Petersen Events Center - Home of the Oakland Zoo

Stop on University of Pittsburgh Campus Walk, a free self-guided tour.

You've reached the top of the hill and the home of Pitt basketball. The Petersen Events Center opened on April 27, 2002, cost $119 million and seats 12,508 fans for games.

This hilltop has been a sports landmark for a century. The arena sits on part of the site of Pitt Stadium, where Panthers football played from 1925 to 1999. Today the football team plays across town on the North Shore, while basketball, concerts and commencement-sized crowds come here.

If you end up at Pitt, you'll want to know about the Oakland Zoo. That's the student cheering section, named for the neighborhood, packed with students in gold shirts right across from the team benches and doing its loud best to rattle visiting teams.

Unless there's an event, the arena is closed to visitors, so enjoy it from the plaza and catch your breath after the climb.

Did you know?: Before Pitt Stadium opened in 1925, Pitt football played at Forbes Field, the ballpark whose wall you'll see near the end of this walk.

Photo op: Stand back on the plaza far enough to fit the whole arena front in one frame.

Accessibility: The approach up the hill is steep, but the plaza around the arena is level and paved. Exterior-only unless you're attending an event.