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 The Houston Independent School District (HISD) is the largest public school system in Texas, and the eighth-largest in the United States. Houston ISD serves as a community school district for most of the city of Houston and several nearby and ...

’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 The Houston Cougars men's basketball team represents the University of Houston in Houston, Texas, in the NCAA Division I men's basketball competition. The university is a member of the American Athletic Conference. The program has made six appea ...

team, featuring

Elvin Hayes Elvin Ernest Hayes (born November 17, 1945), nicknamed "the Big E", is an American former professional basketball player and radio analyst for his alma-mater Houston Cougars. He is a member of the NBA's 50th and 75th anniversary teams, and a ...

, during the 1960s. It hosted a Midwest regional quarterfinal game between the Cougars and the Marquette Warriors 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 Moody Coliseum is a 7,000-seat multi-purpose arena in University Park, Texas (an inner suburb of Dallas). The arena opened in 1956. It is home to the Southern Methodist University Mustangs basketball teams and volleyball team. It was also home ...

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 The Connecticut Sun are an American professional basketball team based in Uncasville, Connecticut that competes in the Eastern Conference (WNBA), Eastern Conference of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The team was established ...

played a pre-season game at Delmar Fieldhouse. In 2008, it served as the home court for the

Texas Southern University Texas Southern University (Texas Southern or TSU) is a public historically black university in Houston, Texas. The university is one of the largest and most comprehensive historically black college or universities in the USA with nearly 10,000 ...

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.

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 {{Houston-stub

Demolition and Construction

History

See also

References

External links