Front View of Baskeball Hall of Fame

Item Information

Title:
Front View of Baskeball Hall of Fame
Description:
This photograph shows the front of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Springfield College's campus where it was located until 1985. The building is framed by a tree on either side and the numerous windows providing natural light to the inside of the building are visible. Interestingly, although this was considered the front of the building, the entrance to the Hall of Fame was located on the right side of the building. The original Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was constructed on the Springfield College Campus due to the college’s deep connection to the sport of basketball; from Dr. James Naismith, who invented the game while he was a faculty member at the school in 1891; to Dr. Edward Hickox, the driving force behind the Hall’s creation; and the innumerable members of the faculty who have sat on national rules committee. In 1959 when the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame construction began the first group of players, coaches, and contributors to the sport were inducted into the Hall of Fame. This first group of inductees included five with ties to Springfield College; Dr. James Naismith, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Luther H. Gulick, Edward J. Hickox, and Naismith’s First Team from Springfield College, then known as the International YMCA Training School. By the time the Hall of Fame opened in 1968 it already had 43 inductees. When the Hall of Fame first opened to the public in 1968 it had over 1000 visitors on the first day and just over a year later it had had a total of 16,500 visitors. With the ever-growing popularity of the sport of basketball, inductees into the Hall of Fame, and visitors, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame began to outgrow its Springfield College home. In 1985 the Hall of Fame opened in a new location in Springfield and the original Hall of Fame building ownership was transferred to Springfield College. Renovations on the building began in 1987 and the building was rededicated as the Allied Health Sciences Center in April of 1989. Density measurement scale outside picture frame to the right of the photo. Folded piece of tape in center of left side of image, outside the picture frame. Folded tape on center part of bottom edge of image, within the picture frame. Next to the tape on the bottom edge of the image there is a small surface rip in the photograph leaving a small white patch between the tape and the sign post.
Date:
[1964?–1985?]
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Subjects:
Basketball--History
Springfield College--Buildings
Springfield College
Basketball Hall of Fame
Allied Health Sciences Building
Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.)
Springfield (Mass.)
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/2230
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Identifier:
rg147-05-04-001
rg147-03-06-001