The Silvio O. Conte Forum, commonly known as Conte Forum, Kelley Rink (for ice hockey games), or simply Conte, is an 8,606-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 ...

which opened in 1988 on the campus of Boston College in Chestnut Hill, near Boston, Massachusetts. Conte Forum is home to the

Boston College Eagles The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams that represent Boston College, located in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivisi ...

men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams as well as the

Boston College Marching Band The Boston College Marching Band (BCMB), also known as the Boston College "Screaming Eagles" Marching Band, is the marching band for the Boston College Eagles. Founded in 1919, The Band is the largest and most visible student organization at Bos ...

History

Conte Forum is named for former United States congressman Silvio O. Conte, an alumnus of Boston College and

Boston College Law School Boston College Law School (BC Law) is the law school of Boston College. It is situated on a wooded campus in Newton, Massachusetts, about 1.5 miles from the university's main campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. With approximately 800 stud ...

. The ice rink is named in honor of long-time BC hockey coach John "Snooks" Kelley. The entire arena is traditionally called "Kelley Rink" during hockey games. Before the arena opened in 1988, the BC basketball teams played their home games in

Roberts Center Roberts Center was a 4,400-seat multi-purpose arena in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. It opened in 1958 and was home to the Boston College Eagles men's basketball and women's basketball teams until the Conte Forum The Silvio O. ...

to the immediate southwest of Alumni Stadium, on the site of the present-day Merkert Chemistry Center. Games expected to draw more than its 4,400 capacity were moved off-campus to

Boston Garden The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928, as "Boston Madison Square Garden" (lat ...

. The Eagles hockey teams played at McHugh Forum which was positioned parallel to Alumni Stadium. Conte Forum was built on the site of McHugh Forum, and is situated perpendicular to the football stadium. The arena is directly adjacent to Alumni, with some luxury boxes overlooking both the football field and arena floors. Conte Forum seats 8,606 spectators in its basketball configuration and 7,884 when set up for hockey. The facility also houses 950-seat Power Gym which is used for BC volleyball games and as an auxiliary basketball court. As the largest indoor venue on the BC campus, Conte Forum hosts larger university-related events including conferences and debates. It is the site of the annual "Pops-on-the-Heights" during the annual Parents' Weekend in the fall, a gala concert featuring the

Boston Pops Orchestra The Boston Pops Orchestra is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symp ...

which raises over $1.5 million for BC's academic scholarship fund. In the event of inclement weather, Conte Forum also hosts the university's commencement exercises. Since 2008, Conte Forum has also hosted the Boston College AHANA Leadership Council (ALC) Showdown in the spring, an increasingly popular dance competition between BC's various dance and cultural organizations. Conte has also hosted numerous concerts, including in recent years

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P ...

Third Eye Blind Third Eye Blind is an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1993. After years of lineup changes in the early and mid-1990s, the songwriting duo of Stephan Jenkins and Kevin Cadogan signed the band's first major-label reco ...

hellogoodbye Hellogoodbye (sometimes styled as hellogoodbye) is an American pop rock band that was formed in Huntington Beach, California in 2001 by singer Forrest Kline. They were signed to Drive-Thru Records and released their first full-length album ''Zom ...

, The Roots,

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

, and

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, as well as Will Ferrell's Funny or Die Comedy Tour. On January 5, 2014, the Conte Forum was the venue for Boston mayor

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and former union official. He has been the 29th United States Secretary of Labor since March 23, 2021. A Democrat, he previously served as the 54th mayor of Boston from 2014, ...

's inauguration.https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/01/05/walsh-choice-inaugural-venue-break-with-more-than-century-tradition In Boston's proposed bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Conte Forum was selected as a potential venue for various events, such as

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

and

Judo is an unarmed modern Japanese martial art, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyclopedia Nipponica, "Judo"). ...

. However, the city eventually withdrew the bid.

Gallery

File:Conte Forum Hoops.jpg, Conte Forum during a BC vs. West Virginia basketball game. File:BC vs. Duke 2010.jpg, BC vs. Duke men's basketball game. File:Conte Forum basketball.jpg, Conte Forum before a BC basketball game. File:Kelley Rink BC vs. Merrimack 2010.jpg, Kelley Rink before a BC hockey game. File:1949-2001-2008 BC Championship Banners.jpg, BC hockey's 1949, 2001, and 2008 national championship banners in the Conte Forum rafters.

References

External links

Conte Forum HomepageBoston College Athletics Home
{{Massachusetts NCAA Division I college basketball venue navbox Boston College Eagles basketball venues Boston College Eagles ice hockey venues College basketball venues in the United States College ice hockey venues in the United States Indoor ice hockey venues in Massachusetts Sports venues in Boston Sports venues completed in 1988 Event venues established in 1988 1988 establishments in Massachusetts

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links