Hall of fame Steps Back in Time (April 12, 1988)

Item Information

Title:
Hall of fame Steps Back in Time (April 12, 1988)
Description:
A newspaper article published in the April 12, 1988 Springfield Union-News titled "Hall of Fame steps back in time" and written by Don Conkey. The article is in three pages. The article is about the moving of the original stairs leading into the gymnasium where basketball was first played in the School for Christian Workers building, also known as the Original School Building of Springfield College, to the Basketball Hall of Fame. The steps were originally moved to the campus of Springfield College when the original building was destroyed. The steps were placed in the ground near the parking lot of the original Basketball Hall of Fame. There is a lot of information about Edward Hickox and what he did to create the Hall of Fame. There is also a photograph of the steps being removed from the ground and a photo of the original building. The building has been known by many different names over the years including the Winchester Square Building, the Mason Square building and the Armory Hill building. Construction on the building was completed in the spring of 1886 and it was dedicated on June 1 of that year. The building consisted of a reading room, gymnasium, parlor, a recitation room, an amusement room and fifty sleeping rooms. The Armory Hill YMCA also rented rooms in the building. In 1891 James Naismith, while a faculty member at the school, invented the game of basketball in the gymnasium of the building. In 1890 the School for Christian Workers separated into two schools which continued to operate out of the same building, the YMCA Training School and the School for Christian Workers. In 1896 the Training School, now Springfield College, finished the transition to its new location on Alden Street and in 1897 the School for Christian Workers became the Bible Normal College and moved to Hartford, Connecticut. The original building was torn down in 1965 to create a parking lot. In 1995, McDonald’s Corporation bought the land, excavating the original foundation and bricks before building a restaurant on the site. Today, there is a monument commemorating the site as the birthplace of basketball.
Creator:
Springfield Union
Creator:
Conkey, Don
Date:
April 12, 1988
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Subjects:
Basketball--History
Original School Building
Springfield College
Springfield College--Buildings
School for Christian Workers (Springfield, Mass.)
Springfield College--Campus
Basketball Hall of Fame
Hickox, Edward J.
Armory Hill YMCA
Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield, Mass.)
Springfield (Mass.)
Winchester Square
Mason Square
Stairways
Memorial works
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
3 pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/34362
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 Union
Language:
English
Identifier:
rg111-01-04-004