Old Dominion University Fieldhouse was a 5,200-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 ...

located on the campus of

Old Dominion University Old Dominion University (ODU) is a Public university, public research university in Norfolk, Virginia, United States. Established in 1930 as the two-year Norfolk Division of the College of William & Mary, it began by educating people with fewer ...

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city (United States), independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. It had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Virginia, third-most populous city ...

. Opened in 1970, it was home to the

Old Dominion Monarchs The Old Dominion Monarchs are composed of 18 college athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams representing Old Dominion University, located in Norfolk, Virginia. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, football, golf, s ...

and Lady Monarchs

college basketball College basketball is basketball that is played by teams of Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. In the Higher education in the United States, United States, colleges and universities are governed by collegiate athle ...

teams until the season, when the Ted Constant Convocation Center opened. was demolished in 2006.

Basketball

Collegiate

The Monarchs played the majority of their home games in the arena from 1970 to 1977, before moving full-time to the

Norfolk Scope Norfolk Scope is a multi-function complex in Norfolk, Virginia, comprising the 11,000-seat Scope Arena, a 2,500-seat theater known as Chrysler Hall, a modular exhibition hall, and a 600-car parking garage. The arena was designed by Italian arch ...

from 1977 to 1990. The team returned to the Fieldhouse on a part-time basis in 1990, and played the majority of its season on-campus during the 2001–02 season, the last before moving into the Constant Center. In

1977 Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

, it was the site of the final game of the ECAC Southern Region tournament, a

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates College athletics in the United States, student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, and Simon Fraser University, 1 in Canada. ...

(NCAA) Division I men's

tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC); the champion received a berth in the

Professional

The venue hosted the

Virginia Squires The Virginia Squires were a basketball team based in Norfolk, Virginia, and playing in several other Virginia cities. They were members of the American Basketball Association from 1970 to 1976. The team originated in 1967 as the Oakland Oaks, a ...

of the

American Basketball Association The American Basketball Association (ABA) was a major professional basketball league that operated for nine seasons from 1967 to 1976. The upstart ABA operated in direct competition with the more established National Basketball Association thr ...

(ABA) for some games in the 1970–71 The Squires had played the previous season in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

as the Washington Caps, and the first two seasons in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

as the Oakland Oaks.

Entertainment

With a stage at one end, the Fieldhouse also hosted concerts, including

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

on April 22, 1980. In 2006, Tim Nolan set a world record at the venue,

juggling Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipulation of one object o ...

eleven balls.

Demolished

The Fieldhouse was demolished in 2006 and in its footprint is the ODU Recreation and Wellness Center, a multi-level fitness center. It has multiple gymnasiums and racquetball courts, an indoor track, pool, indoor climbing wall, and facilities for equipment rentals.

References

American Basketball Association venues Old Dominion Monarchs basketball Defunct college basketball venues in the United States Virginia Squires Sports venues in Norfolk, Virginia Defunct sports venues in Virginia 1970 establishments in Virginia 2002 disestablishments in Virginia Sports venues demolished in 2006 Demolished sports venues in the United States Sports venues completed in 1970 {{Virginia-sports-venue-stub