Walter Pyramid
The California State University campus in Long Beach encompasses over 320 acres on the city’s east side. It’s a beautiful campus that boasts its own zip code and approximately 38,000 students. This abundance of space and culture draws the general public to campus, with several events and places to explore. No other building stands out on campus like the Walter Pyramid. This cobalt-blue structure stands over 18 stories high and houses a state-of-the-art arena. It’s home to several athletic programs, including Long Beach State basketball and volleyball for over 20 years. The Earl Burns Miller Japanese Garden is another notable place to visit on campus. This 1.3-acre landscaped space features a hybrid of Southern California horticulture and traditional Japanese landscaping. A few eye-catching garden objects include a Tea House and Zen Garden.
The Walter Pyramid, formerly known as The Long Beach Pyramid, is a 4,000-seat, indoor multi-purpose arena on the campus of Long Beach State University in Long Beach, California. The Walter Pyramid was officially opened on November 30, 1994, when it hosted a Long Beach State men’s basketball game against the Detroit Titans, which aired live on ESPN. A standing-room only crowd of 5,021 saw Long Beach come away victorious with a final score of 71-64. The Walter Pyramid was designed by Don Gibbs and built by the Nielson Construction Company of San Diego. The building of Walter Pyramid cost approximately $22 million. Each side of the perimeter of Walter Pyramid measures 345 feet (105 m), making it a mathematically true pyramid. It is one of only four true pyramid-style buildings in the United States, the others being the Summum Pyramid in Salt Lake City, Utah, Luxor Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Pyramid Arena in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Walter Pyramid rises 18 stories above the Long Beach skyline and its exterior is uniformly clad in sheets of dark-blue corrugated aluminum. On March 5, 2005, Long Beach State officially renamed The Pyramid to Walter Pyramid in honor of Mike and Arline Walter. The Walters were given this recognition for a $2.1 million donation given to the university. In addition to being the vice-president of Levi Strauss & Co., Mike Walter was also a dean for Long Beach State’s College of Business Administration from 1993 to 2000. The Walter Pyramid is a 20-year-old landmark and collegiate sports facility located on the Long Beach State University campus with its structural integrity protected by hot-dip galvanized steel. This facility is a real-world testament to the quality of hot-dip galvanizing’s corrosion protection and the legendary coating durability of its zinc patina.
