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Memorial Gymnasium
Construction
Mem Gym


Location	210 Emmet Street South
Owner	University of Virginia
Operator	University of Virginia
Capacity	2,500
Surface	wood court
Opened	1924
Renovated	2005
Architect	Fiske Kimball^[1]
Tenants
Virginia Cavaliers (Volleyball and Wrestling) (Formerly Swimming and Basketball)

Memorial Gymnasium
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Virginia Landmarks Register

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Location	210 S. Emmett St., Charlottesville, Virginia
Coordinates	38°2′14″N 78°30′27″W / 38.03722°N 78.50750°W / 38.03722; -78.50750
Area	5.1 acre
Built	1924
Architect	Fiske, Kimble, et al.
Architectural style	Beaux Arts^[2]
NRHP reference No.	04001291^[2]
VLR No.	104-0095
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	December 4, 2004
Designated VLR	March 17, 2004^[3]

Memorial Gymnasium is a 2,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Charlottesville, Virginia. It opened in 1924. It replaced Fayerweather Gymnasium as home to the University of Virginia Cavaliers basketball team until University Hall opened in 1965.

History

Established originally as a memorial to the University's World War I casualties, the facility continues to play a role in the athletic, recreational and physical education-kinesiology programs at the school. The classes of 1920 and 1921 pledged a collected total of $142,000 in support of the gymnasium as a memorial and construction was completed in 1924.^[4] From its completion, the gymnasium housed a variety of sporting and social activities, including basketball, boxing and dances.^[5] The basketball program was housed in the building for 42 seasons before University Hall opened in 1965. It was also the past home of the swimming and dive teams^{[clarification needed]} and indoor track teams. After renovations, the building - now used extensively by the University's intramural programs - also serves as the home arena for the Cavaliers' wrestling and women's volleyball teams.

Memorial Gym was the site of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Stab in the Back" speech^[6] on June 10, 1940, when, in the middle of giving his commencement address to the graduating class, he was informed of the alliance between Italy and Nazi Germany.^[6]

Current usage

Memorial Gymnasium hosts the school wrestling and volleyball teams, and is also used by the school as an intramural sports venue.^[7] The building includes a small weight room, including cardiovascular machines, and boxing practice facilities, as well as an indoor wooden jogging track on the second floor that rings around and overlooks the basketball courts on the first floor. The swimming pool was also primarily used prior to the construction of the Aquatic and Fitness Center. The swimming pool was finally closed in 2007^{[clarification needed]} and converted into an indoor soccer ground.

Recent renovations

An anonymous gift of $845,500 provided for extensive improvements to the building.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball

Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball
Venues	Memorial Gymnasium (1924–1965) University Hall (1965–2006) John Paul Jones Arena (2006–present)
Rivalries	Virginia Tech
Culture & lore	"The Cavalier Song" "The Good Old Song" 1982 Chaminade upset 2018 UMBC upset Redemption National Championship
People	Head coaches Statistical leaders
Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24
NCAA national championship in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

Volleyball arenas of the Atlantic Coast Conference

Power Gym (Boston College)
Jervey Athletic Center (Clemson)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (Duke)
Tully Gymnasium (Florida State)
O'Keefe Gymnasium (Georgia Tech)
L&N Federal Credit Union Arena/KFC Yum! Center (Louisville)
Knight Complex (Miami)
Reynolds Coliseum (NC State)
Carmichael Arena (North Carolina)
Joyce Center (Notre Dame)
Fitzgerald Field House (Pittsburgh)
Women's Building (Syracuse)
Memorial Gymnasium (Virginia)
Cassell Coliseum (Virginia Tech)
Reynolds Gymnasium (Wake Forest)

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Virginia

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Virginia
Lists by county	Accomack Albemarle Alleghany Amelia Amherst Appomattox Arlington Augusta Bath Bedford Bland Botetourt Brunswick Buchanan Buckingham Campbell Caroline Carroll Charles City Charlotte Chesterfield Clarke Craig Culpeper Cumberland Dickenson Dinwiddie Essex Fairfax Fauquier Floyd Fluvanna Franklin Frederick Giles Gloucester Goochland Grayson Greene Greensville Halifax Hanover Henrico Henry Highland Isle Of Wight James City King and Queen King George King William Lancaster Lee Loudoun Louisa Lunenburg Madison Mathews Mecklenburg Middlesex Montgomery Nelson New Kent Northampton Northumberland Nottoway Orange Page Patrick Pittsylvania Powhatan Prince Edward Prince George Prince William Pulaski Rappahannock Richmond Roanoke Rockbridge Rockingham Russell Scott Shenandoah Smyth Southampton Spotsylvania Stafford Surry Sussex Tazewell Warren Washington Westmoreland Wise Wythe York
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Other lists	Bridges National Historic Landmarks
Keeper of the Register History of the National Register of Historic Places Property types Historic district Contributing property

Authority control databases: Geographic

History

Current usage

Recent renovations

See also

References

External links