The James M. Delmar Fieldhouse is a 5,000-seat multi-purpose arena located in
Houston, Texas
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
. It is one of several
Houston Independent School District’s athletics facilities.
The $35.2 million facility hosts basketball and volleyball games and tournaments, as well as graduation ceremonies and other special events.
The maple court floor is removable and expandable, providing use for both the 84 feet required for high school games and the 94 feet required for NCAA play. The court flooring features a star representing the HISD logo and an image of the Houston skyline. Lower level seating is retractable, allowing for additional floor space, if needed. The entrance to the arena also showcases a portion of the center court floor from the original fieldhouse
The entire area including the fieldhouse, stadium, softball and baseball fields are referred to as the Delmar-Tusa Sports Complex.
Demolition and Construction
The Delmar Fieldhouse demolition project was part of the work planned under the 2012 Bond’s district athletic facility improvements. Demolition of the original 55-year old facility began in 2014 and the new building was completed in 2017.
History
Delmar Fieldhouse was the home court of the
Houston Cougars men's basketball team, featuring
Elvin Hayes, during the 1960s. It hosted a Midwest regional quarterfinal game between the Cougars and the
Marquette Warriors
The Marquette Golden Eagles, formerly known as the Marquette Warriors, Blue and Gold, Gold, Hilltoppers, and Golden Avalanche (football only), are the athletic teams representing Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. They ...
in
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
, the first NCAA men's basketball tournament game held in the city and second in the state of Texas, after the 1957 tournament, which held the Midwest Regional at the
SMU Coliseum in Dallas.
In 2007, the
WNBA's
Houston Comets
The Houston Comets were a Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) team based in Houston. Formed in 1997, the team was one of the original eight WNBA teams and won the first four championships of the league's existence. They are one of two ...
and
Connecticut Sun played a pre-season game at Delmar Fieldhouse.
In 2008, it served as the home court for the
Texas Southern University Tigers women's basketball team.
In 2017 Delmar Fieldhouse became a distribution center for the hurricane Harvey flooding crisis in Houston.
In the new facility, Delmar hosted the 2018
Southwestern Athletic Conference
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is a collegiate athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which is made up of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the Southern United States. It participates in t ...
men’s and women’s post-season basketball tournament.
See also
*
Delmar Stadium
References
External links
Delmar Fieldhouse renovation unveilingHouston Comets practice at Delmar Fieldhouse
Houston Independent School District
Defunct college basketball venues in the United States
Basketball venues in Houston
Volleyball venues in Houston
Texas Southern Tigers basketball
Houston Cougars basketball venues
1958 establishments in Texas
Sports venues completed in 1958
2013 disestablishments in Texas
Sports venues demolished in 2014
2017 establishments in Texas
Sports venues completed in 2017
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