Belk Gymnasium, known informally as The Mine Shaft, is a gymnasium on the campus of the

University of North Carolina at Charlotte The University of North Carolina at Charlotte (UNC Charlotte or simply Charlotte) is a public research university in Charlotte, North Carolina. UNC Charlotte offers 24 doctoral, 66 master's, and 79 bachelor's degree programs through nine colle ...

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

. Completed in 1970, it was the first on-campus home of the

Charlotte 49ers The Charlotte 49ers are the college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletics teams that represent the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in Charlotte, North Carolina. The 49ers compete at the National Collegiate Athletic A ...

basketball team.

History

Before Belk Gym was built, UNC Charlotte's basketball team (then a member of the NAIA) played at various high school gyms in the greater Charlotte area. As the full-time home of the 49ers from 1970 through 1976, the team enjoyed a tremendous home-court advantage, going undefeated at home in 1974, 1975, and 1976. When Charlotte joined the Sun Belt Conference for the 1976–77 season, Belk's

seating capacity Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available, and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...

(approximately 3,000) was too small for the conference's standards; as a result, the team moved its conference home games to the original Charlotte Coliseum. From 1976 until the opening of Dale F. Halton Arena in 1996, the 49ers' women's basketball team and volleyball team played in the Mine Shaft; the men's basketball team played lower-profile non-league games in the gym during that time period - at least one each season.

Today

With the opening of Halton Arena, Belk Gym was no longer needed as a host for intercollegiate activities. Its bleachers were removed in 2000, and the main floor was removed in 2003; at that time, the overhead scoreboard was also removed. The facility now houses the Department of Recreational Services and the Department of Kinesiology for UNC Charlotte. The gym is still an integral part of UNC Charlotte's recreation and classroom usage. The second-floor houses RM 229, nicknamed "The Stadium" by students because of its old school stadium-style seats and elevated floor. Belk went through renovations which started in 2014, including a refreshed facade and interior renovation that added new classroom space as part of UNC Charlotte's 2010 Master Plan. This allowed for the Kinesiology program to expand beyond its previous capabilities. The renovation was completed near the end of 2015. Recreational Services offices, use to be housed in Belk Gym but were moved in 2020 to the newly built University Recreation Center after its completion.

References

External links

*
CDesign Inc
{{Charlotte sports venues Defunct indoor arenas in the United States Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte 49ers basketball venues Indoor arenas in North Carolina 1970 establishments in North Carolina Sports venues completed in 1970 College volleyball venues in the United States