Hinkle Fieldhouse Illustration

Here’s the newest — an 11″ x 17″ Pen & Ink illustration of the Hinkle Fieldhouse Arena on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana. This detailed black and white line artwork offers a handsome, distinctive look that fits well with this architecturally interesting building.

Nicknamed “Indiana’s Basketball Cathedral”, the impressive Hinkle Fieldhouse is the venue for the University’s Butler Bulldogs basketball and volleyball home games, and has been one of the country’s great sports arenas for more than eight decades. When it was constructed in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, and retained that title for twenty years. Originally named “Butler Fieldhouse”, the name of the facility was changed to “Hinkle Fieldhouse” in 1966, in honor of Paul “Tony” Hinkle, Butler’s renowned athletic director and basketball coach for 41 seasons.  The original seating capacity was 15,000, and after renovations in the 1990’s and a major $36 million dollar one in the summer of 2014, the current capacity is 9,100. In addition to the interior state-of-the-art upgrades, the most recent renovation included the replacement of over 9,700 window panes with energy efficient glass, and the tuckpointing of 282,000 bricks — quite an undertaking! Most importantly, the fans were delighted to find that the designers managed to upgrade the facility without compromising or losing the rich, historic feel everyone loved.

In addition to basketball and volleyball games, the Hinkle Fieldhouse has hosted seven U.S. Presidents, a Nobel Laureate, and other civic leaders, lectures, and commencement ceremonies. It was also featured in the 1986 movie “Hoosiers”,  one of the most beloved sports movies ever made.

The Hinkle Fieldhouse was named to the National Register of Historic Places in 1983, and declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987. It was truly an honor to portray this magnificent building.