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Walsh Gymnasium

Coordinates: 40°44′30″N 74°14′42″W / 40.741690°N 74.244921°W / 40.741690; -74.244921
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Walsh Gymnasium
New Jersey’s Most Historic Gymnasium
Walsh Gymnasium during a basketball game in December 2022
Map
LocationSeton Hall University
South Orange, NJ 07079
Coordinates40°44′30″N 74°14′42″W / 40.741690°N 74.244921°W / 40.741690; -74.244921
Public transitSouth Orange station:

NJ Transit NJ Transit Railway Train

     Morristown Line

     Gladstone Branch: Weekdays Only

NJT Bus NJ Transit NJT Bus: 92
OwnerSeton Hall University
OperatorSeton Hall University
Capacity1,316 (basketball)
1,100 (volleyball)
SurfaceHardwood
Construction
Broke ground1939
Opened1941
Renovated2020-2021
Construction cost$600,000
($13.1 million in 2023 dollars[1])
ArchitectAnthony J. DePace
Tenants
Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball (1941–1985; Occasional Non-Big East Games 1985-present)
Seton Hall Pirates women's basketball (1973-present)
Seton Hall Pirates women's volleyball

Walsh Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena in South Orange, New Jersey on the campus of Seton Hall University. The arena opened in 1941 and can seat 1,316 people.[2] It was home to the Seton Hall Pirates men's basketball team before they moved to the Meadowlands in 1985 and then Prudential Center in 2007. Currently, the arena hosts the women's basketball and volleyball teams, but continues to host men's basketball for preseason exhibitions, postseason invitational games such as early rounds of the NIT, and occasionally a regular season non-conference game if there is a conflict with Prudential Center's event schedule. The building is part of the Richie Regan Recreation & Athletic Center, and, like the school's main library, is named for Rev. Thomas J. Walsh, fifth bishop of Newark and former President of the Board of Trustees.

Walsh hosted a semifinal game of the ECAC Metro Region tournament, a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college basketball tournament organized by the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), in 1977.[3][4] The Pirates played two games in the 2012 NIT and three games in the 2024 NIT in Walsh.

History

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Walsh Gymnasium was the first permanent basketball facility to be built on the Seton Hall campus. The architect was Anthony J. DePace.[5] Construction began in 1939 as part of a project that would cost $600,000 (equivalent to $13.1 million in 2023)[6] and was completed in the winter of 1941, when the men's basketball team played its first-ever game there. According to Alan Delozier in his book "Seton Hall Pirates: A Basketball History" Seton Hall University president Monsignor James F. Kelley based the Walsh Gymnasium concept on facilities found at St. Catherine's College and Yale University for their multipurpose dynamics.[7]

Walsh Gymnasium, October 2019 prior to 2021 renovations.

When it opened in 1941, Walsh seated 3,200 and was one of the largest arenas in the northeast. The last major renovation, during Tommy Amaker’s coaching tenure in the late 1990s, replaced nearly an entire bank of balcony seating with offices.[8]

New Daktronics hanging scoreboard, October 2021

In 2020 Walsh Gymnasium received a significant facelift following the conclusion of the 2019-20 collegiate basketball season. Upgrades included: Complete replacement of the seating including the court level bleachers with chair-back seating; a new center-hung scoreboard, as well as two new video boards flanking the stage; new ceiling-mounted baskets which will replace the portable baskets; a new sound system; and a new hardwood court.[9]

Events

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Over the years, Walsh Gym has been host to countless events including post-season games, religious ceremonies, graduations and concerts featuring the likes of Bruce Springsteen.[10]

See also

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References

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  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. ^ "Facilities". Seton Hall University Athletics. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. ^ "ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments - Varsity Pride". jonfmorse.com. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  4. ^ Varsity Pride: 1977 ECAC Men's Basketball Tournaments
  5. ^ "Marine Corps Seeks Men For Volunteer Reserve; DESIGN OF NEW BUILDING FOR SETON HALL COLLEGE". The New York Times. 1939-06-27. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-04-04.
  6. ^ "Seton Hall College To Get A Gymnasium; Ground for $600,000 Edifice to Be Broken Thursday", The New York Times, June 27, 1939. Accessed April 28, 2022. "Ground for a $600,000 gymnasium, to include an auditorium, a theatre and two swimming pools, will be broken Thursday at Seton Hall College here, it was announced today by the Rev. Dr. James F. Kelley, president of the college."
  7. ^ "Walsh Gym Renovation Project Begins". Seton Hall University Athletics. 8 April 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ "Seton Hall Basketball: a first look at renovated Walsh Gym". Asbury Park Press. 23 September 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  9. ^ "Walsh Gymnasium Renovation to Commence April 2020". Seton Hall University Athletics. 6 December 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
  10. ^ "Walsh Gymnasium - Facilities - Seton Hall University Athletics". Seton Hall University Athletics. Retrieved 3 December 2021.