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Virginia Tech Selling Cassell Coliseum Seats

By Justin Cates

Jan 24, 2016; Blacksburg, VA, USA; A general panoramic view inside of Cassell Coliseum prior to the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 75-70. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2016; Blacksburg, VA, USA; A general panoramic view inside of Cassell Coliseum prior to the game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and North Carolina Tar Heels. North Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 75-70. Mandatory Credit: Michael Shroyer-USA TODAY Sports /
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If you’ve ever wanted to own a piece of Cassell Coliseum, now is your chance.

Portions of Cassell’s seating will be replaced as part of an upcoming facelift to the facility which opened in 1962. Some of the original wooden seats will be replaced by larger, cushioned seats that include cupholders.

Rather than simply toss those old chair backs away, the Virginia Tech athletics department has decided to allow Tech fans to purchase the seats in sections of two.

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Each pair of seats will cost $375 and the proceeds will go toward further improvements of the Cassell fan experience.

Due to the weight of the seats, no delivery option is available and they will have to be picked up in Blacksburg between June 8 & 11.

The facility is so named for Stuart K. Cassell, who served as Virginia Tech’s business officer and later school vice president. Cassell was able to convince the virginia state legislature to approve an 8,000-seat arena to replace War Memorial Gym.

Construction of the coliseum began in 1961 and thanks to some creative project management, capacity was increased. According to the official school bio on the facility, Cassell found a seat manufacturer that made narrower seats than was standard at the time. That meant an additional 2,000 fans could jam in, pushing the official capacity to just over 10,000.

The original cost of construction came to $2.7 million. That’s approximately $21.2 million in 2017 money.

The seats were stripped of original paint in 2001-02, and refinished as natural wood. Those are the seats which lucky fans with some spare change can add to their homes.

Over the last decade, the athletic department states it has spent roughly $10 million in various capital improvements to Cassell. Most noticable were the concrouse upgrades prior to the 2003-04 season and the high-defintion HokieVision LED display boards installed in 2013.

You can obtain more information about purchasing seats at http://www.hokiesports.com/cassellseats/.