Northeastern will unveil updated plans for a new multi-purpose athletic facility to replace the historic Matthews Arena March 6, according to information the university shared with The Huntington News.
Northeastern, which acquired Matthews Arena in 1979, is looking to take a different approach with the design of its new facility to accommodate more athletics and events. The plans outline a 310,000-square-foot complex that will occupy the two-acre footprint of Matthews Arena, which includes areas currently used for parking. The project is still awaiting final approvals from the city and state, which will determine deconstruction and construction dates.
The new facility will include an arena that would seat up to 4,050 people for ice hockey games and 5,300 for basketball matches, down from its current capacity of 4,666 for hockey and 5,066 for basketball. The men’s and women’s varsity basketball programs would also each have a practice court. There will be redesigned training facilities for athletic teams, office spaces for varsity athletes and coaches and indoor rowing tanks for the men’s and women’s varsity rowing teams. Additionally, there will be a dedicated section behind one of the hockey nets for the DogHouse, Northeastern’s student fan section.
During its construction, the men’s basketball program plans to move its games and practices to the Cabot Physical Education Center where the women’s basketball team currently plays, according to the university’s plans. Northeastern is making arrangements with local facilities to host the men’s and women’s hockey practices and games, according to plans shared with The News.
The university is looking to create a net-zero carbon certification for the facility using reclaimed materials from the destruction of Matthews Arena, as designed by the global architectural firm Perkins&Will.
In recent years, there has been widespread concern about the structural integrity of Matthews Arena given its 114-year lifespan. The arena stands on man-made land, as Boston’s Back Bay neighborhood and surrounding areas were filled in during the late 19th century. Since its construction, the clay, sand and debris underneath Matthews Arena have shifted, creating an unsturdy foundation due to a combination of low-grade soil makeup and manufactured materials left behind from mid-1800s housing complexes and toxic chemicals including asbestos, The News previously reported.
Several parts of the building have undergone construction, including the offices opposite to the DogHouse.
In May 2024, Northeastern sent a letter of intent to the Boston Planning & Development Agency, or BPDA, to construct the 290,000-gross-square-foot multi-purpose athletic facility. In order to carry out this replacement project, the BPDA must first approve Northeastern’s proposed amendment to its 10-year Institutional Master Plan, which lays out plans to construct the new facility.
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 multi-purpose athletic building still in use as well as the oldest ice hockey arena in use.
The facility was officially known as the Boston Arena until 1982, when it was renamed after board of trustees member George Matthews and his wife, Hope, three years after Northeastern acquired it. Many college teams called the facility home, including Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University.
The Boston Celtics and Bruins also got their start there. On Dec. 1, 1924, the Bruins played the first-ever NHL game in the United States in the arena, which they celebrated the 100-year anniversary of in November 2024. And although the Celtics’ inaugural season in 1946 was split between the Boston Arena and the newly constructed Boston Garden — now known as TD Garden — Matthews Arena housed the first-ever home game.
Currently, Northeastern’s men’s basketball and both men’s and women’s hockey teams hold all home games at Matthews Arena. The building is also used to host commencement ceremonies, concerts, various events by the city and other programs.
