Knapp Center, the 6,424-seat multi-purpose arena on Drake University's campus here in Des Moines, is the building you have reached. Built in 1992, the Knapp Center is the center building of three athletic buildings combined: to your west is the Bell Center with offices, a pool, a gym, and locker rooms; to the east the Shivers' Basketball Practice facility, which opened in 2014. The arena itself holds a weight room by the northwest corner of the basketball court.
The namesake comes from William Knapp, chairman of Iowa Realty and a member of the Drake University Board of Trustees, who played a key role in financing construction with a $3 million gift. Look down and you’re standing on Ron Pearson Court, named in honor of Drake alum and former Hy‑Vee CEO Ron Pearson after a Hy‑Vee donation on September 18, 2010. In the summer of 2022 renovations reconfigured the lower bowl: capacity was reduced but corners were filled in and premium seating options were added.
The arena is the home arena for Drake men's and women's basketball and Drake women's volleyball. Notice the Bell Center just to your west and the Shivers facility to the east, bookending this arena William Knapp helped build.