Painting of Memorial Field House in Fall (c. 1976)

Item Information

Title:
Painting of Memorial Field House in Fall (c. 1976)
Description:
Richard Stevens painted this watercolor of Springfield College’s Memorial Field House in 1976. The painting shows the building during fall. It is believed to have been painted in 1976 and is part of a series of four paintings of Springfield College buildings, including: Babson Library in the Spring, Alumni Hall in the Summer, and Judd Gymnasium in the Winter. The building was demolished in 1979, because the wood arch did not meet minimum building code requirements. A new Physical Education Complex replaced the Memorial Field House, and was formally dedicated on October 30, 1981. To see the other paintings in the series: http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7969, http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7968, and http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7966. The Memorial Field house was originally used as a basic training facility by the United States Navy. In 1946, Springfield College qualified for the drill hall through Public Law 697, a law that distributed war time surplus for civilian use, and the government disassembled and transported the building to Springfield College. The field house opened on February 21, 1948. On that day, the first basketball game was held in the new arena, with Springfield College playing Providence College. William R. Chase, a member of the first group of men to play basketball in 1891, tossed the ceremonial first ball. The building was divided into three sections: the Gymnasium area, the Arena area, and the Class and Game Room area. The Gymnasium area is 140 x 80 feet of permanent maple flooring and could accommodate 5 volleyball, or 9 badminton, or 3 basketball courts, or some combination of the three courts. The Arena area comprises 230 feet of open earth surface for field events and had the ability up to accommodate 4,000 spectators at public events and basketball games. The Class and Game Room area has spaces for offices and temporary classrooms which could also be converted to specialized game rooms for boxing, wrestling, fencing, and calisthenics. For biographical information on Frank Wolcott, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/54. This painting was donated by Coach Frank Wolcott;
Creator:
Stevens, Richard
Date:
1976
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Subjects:
Springfield College--Buildings
Springfield College
Memorial Field House
Springfield (Mass.)
Paintings
Watercolors
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/7967
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
Identifier:
ms514-04-a-10-15-002