By the time students come back to school this fall, things north of Lincoln Highway will look different as the structure of NIU’s new arena takes form.

The arena is still on budget and will hold to its schedule for a fall 2002 opening, arena director John Gordon said.

On March 7, the first concrete was poured, and it will continue to be laid quickly and steadily until August. After that, workers will start putting in steel.

“A ringbeam, which will support the outside of the roof, is being put in,” Gordon said. “We are also pouring the walls for the locker rooms, the gymnasium and dressing rooms.”

The cost of the facility, $35.8 million, hasn’t changed.

“You can see significant change in August,” Gordon said. “By November, we’ll be closing up and working on the inside.”

Seating up to 10,000 people, the arena will be the new home of Huskie athletic events such as basketball, volleyball, track and wrestling. It also will be used for concerts, family shows, job fairs and other NIU events.

The size is 215,000 square feet, with more than 45,000 square feet of floor space.

Plans for the arena were approved by the NIU Board of Trustees on Jan. 14, 1999. Once the Illinois Board of Higher Education approved the project that October, construction was slated.

Those interested can look at the progress of the building through a Web camera at www.convocenter.niu.edu.