Matthews Arena (formerly Boston Arena) is a historic multi-purpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts currently owned by Northeastern University. At over 120 years old, is the world's oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in use, as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.[2] There are current plans to demolish the historic arena and replace it with a new facility.[3]
Today is used by the Northeastern Huskiesmen's and women's ice hockey teams, and men's basketball team as well as various high school ice hockey programs in the city of Boston. The venue also hosts Northeastern's graduation ceremonies, its annual Springfest concert, and other events.
History
Early years
Originally named the Boston Arena, groundbreaking took place on October 11, 1909. The 1896 United States skating champion Herbert S. Evans dug the first portion of earth. The arena was to have a capacity of 5,000 and was to be used for ice skating, curling, horse shows, and a variety of sporting events.[4] The arena had its own power plant, which powered the two 100-ton ice machines and all of the arena's lighting. Charles C. Abbey was the first president and treasurer of the Boston Arena Company and William T. Richardson was the building's first general manager.[5]
The arena was scheduled to open on Christmas Day 1909, but construction delays pushed back the opening until April 25, 1910.[4] The arena's inaugural event was an ice carnival to benefit the Sharon Sanatorium. Skating events were held throughout the day, including a performance by Irving Brokaw. The arena's first ice hockey game was won by the Harvard Freshmen hockey team, who defeated Newton High School, 4–0. The Harvard varsity squad played later that evening, losing to Crescent H. C., 1–0.[6] The Arena's original ice surface was larger than the current standard at 220-by-90-foot (67 m × 27 m).[7]
The Arena was destroyed by fire on December 18, 1918.[11] It was rebuilt, and the new facility opened January 1, 1921, with an ice show.[12]
The NHL's first US-based franchise, the Boston Bruins, made the Boston Arena their home from 1924 to 1928. Before the team began play, the Arena reduced its ice surface from 220 x 90 feet down to 200 x [13]80 feet to conform to NHL regulations. This also allowed the Arena to add 1,000 seats.[14]
Competition from the Boston Garden
In 1927, Homer Loring, chairman of the Boston & Maine Railroad, announced that the construction of a new sports arena at their North Station facility. The Madison Square Garden Corporation signed a 25-year lease for the arena.[15] The Boston Garden opened in 1928 and replaced the Arena as the city's venue for premier boxing, wrestling, and track events.[16] The Bruins broke their contract the Arena to move to the Garden, which led to a legal battle between the two sides that ended in 1933, when Bruins owner Charles F. Adams agreed to pay the arena $54,000.[17] Boston Arena general manager George V. Brown was able to keep the venue running with college hockey and figure skating.[16]
The Garden ran their shows at a loss in order to keep events away from the Arena.[16] In 1934, the smaller Boston Arena Corporation, led by Henry G. Lapham, purchased a controlling interest in the Boston Garden.[18] In 1936, the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation bought out the remaining stock owned by the Madison Square Garden Corporation.[19]
Metropolitan District Commission ownership
Entrance to the arena, showing the original arch from Boston Arena now enclosed by bricks.
In April 16, 1953, the Boston Garden-Arena Corporation sold the Boston Arena to Samuel L. Pinsly for $240,000. He planned on doubling the size of the building and converting it into a garment manufacturing facility, as the purchase agreement included a five-year ban on sports or events at building unless it was acquired by a government entity.[20] Three months later, the building was purchased by the Metropolitan District Commission for $280,000, which planned on using it for high school sports and other athletic events.[21]Francis Ouimet was named chairman of the MDC's Boston Arena Authority and Clark Hodder was named manager of the Arena.[22]
In 1975, the MDC offered to sell the Arena to the city of Boston for $450,000.[23] The city leased the building from the MDC pending completion of the purchase. The sale never took place and in 1977, the MDC leased the Arena at no cost to Northeastern University.[24][25]
Northeastern University's Matthews Arena
The Arena was purchased by Northeastern University on October 3, 1979.[26] The arena was known as Northeastern Arena until November 14, 1982, when it was renamed Matthews Arena in honor of the university's chairman emeritus George Matthews.[14]
A 1995 renovation expanded the ice surface from 200 by 80 to 200 by 90 feet (61 m × 24 m to 61 m × 27 m).[2]
Threat of Demolition
Mathews Arena converted for basketball for a Northeastern Huskies men's basketball game.
In May 2024, Northeastern University filed a letter of intent to the Boston Planning & Development Agency to construct a new multi-purpose athletics facility designed that would tear down and replace the historic Matthews Arena.[27]
This came as concerns surrounding the structural integrity of Matthews Arena increased: scaffolding was erected to support the east end of the arena in 2024, part of the student section as well as the Varsity Club (home to the arena's only licensed bar) were closed, and the foundation, built on reclaimed land once part of a wharf, was found to be sinking.[28]
If the plans are approved by the Boston Planning & Development Agency, it will result in the loss of the oldest hockey arena in the United States, that was the first home of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Carolina Hurricanes (then the New England Whalers) and numerous college hockey teams.[29]
Notable events
Political rallies
On October 10, 1910, former president Theodore Roosevelt delivered a speech before a crowd of 8,000 spectators. In it, he endorsed Governor Eben Sumner Draper and U.S. Senator Henry Cabot Lodge for reelection. Draper, who was present for the speech, spoke after Roosevelt.[30]
The Bruins played their first-ever NHL regular season game at the Arena on Monday, December 1, 1924,[39][40][41] with the Bruins' most historic rivalry with the Montreal Canadiens being initiated only one week later.[42] The Bruins left for the Boston Garden in 1928, but returned for one game in 1952 after a wooden awning in North Station collapsed and damaged some pipes in the Garden. The Detroit Red Wings beat the Bruins 4–3 in front of only 4,049 fans.[43]
In 1925, professional basketball made is debut at the Arena when the Boston Whirlwinds of the American Basketball League played their inaugural home game on November 30, 1925. Unable to meet its financial obligations, the team moved its games first to the Mechanics Hall and then to the Mount Benedict Knights of Columbus Hall in Somerville, Massachusetts.[14] The Arena was also home to the American Basketball League's Boston Trojans during their only season.[14]
On November 5, 1946, the Boston Celtics played their first ever game in front of 4,329 fans at the Boston Arena.[47] The team split its home games between the Garden and the Arena until 1955.[40][48]
Concerts
On May 4, 1958, the Boston Arena hosted a rock 'n' roll concert headlined by Alan Freed and Jerry Lee Lewis. After the show, one man was stabbed and a dozen others were robbed, which led to Mayor John Hynes declaring that he would not authorize anymore licenses for rock concerts and arena manager Paul Brown stating that "the next rock 'n' roll show at the Arena will be presented over my dead body".[49][50] Freed charged with inciting a riot, but the case was dropped due to the death of the chief investigator and difficultly of bringing in witnesses from outside Massachusetts.[51]
The Doors were booked to perform two shows at the Boston Arena on April 10, 1970. The second concert did not begin until after midnight and went on for two hours before arena management turned off the power. Lead singer Jim Morrison, who appeared to be intoxicated during the entire latter show, wanted to continue and smashed a microphone stand into the floor before being escorted off the stage.[52][53] The shows were released as a live album, Live in Boston, in 2007.[54]
Phish's New Year's Eve concert on December 31, 1992 was the band's highest attended concert to date and was broadcast live (and rebroadcast the following day) on WBCN.[55]
In 1993, the arena hosted the funeral service for Boston Celtic captain and Northeastern alum Reggie Lewis.[80]
See also
Huntington Avenue Grounds, site of the nearby first home of the Boston Red Sox baseball team (playing there 1901–1911), existed on current Northeastern University property
^"Roaring Throng Greets Nichols". The Boston Globe. October 31, 1937.
^"NHL hockey came to the U.S. on Dec. 1, 1924". nhl.com. National Hockey League. December 1, 2008. Retrieved December 4, 2016. The National Hockey League celebrates another historic anniversary...remembering the first NHL game played in the United States, as the Boston Bruins hosted the Montreal Maroons, both expansion teams, at the Boston Arena on Dec. 1, 1924.
^"Canadiens Downed Boston, Rallying in Final Period". The Montreal Gazette. Boston, MA USA. Canadian Press. December 9, 1924. p. 16. Retrieved June 12, 2017. The world champion Canadiens defeated Boston in a fast game here tonight, 4-3, incidentally giving 5,000 Boston hockey fans the best exhibition of the Canadian game on record here.
