Welsh–Ryan Arena is a 7,039-seat multi-purpose
arena
An arena is a large enclosed venue, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theatre, Music, musical performances or Sport, sporting events. It comprises a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for specta ...
in
Evanston, Illinois
Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...
, United States, near the campus of
Northwestern University
Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...
. It is home to four
Northwestern Wildcats
The Northwestern Wildcats are the athletic teams that represent Northwestern University, located in Evanston, Illinois. Northwestern is a founding member of the Big Ten Conference and one of two private universities in the conference, the other ...
athletic teams:
men's basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
,
women's basketball
Women's basketball is the team sport of basketball played by women. It was first played in 1892, one year after men's basketball, at Smith College in Massachusetts. It spread across the United States, in large parts via women's college compet ...
, volleyball, and wrestling. It is located inside McGaw Memorial Hall, to the north of the site of the former
Ryan Field.
The building opened in 1952 as a replacement for
Patten Gymnasium
Patten Gymnasium is the name of two multi-purpose gymnasiums (one past and one present) in Evanston, Illinois, United States, on the campus of Northwestern University. The original building, designed by George Washington Maher, opened in 1909 ...
, and was the site of the
Final Four
In sports, the final four is the last four teams remaining in a playoffs, playoff tournament. Usually the final four compete in the two games of a single-elimination tournament's semi-final (penultimate) round. Of these teams, the two who win in ...
for the
1956 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament. It was extensively renovated in 1983, at which time the main arena was renamed Welsh–Ryan Arena. After the 2016–17 basketball season, the arena was renovated and upgraded as part of a $110 million project completed in late 2018. The renovation displaced the athletic programs that use the arena for the 2017–18 season.
For years, Welsh–Ryan Arena was the smallest arena in the
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Fa ...
and the only conference facility that did not seat at least 10,000. With
Rutgers University
Rutgers University ( ), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of three campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's C ...
joining the conference in 2014, Welsh–Ryan became the second-smallest arena after the
Louis Brown Athletic Center at Rutgers, which has a listed capacity of 8,000. After its renovation, Welsh–Ryan once again became the smallest arena in the Big Ten Conference in 2018, with the listed capacity decreasing to 7,039 after renovations.
History

McGaw Memorial Hall was built through the generosity of Northwestern University trustee and donor Foster G. McGaw, founder of the American Hospital Supply Corporation. The building, named in memory of McGaw's father, Presbyterian minister and missionary Francis A. McGaw, to house sporting events and large-scale meetings. With a
seating capacity
Seating capacity is the number of people who can be seated in a specific space, in terms of both the physical space available and limitations set by law. Seating capacity can be used in the description of anything ranging from an automobile that ...
of about 13,000, McGaw Memorial Hall was one of the three largest auditoriums in the Chicago area at the time of its construction. Designed by the architectural firm of Holabird & Root & Burgee and built of reinforced concrete, McGaw Memorial Hall contained of interior space. The lighting system, consisting of 180 mercury vapor lights, was said to simulate "pure daylight."
Partitions, portable bleachers, and a removable basketball floor made the building suitable for a wide variety of uses. While the intent was to provide a space large enough to hold the entire student body of Northwestern University at once during convocations and other such campus occasions, the auditorium was also used by the North Shore Music Festival and, soon after its opening, by the Second Assembly of the World Council of Churches. This event, held August 15–30, 1954, featured a convocation address by U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
In 1983 Northwestern completed extensive renovations on the interior of the McGaw Hall. The main arena was renamed Welsh–Ryan Arena in honor of the project's principal donor, insurance magnate
Patrick G. Ryan, president of the Board of Trustees, and of his wife's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Welsh Sr. The lobby was renamed Ronald J. Chinnock Lobby after real estate tycoon Ronald Chinnock.
The McGaw Fieldhouse is a practice facility within the building, which in 1997 was renovated to allow practice space for basketball and volleyball.
In 2007, the Brown Family Basketball Center was constructed within the McGaw Fieldhouse to include new locker rooms and team lounges for the men's and women's basketball teams, as well as offices for their respective coaching staffs.
In 2016, Northwestern announced plans for a $110 million arena renovation, shuttering the facility for the 2017–18 season. During that time, the Wildcat men's basketball and wrestling teams played at
Allstate Arena
Allstate Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Rosemont, Illinois, United States, northwest of Chicago, located at the corner of Mannheim Road and Lunt Avenue, just north of Mannheim Road's interchange with the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway ( I-90) ...
in
Rosemont, with the women's basketball team playing out of
Evanston Township High School
Evanston Township High School (ETHS) (District 202) is a public high school in Evanston, Illinois. The campus is located in a northern suburb of Chicago along the Lake Michigan shore. ETHS was established in 1883 and serves the city of Evanston a ...
's Beardsley Gym that season. Capacity was reduced to 7,039 by replacing the bleachers with chairback seats. The renovated facility also has wider concourses, balconies behind the baskets, and suites. Before then, one of the few significant changes since the 1983 renovation had been the replacement of the arena's 1980s-vintage scoreboards with a modern video board.
See also
*
List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas
This is a list of arenas that currently serve as the home venue for NCAA Division I college basketball teams. Conference affiliations reflect those in the 2024–25 season; all affiliation changes officially took effect on July 1, 2024. The aren ...
References
External links
Welsh–Ryan Arena
{{DEFAULTSORT:Welsh-Ryan Arena
College basketball venues in Illinois
College volleyball venues in the United States
College wrestling venues in the United States
Volleyball venues in Illinois
Wrestling venues in Illinois
Northwestern Wildcats basketball
Buildings and structures in Evanston, Illinois
Sports venues in Evanston, Illinois
1952 establishments in Illinois
Sports venues completed in 1952
Northwestern Wildcats wrestling