Memorial Hall (University of Akron)

Memorial Hall

Location| Carroll Street
Akron, Ohio 44303
Coordinates| 41°4′32.3″N 81°30′36.2″W﻿ / ﻿41.075639°N 81.510056°W﻿ / 41.075639; -81.510056
Owner| University of Akron
Operator| University of Akron
Capacity| 3,000
Surface| Hardwood
Construction
Broke ground| April 8, 1953
Opened| December 11, 1954
Closed| June 16, 2010
Demolished| 2010
Construction cost| $1.4 million
($15.9 million in 2023 dollars[1])
Tenants
Akron Zips (NCAA)
Men's basketball 1954–1983
Women's basketball 1974–1983

Memorial Hall was an on-campus athletics building on the campus of the University of Akron in Akron, Ohio. The 33,000-square-foot (3,100 m2) building was the first to be built during the tenure of Norman P. Auburn, Akron's 10th president, and the first to be built beyond the original Butchel College lands. Memorial Hall was open for the start of the 1954–55 school year, and was dedicated on December 11, 1954, in honor of the 1,534 Summit County residents who lost their lives in World War II. The building replaced Crouse Gymnasium, built in 1888 and the oldest building on campus at the time, as the home for physical education. It also served as the new home of the men's basketball team, allowing them to host home games on campus again. The team had moved out of Crouse Gymnasium, which had seating for only a few hundred fans, in the 1920s to the larger off-campus Akron Armory.[2]

The arena itself, like many built at the time, featured sideline chair seating above lower retractable bleachers. The ground level of Memorial Hall, below the arena, included a pool. During its time it served as the home of the Akron Zips men's basketball team from its opening, and the women's basketball team from its founding in 1974, until the opening of the James A. Rhodes Arena in 1983, which was built just east of the hall and connected by a sky bridge. The hall was also the school's major gathering place prior to the opening of Rhodes Arena, hosting, among others, President Lyndon B. Johnson and candidate Barry Goldwater in 1964, then-candidate Richard M. Nixon in 1968, Ralph Nader, Dick Gregory and Pat Paulsen, as well as musical acts including Chicago, Ray Charles, The Fifth Dimension and Stevie Wonder.[2]

After the opening of Rhodes Arena, the building served as a classroom and intramural space until its closing in 2010. It was originally demolished to make way for a new College of Education, but that school eventually stayed in a renovated Zook Hall. As of 2022, the area is open green space.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
2. ^ a b "Looking back: Memorial Hall hosted performers, politicians and parties". The University of Akron. 2010-07-07. Retrieved 2018-01-13.

* v
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Akron Zips men's basketball

Venues|

* Crouse Gymnasium (1902–1920s)
* Akron Armory (1920s–1954)
* Memorial Hall (1954–1983)
* James A. Rhodes Arena (1983–present)

Culture & lore|

* Zippy

People|

* Head coaches
* Statistical leaders

Seasons|

* List of seasons
* 1901–02
* 1902–03
* 1903–04
* 1904–05
* 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
* 2024–25

* v
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University of Akron

Established: 1870

Academics

| Colleges|

* Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Applied Science and Technology
* College of Business Administration
* College of Creative and Professional Arts
* LeBron James Family Foundation College of Education
* College of Health and Human Services
* College of Nursing
* College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering
* School of Law
* School of Music
* Dr. Gary B. and Pamela S. Williams Honors College
* University of Akron University College
* Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics

|

Campuses|

* Main campus (Akron, Ohio)
* Medina County University Center (Medina, Ohio)
* Wayne College (Orrville, Ohio)

People|

* President: John Green (interim)
* Notable alumni
* Notable faculty and staff

Athletics

| Facilities|

* FirstEnergy Stadium–Cub Cadet Field
* InfoCision Stadium–Summa Field
* James A. Rhodes Arena
* Lee R. Jackson Field
* Louis and Freda Stile Athletic Field House
* Ocasek Natatorium

|

Traditions|

* Steel Tire
* Wagon Wheel
* Zippy (mascot)

Football|

* Team
* Seasons
* Head coaches
* In the NFL draft

Basketball|

| Men|

* Team
* Seasons

|

Women|

* Team

Soccer|

| Men|

* Team
* In the MLS draft

|

Student life

| Residence halls|

* Bulger Hall
* Exchange Street
* Galluci Hall
* Garson Hall
* Grant Hall
* Honors Complex
* Orr Hall
* Quaker Square
* Ritchie Hall
* Sisler-McFawn
* Spanton Hall
* Townhouses

|

Student organizations|

* The Buchtelite
* Tel-Buch
* WZIP
* ZTV
* Residence Hall Program Board
* Zips Programming Network
* University of Akron Press

Other|

* Expansion
* Spicertown

* v
* t
* e

Mid-American Conference men's basketball

Teams|

* Akron Zips
* Ball State Cardinals
* Bowling Green Falcons
* Buffalo Bulls
* Central Michigan Chippewas
* Eastern Michigan Eagles
* Kent State Golden Flashes
* Miami RedHawks
* Northern Illinois Huskies
* Ohio Bobcats
* Toledo Rockets
* Western Michigan Broncos

Future teams|

* UMass Minutemen (joining in 2025)

Championships & awards|

* MAC tournament
* Regular season champions
* Player of the Year

Seasons|

* 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
* 2024–25

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