The Ray Lavietes Basketball Pavilion at the Briggs Athletic Center is a 1,636-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 the

Allston Allston is an officially recognized neighborhood within the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was named after the American painter and poet Washington Allston. It comprises the land covered by the zip code 02134. For the most pa ...

neighborhood of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

. Owned by

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, it is the second-oldest college basketball arena still in use ( Fordham University's

Rose Hill Gymnasium Rose Hill Gymnasium is a 3,200-seat multi-purpose arena on the Rose Hill campus of Fordham University in The Bronx, New York City, New York (state), New York. The arena, which opened in 1925, is the oldest on-campus venue currently used primarily ...

(1925) is older). The facility was originally named the Briggs Athletic Center in honor of LeBaron Russell Briggs, who served as dean of Harvard College from 1891 to 1902 and as the school's athletic director for 17 years. Briggs also served as president of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. It included an indoor track and batting cages, which were popular with local collegiate and professional baseball players, including

Ted Williams Theodore Samuel Williams (August 30, 1918 – July 5, 2002) was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played his entire 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career, primarily as a left fielder, for the Boston Red Sox from 1 ...

. In 1981, the Gordon Indoor Track and Tennis Facility (located adjacent to

Harvard Stadium Harvard Stadium is a U-shaped college football stadium in the northeast United States, located in the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. The stadium is owned and operated by Harvard University and is home to the Harvard Crimson footb ...

and the Bright Hockey Center) opened, and the building was refurbished as the new home to the Harvard basketball program, replacing the

Malkin Athletic Center The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) is a 1,000-seat multi-purpose arena and athletic facility at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Originally known as the Indoor Athletic Building (IAB), it is now named after Peter L. Malkin, who hel ...

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

. The women's first game in the building was on November 26, 1982, against

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, and the men's inaugural game took place a day later against neighbor and rival

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

. In March 1996, the building was rededicated to Ray Lavietes '36, a two-time basketball letterman who made a $2.1 million contribution to a second refurbishment project in 1995 and 1996. In 2016 the university announced plans to renovate the facility with updated amenities. A new central scoreboard was installed as well as an expanded entrance lobby, ticketing area and locker rooms. Chairback seats were installed in the rear sections, which reduced seating capacity to 1,636, making Lavietes the smallest basketball arena in the Ivy League. The updated building opened in time for the 2017–18 men's and women's basketball season. Ray Lavietes Athletic Pavilion

References

External links

Lavietes Pavilion at GoCrimson.com
Harvard University College basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Boston Basketball venues in Massachusetts Harvard Crimson basketball Indoor arenas in Massachusetts Sports venues completed in 1926 1926 establishments in Massachusetts {{Boston-sport-stub

See also

References

External links