Lawson Arena

With men's ice hockey slated to become a varsity sport at Western in 1973, the university needed to provide a suitable arena for the team. Prior to the arena and varsity status, the team would play their club games at an outdoor ice rink in Kalamazoo near the Crosstown Parkway.[2] On November 15, 1974, Lawson Ice Arena opened its doors for the first time as the Broncos faced off against the Thunderbirds of Algoma University. The arena was named after Harry W. Lawson, a professor at Western Michigan who organized and founded the club hockey team in 1956, which eventually became the school's varsity team.

With the men's hockey team flourishing in the 1980s and early 1990s, the university began with a series of renovations. The first was a $1 million series of upgrades during summer 1993, when a new floor, boards and glass, and cooling system were installed in the arena. This was followed by a $250,000 renovation in 1997, when chair-back seating was added on the south side of the arena, club-style seating on the southwest corner of the arena above the ice resurfacer tunnel, and vinyl bleachers were installed. In 1998, the arena received a new $1 million metal roof, to replace the old, wooden roof. The next upgrade in 2006 was priced at $2.2 million, when both locker rooms were renovated, athletic training rooms were upgraded, and coach's quarters were added along with a film/meeting room.[1] With the resurgence of the program around 2010, the next upgrade was in 2013 with a new scoreboard at center ice along with three video boards placed around the arena. The upgrades were financed by an anonymous donor, who gave the university $1 million for video board upgrades in Lawson and University Arenas.[3]

In summer 2014, a city water main break flooded the basement with 6–8 feet of water, shutting down the arena for a couple weeks while repairs were made. Light damage was reported to the natatorium filtration system, along with the ice cooling system. Safety systems prevented further damage from occurring.[4]

During the summer of 2016, Lawson again saw major renovations. The 25-year-old ice making system was replaced, new boards and glass were brought in, and the ventilation system was given an overhaul. The renovations allowed the arena to become LEEDS (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified.[5]

The arena's record attendance was set on Halloween (October 31), 1987, when a standing-room crowd of 5,168 watched the Broncos take on then CCHA rival, Michigan State.

Within the complex and adjacent to the Lawson Ice Arena is the Gabel Natatorium, which contains an olympic sized swimming pool and diving tank. Home to the WMU club swimming and diving teams, the West Michigan Diving Academy,[11] regional high school swim and dive teams (Hackett Catholic Prep High School, Mattawan High School,[12] the natatorium is also used for lap swim, open swim, WMU for-credit courses offered by the Department of Health, Physical Education & Recreation,[13] scuba lessons, learn-to-swim, engineering challenges,[14] and pool party rental.[15] The Western Michigan Broncos football team utilizes the pool for recovery workouts, rehabilitation, and outreach events.[16] In 2016, the complex underwent a strategic LEED-certified renovation that enabled heat generated from the ice-making process to be captured and utilized for energy and cost-efficient heating of the pool.[17]

• Official website for Lawson Ice Arena and Gabel Natatorium