Cliff Keen Arena
Home of Wolverine Gymnastics, Volleyball and Wrestling

The site on Hoover Street between the Administration Building and the Intramural Building has been filled by the same structure since 1956. However, the inside of this facility has changed drastically since it was built four decades ago.

In 1956, Matt Mann Pool was constructed as a state-of-the-art building for the perenially powerful Michigan swim team. Constructed at a cost of $828,000, the building was large enough to house a 75x45 foot pool, which was divided into six-seven foot lanes. The height of the ceiling allowed for the building of a diving tower, one of only two in the country at the time of its construction. Standing 27-feet tall, the tower housed one-meter and three-meter boards situated over a 22x45 foot diving well.

Featuring a pair of locker rooms and five "skyboxes" for media use, the building was used by the swim teams until the opening of Canham Natatorium in 1988. Following the departure of the swim teams, a $750,000 renovation began which filled in the pool and converted the building to other uses.

A floor was put in, allowing space for two practice and one match court for volleyball purposes. Michigan's wrestling and gymnastics teams also use the facility, which is surrounded on three sides by bench seating. A scoreboard was added to the west wall early in the 1990's.

Cliff Keen Arena Quick Facts

Completed: 1956
Renovated: 1989
Cost (Original): $828,000
Cost (Renovation): $750,000
Capacity: 1,800
Name Change: Known as Matt Mann Pool from 1956-88, renovated and renamed Varsity Arena in 1989 and rededicated as Cliff Keen Arena on Nov. 15, 1990
First Use: November 2, 1956
First Match: January 2, 1957 -- Men's Swimming and Diving (Michigan 53, North Carolina State 32)
First Match in Cliff Keen: Sept. 8, 1989 -- Volleyball (Michigan 3, Central Michigan 1)
Used By: Swimming and Diving (1956-88), Volleyball (1989-present), Wrestling (1989-present), Women's Gymnastics (1989-present), Men's Gymnastics (1989-present)

Directions

Cliff Keen Arena is located on the corner of South State and Hoover streets on the north end of the athletic campus. It is easily accessible from I-94 at the State Street exit (#177) and can also be reached off the Ann Arbor-Saline exit (#175) or Jackson Road exit (#172).

• U-M Men's Gymnastics
• U-M Women's Gymnastics
• U-M Women's Volleyball
• U-M Men's Wrestling

Last updated: Sunday, 18-Jun-2000 19:15:40 EDT