Demolition, deconstruction of UT's Frank Erwin Center completed

AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- UT's Frank Erwin Center is no more.

The final supporting beams of the Texas Longhorns' former basketball arena were brought down Sunday afternoon, capping off a lengthy deconstruction process that has gone on for much of the last year.

The 500,000-square foot building, which opened in 1977, served as the home for the UT men's and women's basketball teams, until the Moody Center opened in 2022. Countless graduation ceremonies, concerts, and other events also took place at the Drum for years.

The last public event to be held in the facility was a Harlem Globetrotters event in April 2022.

In addition to site cleanup, officials say there is still a lot of work to be done at the site, including the removal of concrete retaining walls, parking structures, and other site management.

The $25 million demolition project will make way for an expansion to UT's Dell Medical School and the creation of the University of Texas at Austin Medical Center, including a partnership with the MD Anderson Cancer Center.