Memorial Hall (University of Akron)
Memorial Hall was an on-campus athletics building on the campus of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. The 33,000 square-foot building, built during the tenure of Norman P. Auburn, Akron's 10th president, was the first to be built during his tenure, and the first to be built beyond the original Butchel College lands. The building was open for the start of the 1954–55 school year, and was dedicated on December 11, 1954, in honor of the 1,534 Summit County residents who lost their lives in World War II. The building replaced Crouse Gymnasium, the first building built on campus in 1888; the Zips had not played in it since the 1920s, however, as it was too small to serve their needs. (The team had played at the Akron Armory off-campus on South High Street prior to Memorial Hall's opening.)
| Location | Carroll Street Akron, Ohio 44303 |
|---|---|
| Owner | University of Akron |
| Operator | University of Akron |
| Capacity | 3,000 |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | April 8, 1953 |
| Opened | December 11, 1954 |
| Closed | June 16, 2010 |
| Demolished | 2010 |
| Construction cost | $1.4 million ($13.3 million in 2019 dollars[1]) |
| Tenants | |
| Akron Zips (NCAA) Men's basketball (1954-1983) Women's basketball (1974-1983) | |
The arena itself, like many built at the time, featured sideline chair seating above lower retractable bleachers. The ground level of Memorial Hall, below the arena, included a pool. During its time it served as the home of the Akron Zips men's basketball team from its opening, and the women's basketball team from its founding in 1974, until the opening of the James A. Rhodes Arena in 1983, just east of the hall and connected by a sky bridge. The hall was also the school's major gathering place prior to the opening of Rhodes Arena, hosting, among others, President Lyndon B. Johnson and candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964, then-candidate Richard M. Nixon in 1968, Ralph Nader, Dick Gregory and Pat Paulsen, as well as musical acts including Chicago, Ray Charles, The Fifth Dimension and Stevie Wonder.[2]
After the opening of Rhodes Arena, the building served as a classroom and intramural space until its closing in 2010. It was originally demolished to make way for a new College of Education, but that school eventually stayed in a renovated Zook Hall. Today the area is open green space.
References
- Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved January 1, 2020.
- "Looking back: Memorial Hall hosted performers, politicians and parties". The University of Akron. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2018-01-13.