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It has long been rumored that Pauley Pavilion will face major renovations. There is reluctance to

Once deemed the “Mecca of college basketball,” Pauley Pavilion is due for a major face-lift. Having undergone a few upgrade projects here and there, talks are under way to sizably renovate the structure.

The pavilion, named after its original donor Edwin Pauley, hosts basketball, volleyball and gymnastics, as well as ceremonies and events throughout the year. With a maximum capacity of 12,819 persons with the basketball bleachers extended, the projected renovations will not increase seating capacity in the pavilion (72 percent of seats were filled last season).

Instead, patron amenities will likely be the focus. Projected renovations are an increase in the number of restrooms and concession stands so as to lessen traffic.

Along with amending patron facilities, the locker and conference rooms may likely undergo upgrades as well.

But before this is done, the administrators must find the necessary donors. Only then can they decide what elements of the pavilion are important enough to be included in the project and how cost-effective they are.

“We know what needs improvement and with the input of coaches, recreation and our history, we know what Pauley lacks,” said Ken Weiner, associate athletic director of business operations. “We know what we need in there. It is a matter of funding, of finding donors.”

A goal of the project, which will be a major fund-raising affair, is to maintain the name of the legendary Pauley Pavilion, as well as the Nell and John Wooden court.

A project of this size, however, is not always feasible to accomplish without corporate sponsorships, which are often associated with naming rights and may be necessary for the project to get done. Despite the amount of money available in the selling of name rights, Weiner said the name of the pavilion and the court will remain because of the possibility of difficulties in disassociating the two.

“Those are a given,” Weiner said. “They will not go away.”

A time frame for completion is impossible to set, as it depends a great deal on the progress of the funding process, but progress has been made. Designs are in production and architects are being spoken to, and the Athletic Department has been more open to corporate sponsorships of late.

“In construction projects of this magnitude, there is no time frame,” Weiner said. “It’s all about donor cultivation.”

Due to these limitations, all that is known is Pauley Pavilion will be renovated in the future and will retain the legendary name in some form. If talks go well in the near future, it may be sooner than later that the Bruins will boast an improved facility. However, unless the process of cultivating donors speeds up and aligns itself with a timetable, construction time will remain unpredictable and a completion date will remain a question mark.