The DeBruce Center was constructed to accommodate several uses, but the primary purpose was to house and display the original Rules of Basketball. The project included construction of the DeBruce Center, which adjoins the famed Allen Fieldhouse, renovations to Allen Fieldhouse and the Booth Family Hall of Athletics, and renovations inside the Allen Fieldhouse Parking Garage. The new facility added 29,000 square feet of new construction and over 30,000 square feet of renovated space in Allen Fieldhouse and the Parking Garage.
This facility’s exterior façade is a combination of structural glass and decorative backlit metal scrim. The structural steel building frame is composed of 40 foot long, large diameter pipe columns which support the roof. Portions of the elevated walkways and floors are hanging from the roof structure by stainless steel rods. The new facility contains a full-service kitchen that is operated by the University of Kansas Memorial Union.
The facility serves as the home to the original 13 rules of basketball written by Dr. James Naismith in 1891. The facility offers expanded services managed by the Union which include retail, dining for 200, Training Table for athletic teams, food service catering and meeting spaces. The connector between the DeBruce Center and Allen Fieldhouse displays the original rules of basketball and tells the story of Dr. James Naismith, Phog Allen and others that have greatly influenced the game since it was founded.
