Alumni Hall was a 2,479-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 ...

on the campus of

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 gra ...

, located in

Fairfield, Connecticut Fairfield is a New England town, town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It borders the city of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Bridgeport and towns of Trumbull, Connecticut, Trumbull, Easton, Connecticut, Easton, Weston, Connecticut, W ...

. It was home to the

Fairfield Stags The Fairfield Stags are the athletic programs representing Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. Most of the programs are members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and classified as Division I (non-football) in the Nat ...

men's and women's basketball teams from its construction in 1959 until 2002, when the teams began playing home games at the Arena at Harbor Yard in

Bridgeport, Connecticut Bridgeport is the List of municipalities in Connecticut, most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the List of cities in New England by population, fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Loc ...

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

reported that Alumni Hall was home to the most vocal and loyal basketball fans in the Northeast. Alumni Hall was home to the

women's volleyball team and the Fairfield Prep Jesuits basketball teams, but it hosted two Stags men's and women's basketball games during the 2006–07 and 2007–08 seasons.

History

The Hall, which opened on December 5, 1959, is one of the earliest

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially prestressed (Compression (physics), compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-t ...

structures. Engineering magazines from the time noted that the eleven 160-foot pre-cast arches created a record-breaking span for structures in the United States. Besides being an athletic venue, Alumni Hall has hosted many political and musical events and annually hosts the

Baccalaureate Mass and the

Fairfield Prep Fairfield College Preparatory School (Fairfield Prep) is a Jesuit preparatory school located on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is an all-male school of about 800 students, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1 ...

Commencement Ceremony. During the

1988 United States presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 8, 1988. The Republican Party's ticket of incumbent Vice President George H. W. Bush and Indiana Senator Dan Quayle defeated the Democratic ticket of Massachusetts Governor M ...

, Vice President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushBefore the outcome of the 2000 United States presidential election, he was usually referred to simply as "George Bush" but became more commonly known as "George H. W. Bush", "Bush Senior," "Bush 41," and even "Bush th ...

visited Fairfield University days before being elected president. The Fairfield University Students Association hosts semi-annual concerts in the hall, and notable performers have included the

Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and their friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by thei ...

in 1967,

The Byrds The Byrds () were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1964. The band underwent multiple lineup changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn (known as Jim McGuinn until mid-1967) being the so ...

in 1973,

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as "ludicrous" in American English), is an American rapper and songwriter. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age ...

in Spring 2008, and

John Legend John Roger Stephens (born December 28, 1978), known professionally as John Legend, is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He began his musical career working behind the scenes for other artists, playing piano on Lauryn Hill's " Every ...

in December 2008. On November 6, 2015, Fairfield University named Alumni Hall's court in honor of legendary basketball coach and the university's former director of athletics George Bisacca. Alumni Hall was demolished in the spring of 2021 and replaced by Leo D. Mahoney Arena which opened on the same site in November 2022.

External links

Fairfield Stags facilities

Historical Photographs from the Digital Archive @ DiMenna-Nyselius Library

References

{{Fairfield Stags men's basketball navbox College basketball venues in Connecticut Fairfield Stags basketball Fairfield Stags sports venues 1959 establishments in Connecticut Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Sports venues in Fairfield County, Connecticut Buildings and structures in Fairfield, Connecticut Sports venues demolished in 2021 Sports venues completed in 1959