets will go on sale later this fall.
The Joan Perry Brock Center was announced in 2019 with the largest gift in Longwood’s 180-year history, a $15 million commitment from philanthropist Joan Perry Brock ’64, who will speak at this month’s ribbon cutting.
With its 3,000-person capacity and classic design, the Joan Perry Brock Center instantly elevates Longwood’s arena to among the best places to play not only in the Big South Conference, but among mid-major schools on the East Coast.
Both of our basketball programs are gaining respect as premier mid-major teams. Now they will play home games in a premier arena that will be as loud and energetic as any you’ll find.
Tim Hall, Longwood athletics director Tweet This
“Both of our basketball programs are gaining respect as premier mid-major teams,” said Tim Hall, Longwood athletics director. “Now they will play home games in a premier arena that will be as loud and energetic as any you’ll find. I can’t say enough about what this building means to our athletics department and student experience. We’re grateful to Joan Perry Brock for her generosity and look forward to breaking in the building with exciting Longwood basketball.”
Longwood basketball’s former home court, Willett Hall, saw more than 1,000 games played on its hardwood from 1980-2023. In 2022, both men’s and women’s basketball teams played to packed crowds as they put themselves in position to secure Longwood’s first-ever NCAA Tournament berths. Willett Hall was also home to the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate.
Q&A
Where is the Joan Perry Brock Center located?
The Joan Perry Brock Center is in the center of Brock Commons between Dorrill Dining Hall and Willett Hall, a central location on campus and within walking distance of Downtown Farmville. We chose that location so that it’s another focal point of activity, energy, and Longwood spirit in the heart of campus.
What makes the Joan Perry Brock Center special?
The exterior design of the arena fits in seamlessly with the Jeffersonian architecture of the historic corridor of campus, and size-wise feels like a natural neighbor to the buildings on Brock Commons. Inside, it’s a classic collegiate arena complete with modern amenities that puts the student experience front and center. The best seats in the house are reserved for our most passionate student fans, and the feel will make it a premier arena in the Big South.
It’s much more than a basketball arena. The center’s capacity will make it a destination for musicians, speakers, comedians, and other performers for years to come—opportunities our students and community haven’t had until now.
Where can I park for events at the Joan Perry Brock Center?
Guests who purchase reserved parking spaces will be assigned to Reserved Lot A, B, or C. Reserved Lot A will be the Brock Commons parking garage. Reserved Lot B is the lot between Greenwood Library and Wygal Hall. Reserved Lot C is the CSTAC lot behind that building.
Regular event parking will be marked in commuter and visitor lots along Wynne Drive on the south end of campus, and in lots on Putney Street, just a block away from the Joan Perry Brock Center.
View more event parking details
How do I enter the building?
The main entrance to the Joan Perry Brock Center is through the doors on Brock Commons.
For basketball games, students enter through the side doors that face Willett Hall.
How many seats are in the Joan Perry Brock Center?
For basketball games, seating capacity is 3,000 fans.
For concerts and other events, capacity is determined by stage setup and floor seating, but is typically between 2,500 and 3,000.
How do I purchase tickets for an event at the Joan Perry Brock Center?
Basketball season tickets are on sale now at go.longwood.edu/seasontickets, and single game tickets will go on sale this fall.
Ticketed non-basketball events will vary and will be shared as events are announced.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 72,000 – square footage of the Joan Perry Brock Center
- 3,000 – seating capacity for Longwood basketball games
- 96 – courtside seats
- 10 – width in feet of the 360-degree video board that hangs above the floor
- 4 – luxury boxes at the corners of the arena
- 2- concession stands in the main concourse
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