History of the JSC 
In the Beginning
Ground was broken April 2, 1996 for Value City Arena at The Jerome Schottenstein Center - a testament to the vision of The Ohio State University Department of Athletics to provide modern, top-notch facilities for students, student athletes, coaches, staff, supporters and fans - a commitment to excellence. After an aggressive construction schedule, the Center opened its doors to the public for the first time - November 3, 1998 for a Men's basketball game kicking off an opening month with only one dark day. First and foremost the home of the Ohio State University men's and women's basketball teams as well as men's ice hockey, the $116 million multipurpose facility also hosts a wide variety of special events, concerts, family shows and touring productions. The Jerome Schottenstein Center is the largest arena in the Big Ten - seating up to 17,500 for hockey, 19,500 for basketball and up to 21,000 for concerts.
With no major public funding committed to the project, private support, contributions from alumni and friends - was a critical element in the Jerome Schottenstein Center's funding. Named as the result of a generous $12.5 million lead gift, the Center pays tribute to Jerome Schottenstein, late Columbus businessman, philanthropist and founder of Schottenstein Stores Corp. Additional building "partners" in the truest sense of the phrase include Huntington Banks, after which the venue's luxurious 2nd level The Huntington Club is named - the result of a $5 million gift; The Kroger Company which pledged $2.5 million to help create The Ohio State University Hall of Fame; and Nationwide Insurance, which contributed $1.5 million towards the venue's extraordinary terrazzo floorscapes.
Over $40 million was raised through naming gifts and private donations from loyal Buckeye supporters. Almost half came from the sale of 4500 personal seat licenses and leases for the Center's 52 luxury boxes. Remaining costs were covered by bonds. Although the University did receive $15 million from the state legislature for an initial design study, no tuition money, student fees or University General Funds were used for the building.
- The designers of the Schottenstein Center were Curt Moody (Moody/Nolan Ltd.), a former walk-on OSU basketball player, lettering in 1971, '72 and '73, and Sink Combs Dethlefs.
- The Jerome Schottenstein Center measures more than 700,000 square feet (St. John Arena would fit inside more than twice.)
- The arena can be converted from hockey to basketball in approximately 4-5 hours, and from basketball to hockey in approximately 3.5-4.5 hours. A record of 2.5 hours was set for the double-header on February 2, 2002 when the arena switched from Men's Basketball vs. Northwestern to Men's Ice Hockey vs. Michigan State.
- Dimensions … The venue's roof sits 136 feet from the floor. The showerheads in the Buckeye Basketball locker rooms are 9.5 feet high.
- 3,888 cement trucks, filled to capacity, made their way to the building site in order to complete the 770,000 square foot facility.