Charlotte Y. Martin Centre is an athletics center in the

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United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, on the campus of Gonzaga University in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...

. Its multi-purpose

arena An arena is a large enclosed platform, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators ...

has a

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 ...

of 4,000. Ground was broken in June 1964 on the $1.1 million center, which opened in late 1965 as the

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...

Memorial Pavilion, with a capacity of 3,800 for basketball.Venue information and background
/ref> The center included a 6-lane swimming pool. The dedication ceremony on November 21 was attended by 6,000 and included the late president's brother,

U.S. Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

Ted Kennedy Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

. The first varsity event on December 3 was a basketball game against

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

, won by the visiting Cougars before an overflow crowd of 4,300. Charlotte Martin, the daughter-in-law of former governor

Clarence D. Martin Clarence Daniel Martin (June 29, 1886 – August 11, 1955) was an American politician who served as the 11th governor of Washington from 1933 to 1941. A member of the Democratic Party, he was appointed to fill a vacancy in the Washington House ...

, donated $4.5 million in 1987 for the renovation of the complex and it was renamed for her as part of Gonzaga's centennial celebrations on Mrs. Martin died less than eight months later, at age 68. The Martin Centre is the home court of the women's

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

team, and was home of men's and women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

teams until the fall of

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

, when the adjacent $25 million

McCarthey Athletic Center McCarthey Athletic Center (MAC) is a 6,000-seat indoor arena on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Opened in November 2004, it is home to the university's Bulldog basketball programs, members of the West Coast Conference (W ...

(MAC) opened. An exception was the partial hiatus in the season when the men's team returned to its former home of the Spokane Coliseum for

WCAC The Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) is a major high school athletic league for boys, girls, and co-ed Catholic high schools of the Archdiocese of Washington & Diocese of Arlington Schools located in the Washington Metropolitan Area ...

home games only, The Pavilion was affectionately known as ''The Kennel'', a reference to the enthusiastic capacity crowds for Bulldog basketball, a nickname which transferred to the MAC. Prior to the Spokane Coliseum's opening in 1955, Gonzaga basketball games were played on campus at "The Cave," a gymnasium in the administration building. In late

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

, the English rock group

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

played their fifth-ever American concert at the Kennedy Pavilion on December 30, opening for Vanilla Fudge and erroneously billed as "Len Zefflin"; the first known

bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded ...

of the band originated from this performance. The bands were welcomed to Spokane with frigid sub-zero temperatures.

References

External links

* College volleyball venues in the United States Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Gonzaga Bulldogs basketball venues Sports venues in Spokane, Washington Tourist attractions in Spokane, Washington 1965 establishments in Washington (state) Sports venues completed in 1965 {{Washington-stadium-stub