St. John Arena is a 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 ...

on the campus of

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States. The arena was named for Lynn St. John, who served as Ohio State's men's basketball coach and athletic director until 1947. It was designed by

Howard Dwight Smith Howard Dwight Smith (February 21, 1886 – April 27, 1958) was an architect most known for his designs of Ohio Stadium (completed in 1922) for which he was awarded the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal for Public Building Design. ...

, architect of Ohio Stadium. It opened in 1956 to serve as the home of multiple Buckeye athletic teams, primarily the men's basketball team. Prior to its construction, the men's basketball team played off-campus in the

Fairgrounds Coliseum The Indiana Farmers Coliseum (originally Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum and formerly Pepsi Coliseum and Fairgrounds Coliseum) is a 6,500-seat indoor multi-use arena, located on the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. The Indiana Farm ...

at the state fairgrounds. St. John Arena served as home of the men's and women's basketball teams until it was replaced by

Value City Arena Value City Arena is a multi-purpose arena, located on the campus of Ohio State University, in Columbus, Ohio, United States. The arena opened in 1998 and is currently the largest by seating capacity in the Big Ten Conference, with 19,049 seats, wh ...

in 1998, while the remaining tenants moved to the

Covelli Center The Covelli Center is a multi-purpose arena located on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. The 3,700-seat facility is situated at 2640 Fred Taylor Drive, the area provides a home to seven varsity sports teams. The building is a ...

in 2019. It is still occasionally used by the men's and women's basketball teams for games and is used before every OSU football home game for

The Ohio State University Marching Band The Ohio State University Marching Band (OSUMB) is a university marching band named for and a part of the Ohio State University. The band, popularly nicknamed The Best Damn Band in the Land (TBDBITL), performs at football games and other events d ...

's Skull Session.

History

Located on north campus between Woody Hayes Drive and Lane Avenue, the 13,276-seat arena was built in 1956. During the time it was the home court of the

Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball The Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team represents The Ohio State University in NCAA Division I college basketball competition. The Buckeyes are a member of the Big Ten Conference. The Buckeyes play their home games at Value City Arena in ...

team, it saw the Buckeyes win the 1960 National Championship and five straight

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

titles from 1960 to 1964 under coach Fred Taylor. The men's and women's basketball teams moved to their current home,

at the Jerome Schottenstein Center, in 1998. The arena housed the school's men's and women's volleyball teams, men's and women's gymnastics teams, and wrestling squad until 2018. It also hosted the annual Buckeye Classic women's basketball tournament. Concerts by popular musical artists were held at the arena from 1971 to 1980. In 2004, St. John Arena hosted its first men's basketball game in six years because of a scheduling conflict at the Schottenstein Center. St. John Arena was again used for men's basketball on March 24, 2008, when the Buckeyes hosted an NIT game against the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

. The Buckeyes eventually took the 2008 NIT title. The most popular event still held at the arena is the Skull Session, the pep rally before football games. Two hours prior to kickoff

performs Buckeye favorites, and the players and coaches speak to the crowd. With roots back to 1932, the Skull Session sometimes features the visiting team's marching band or local high school bands as well. Many fans arrive hours early to obtain seating for this Ohio State tradition. St. John Arena is used for Freshmen Convocation, at which the entire freshman class meets for the first time and university leaders initiate the freshmen.

Possible demolition

Plans to demolish St. John were announced in November 2012, with the arena being replaced by

, however in 2016, the university's associate vice president for planning and real estate said that the arena is unlikely to be demolished in the foreseeable future.

References

External links

*
St. John Arena at Ohiostatebuckeyes.com
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