Northeastern’s ‘transformational’ venue plans

Article posted by Coliseum, March 25^th, 2025

Image: Perkins and Will

The Northeastern University (a private research university in Boston) is moving forward with plans to build a state-of-the-art, multipurpose athletics and recreation complex on the site of the Matthews Arena in Boston, Massachusetts, US.

‘Northeastern Global News’ stated that the university leaders describe the new complex as an investment in the future that will provide recreational opportunities to all the students, the faculty and the staff in addition to hosting ceremonies and other public and private events for the Northeastern and the neighboring Boston communities.

The arena will offer a “first-rate fan experience” with high-end concessions and multiple entry and exit points.

The 5,066-capacity Matthews Arena is a historic multipurpose arena in Boston, Massachusetts (US) currently owned by the Northeastern University. It is the world’s oldest multipurpose athletic building still in use as well as the oldest arena in use for ice hockey.

‘Northeastern Global News’ further stated that the new multipurpose complex will include a modern Division 1 athletics arena and training facilities that will elevate the Northeastern’s varsity athletic programs especially in the nationally recognized sports of basketball and ice hockey.

Image: Perkins and Will

Commented Ken Henderson, Chancellor and Senior Vice-President for Learning, Northeastern University, “This is a place where memories will be made and it will be transformational. This will be a place where we hold convocation, where we hold graduations, where we hold events for recreation, club sports and varsity sports. It will also be a place where the students are coming together in small groups and large crowds.”

The 310,000-square-foot complex will occupy the entire two-acre footprint of Matthews Arena including the areas currently used as the surface parking lots. It will include an arena that will seat 4,050 people for ice hockey and 5,300 for basketball providing excellent sightlines for the fans as well as for the television broadcasts of the Northeastern competitions. It will be Northeastern’s largest indoor gathering space also enabling thousands of people to attend the academic ceremonies and the other non-athletic events.

Emphasis on Student Recreation

The most profound improvement of the new multistory complex is its commitment to serving a wide variety of university and community interests simultaneously with an emphasis on student recreation.

Added Henderson, “We love the Matthews Arena but it is a single-use space. It’s an arena where you can do one thing at a time. The new complex will have multiple events and activities going on at the same time. You could be having a hockey game at the same time as you’re having a club soccer game on the floor above – and perhaps a varsity basketball practice is being held while the other students are lifting weights and doing cardiovascular training at an individual level.”

Image: Perkins and Will

Said Emma Sullivan, who will be graduating with a degree in journalism and English in May, “The investment in a new complex will be worthwhile. I won’t be a student by the time the new complex opens but I do think it will be a really great opportunity for the next generations of the Northeastern students.”

Athletics Excellence

Observed Jim Madigan, a former ice hockey star and men’s Coach at Northeastern who now serves as the university’s Athletic Director, “For our varsity sports this building signal to our peers and our competitors that Northeastern represents excellence. It is going to be a game-changer for our programs to recruit the best student-athletes to Northeastern.”

There will be improved training facilities and office spaces for the varsity athletes and the coaches. An example of the new building’s versatility will be the presence of the indoor rowing tanks for the men’s and women’s varsity teams.

Added Madigan, “The building is going to offer food and entertainment and excitement and enjoyment. This is a complex that will be bringing people together. It’s going to create a sense of community, a sense of belonging throughout the university.”

Opportunities for Neighborhood Organizations

Since its 1979 purchase by the Northeastern the Matthews Arena has served as a community venue for high school graduations and other events. That access will grow when the new complex is opened, says John Tobin, Northeastern’s Vice-President for City and Community Engagement.

Maintained Tobin, “This new complex will allow us to increase our offerings with our neighbors and with our great partners in the City of Boston. It’s going to be more than just a building. It will serve as a vital part of Boston’s civic community from concerts to blood drives to Boston Public School ice hockey games. It will bring people together in ways that matter.”

Image: Perkins and Will

Northeastern has invested millions of dollars in renovation of the Matthews Arena over the years. The replacement of its historic features predating Northeastern’s ownership makes the Matthews Arena ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places (the United States Federal Government’s official list of sites, buildings, structures, districts, and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or “great artistic value”), according to a 2023 evaluation conducted by Epsilon Associates (consulting scientists, planners and engineers specializing in securing environmental approvals).

The new complex, designed by the architectural firm Perkins&Will (Chicago-based global design practice) and the Associate Architect DREAM Collaborative (architecture firm in Boston), is pursuing net-zero carbon certification and the deconstruction of the existing arena will capture the reclaimed materials. Suffolk Construction (an American construction contracting company based in Boston) is the Contractor for the project which will reuse rainwater for ice making, irrigation and flushing among other Green initiatives.

The project is awaiting final approvals from the City and the State which will determine the timelines for deconstruction and construction.

Structural Integrity

‘The Huntington News’ stated that in recent years there has been widespread concern about the structural integrity of the Matthews Arena given its 114-year lifespan. The arena stands on Man-made land as Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and the surrounding areas were filled in during the late 19th century. Since its construction the clay, sand and debris underneath the Matthews Arena have shifted creating an unsturdy foundation due to a combination of low-grade soil makeup and manufactured materials left behind from the mid-1800s housing complexes and toxic chemicals including asbestos.

The Matthews Arena has hosted decades of memorable professional and collegiate moments in Boston sports. Originally opened in April 1910 and partially rebuilt in 1918 following a fire the arena is the world’s oldest multipurpose athletic building still in use as well as the oldest ice hockey arena in use.

‘The Huntington News’ further stated that currently, Northeastern’s men’s basketball and both men’s and women’s hockey teams hold all home games at the Matthews Arena. The building is also used to host commencement ceremonies, concerts, various events by the City, and other programs.

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