Memorial Gymnasium is a 2,500-seat 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 ...
in
Charlottesville, Virginia. It opened in 1924. It replaced Fayerweather Gymnasium as home to the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...
Cavaliers
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
team until
University Hall opened in 1965.
History
Established originally as a memorial to the University's
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
casualties, the facility continues to play a role in the athletic, recreational and physical education-kinesiology programs at the school. The classes of 1920 and 1921 pledged a collected total of $142,000 in support of the gymnasium as a memorial and construction was completed in 1924.
From its completion, the gymnasium housed a variety of sporting and social activities, including basketball, boxing and dances.
[Dabney, 87, 89, 113.] The basketball program was housed in the building for 42 seasons before
University Hall opened in 1965. It was also the past home of the swimming and dive teams and indoor track teams. After renovations, the building - now used extensively by the University's intramural programs - also serves as the home arena for the Cavaliers' wrestling and women's volleyball teams.
Memorial Gym was the site of
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Stab in the Back" speech
on June 10, 1940, when, in the middle of giving his commencement address to the graduating class, he was informed of the alliance between
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
and
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany (lit. "National Socialist State"), ' (lit. "Nazi State") for short; also ' (lit. "National Socialist Germany") (officially known as the German Reich from 1933 until 1943, and the Greater German Reich from 1943 to 1945) was ...
.
Current usage
Currently, Memorial Gymnasium, commonly known as Mem Gym to Virginia students, hosts the school wrestling and volleyball teams, and is also used by the school as an intramural sports venue.
The building includes a small weight room, including cardiovascular machines, and boxing practice facilities, as well as an indoor wooden jogging track on the second floor that rings around and overlooks the basketball courts on the first floor. The swimming pool was also primarily used prior to the construction of the
Aquatic and Fitness Center. The swimming pool was finally closed in 2007 and converted into an indoor soccer ground.
Recent renovations
An anonymous gift of $845,500 provided for extensive improvements to the building.
See also
*
Virginia Cavaliers
References
External links
Memorial Gym at VirginiaSports.com
{{Authority control
Virginia Cavaliers basketball venues
Basketball venues in Virginia
Boxing venues in the United States
Defunct college basketball venues in the United States
College volleyball venues in the United States
College wrestling venues in the United States
Indoor soccer venues in the United States
Indoor track and field venues in the United States
Swimming venues in the United States
Event venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
National Register of Historic Places in Charlottesville, Virginia
Buildings and structures completed in 1924
Buildings of the University of Virginia
1924 establishments in Virginia
Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places