The University of Maine’s $170 million Athletics Facilities Master Plan takes a big step forward after the fall 2025 semester when construction begins on the new Morse Arena, a 2,660-seat basketball venue in the heart of Orono, Maine, the campus’ athletics village.
University officials plan to open the arena during the 2027-28 basketball season, giving fans a new home for NCAA men’s and women’s basketball while also providing Maine athletes with a new sports medicine and sports performance space.
“This facility will not only strengthen our athletic programs,” says Joan Ferrini-Mundy, president of the University of Maine, “but it will also serve as a source of pride and a great gathering place for the university and the state of Maine.”
Through a $170 million investment from the Harold Alfond Foundation and a $10 million donation from 1964 University of Maine graduates Phillip and the late Susan Morse, the new rink will be located on the south end of Alfond Stadium and Morse Field.
Kristian Kowal, principal of architect WBRC Inc. of Bangor, Maine, tells ENR that the location helps frame and elevate the athletics village on the south end of campus to create a “cohesive and visually striking athletic district.”
Rendering courtesy of the University of Maine
The key challenge in building the arena, Chris Brown, project executive for construction management Consigli, tells ENR is logistics, with the arena site in the middle of an active campus center with tight boundaries. Surrounded by major campus features and resources, including a football stadium to the north, a hockey rink to the west, a major campus artery on Long Road to the south and critical infrastructure and access points to the east, construction will require “extensive planning and coordination.”
Consigli has worked on more than 15 projects on University of Maine campuses over the past seven years, including a recently completed New Balance soccer and field complex. “The new Morse Arena marks the next chapter in UMaine’s transformative athletics and facilities master plan,” says Brown.
Kristian Kowal, principal of architect WBRC Inc. of Bangor, Maine, tells ENR that the location helps frame and elevate the athletics village on the south end of campus to create a “cohesive and visually striking athletic district.”
Morse Arena’s design features a glass corner to mark the main entrance that sits above the lobby while anchored with traditional campus brick and granite. “The design frames views of the iconic ‘M’ on the west facade of Memorial Gymnasium and completes a semi-enclosed quad along with the nearby Shawn Walsh Hockey Center and Alfond Arena,” says Kowal. “Although each building employs a different architectural language, together they celebrate and define the entrance to the athletics village.”
Inside, the area offers a multi-level fan experience with a grand two-story staircase from the lobby to the concourse where the bowl awaits. An outdoor terrace and luxury clubhouse can accommodate more than 300 guests and will serve multiple functions, from an event space to a team space. It also overlooks the football field.
Inside, the area offers a multi-level fan experience with a grand two-story staircase from the lobby to the concourse where the bowl awaits.
Rendering courtesy of the University of Maine
Kowal says that by using the existing “Pit” as a context, the goal was for all fans to feel connected to the action, both visually and physically. “The key to this was creating a bowl without columns,” says Kowal.
Morse Arena will become the new home of the school’s men’s and women’s NCAA Division 1 basketball teams, equipped to accommodate more than 2,600 fans with a combination of chair, bleacher and courtside seating, including retractable side seats to open up more space for practice suites, kitchens, concessions and a 4,000-square-foot fan club area for community events. meetings, celebrations and matchday viewing options for both football and basketball.
The lobby will feature a new box office and administrative offices and will be marked with the history of Black Bear athletics.
The basketball teams will have new locker rooms, a movie theater and dedicated dining and nutrition areas. The athletic performance area serving multiple varsity sports will measure more than 6,000 square feet. The arena will house new offices for the basketball coaches and a new football operations center with direct stair access to Morse Field.
The new visitor locker room will be open to high school and youth programs that plan to use the space for special events and tournaments.
“We are excited,” says Jude Killy, Maine’s director of athletics, “to provide our programs with the high-caliber basketball facilities this state deserves.”
