Northeastern recently filed plans with Boston’s urban planning agency to officially replace Matthews Arena, the university’s 114-year-old arena, with a new multi-purpose athletic facility.
In a letter of intent sent to the Boston Planning & Development Agency, or BPDA, May 29, the university broadly described a plan to construct a 290,000-gross-square-foot building that will house an arena for sporting events to “support the University’s broader recreation and fitness needs.” The letter says the new facility will contain a fieldhouse with multi-purpose turf, basketball courts and recreation courts.
In building a new facility along 238-262 St. Botolph St., where Matthews Arena is located, Northeastern looks to replace the world’s oldest structure of its kind. Matthews was founded as Boston Arena in 1910 and is the oldest multi-purpose athletic facility in the world.
It’s the first home of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Carolina Hurricanes (then the New England Whalers) and numerous college hockey teams. The iconic landmark, which was once called “the most skillfully designed building of its kind ever constructed,” has hosted presidential speeches, celebrations of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart’s pioneer flights and even the 1958 concert that got rock ’n’ roll temporarily banned in Boston. It currently houses Northeastern’s men’s and women’s ice hockey teams and men’s basketball team and is used for concerts, graduation ceremonies, large-scale fundraising events and more.
In April, Northeastern submitted plans detailing “Preclearing Excavation Work” at the site, revealing proof of chemical debris underneath the arena, The News previously reported. Hockey fans have long speculated that the building has been losing its structural integrity, its foundation sinking, but the first confirmation that the university was looking to replace the arena was in a May 8 university statement to The News. In the statement, a university spokesperson said the arena was “reaching the end of its useful life.” Now, concrete plans are in action to tear down Matthews Arena, excavate the land and replace it with a new facility.
The arena stands on man-made land, as Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and surrounding areas were filled in during the late 19th century. Shortly after, Matthews Arena was constructed, and over the past 114 years, the clay, sand and debris have shifted, creating an unsturdy foundation due to a combination of low-grade soil makeup, manufactured materials left behind from mid-1800s housing complexes and toxic chemicals including asbestos.
In order to carry out this replacement project, the BPDA must first approve Northeastern’s proposed amendment to its 10-year Institutional Master Plan and the plans to construct a new facility.
