The Field House is a former athletic facility on the campus of the

University of Toledo The University of Toledo (UToledo or UT) is a public research university in Toledo, Ohio. It is the northernmost campus of the University System of Ohio. The university also operates a Health Science campus, which includes the University of T ...

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...

, United States, that was closed in 1976 and remodeled in 2008.

Construction

Made from Wisconsin Lannon stone, construction of the building took place between March, 1930 and January, 1931 on land owned by the university. The cost of construction was approximately $470,000. The Field House was the second building constructed on the present UT campus. The facility covered more than an acre of ground, utilized a dirt floor and seated only 2,000 spectators around an elevated wooden basketball court. The building also contained two gymnasiums devoted to men's and women's physical education classes.

Usage

The primary use for the gymnasium was a location that could be utilized for men's and women's physical education courses as well as being the facility for the

Toledo Rockets men's basketball The Toledo Rockets men's basketball team represents the University of Toledo in Toledo, Ohio. The school's team currently competes in the Mid-American Conference. The team last played in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in 1980. T ...

team to compete. Additionally, the venue was utilized for social and academic functions including commencement ceremonies. The Field House provided a great venue and gathering place for all to come and enjoy the speeches or performances being held. Although its main use was a gymnasium for basketball it held some very iconic speakers and bands. Some famous people that spoke in the Field House included politicians Barry M. Goldwater as well as President

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

. Additionally, some famous bands and singers performed in the Field House including

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

Jimi Hendrix James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Kenny Rogers Kenneth Ray Rogers (August 21, 1938 – March 20, 2020) was an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013. Rogers was particularly popular with country audiences but also charted mo ...

The J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

The Kingston Trio The Kingston Trio is an American folk and pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to the late 1960s. The group started as a San Francisco Bay Area nightclub act with an original lineup of Dave Guard, Bob Shane, and ...

Hall and Oates Daryl Hall and John Oates, commonly known as Hall & Oates, are an American pop rock duo formed in Philadelphia in 1970. Daryl Hall is generally the lead vocalist; John Oates primarily plays electric guitar and provides backing vocals. The two ...

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...

Simon and Garfunkel Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo consisting of the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music groups of the 1960s, and their biggest hits—including the electric remix of " ...

and also

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) remaining the sole cons ...

Remodel

Upon completion of

Centennial Hall Centennial Hall (german: Jahrhunderthalle) may refer to: in Canada * Centennial Hall (London, Ontario), London, Ontario, Canada * Centennial Concert Hall, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada * Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium, former name of TCU Place in ...

in 1976, The Field House became obsolete and became underutilized becoming a storage facility for the campus for nearly 20 years. In 2006, however, facing a burst in student enrollment, an expansion of program offerings, and concern about future space needs, the university commissioned a major overhaul that, three years later, recast the 134,200 square foot gymnasium into a learning environment housing classrooms, teaching labs, faculty offices, and space for future growth. Construction began in July, 2007, with the demolition of the old interior and extensive cleanup effort on the exterior brickwork commencing in December. In a span of 10 months, and the addition of a second and third floor, the result was a $27 million renovation, with 54 classrooms, 70 offices, and a 250-seat auditorium.

References

External links

* {{University of Toledo

Field House Field house or fieldhouse is an American English term for an indoor sports arena or stadium, mostly used for college basketball, volleyball, or ice hockey, or a support building for various adjacent sports fields, e.g. locker room, team room, coac ...