Boston’s historic Matthews Arena to be repurposed

Northeastern University has revealed plans to replace the historic Matthews Arena in Boston with a multi-purpose athletics and recreation complex.

The new complex will include a modern athletics arena and training facilities that intend to elevate Northeastern’s varsity programs, especially in the sports of basketball and ice hockey. The 310,000-square-foot complex will occupy the entire two-acre footprint of Matthews Arena, including areas currently used as surface parking lots.

The arena will seat 4,050 people for ice hockey and 5,300 for basketball. It will be Northeastern’s largest indoor gathering space, with the intention to also host academic ceremonies and other non-athletic events.

“This is a place where memories will be made,” said Ken Henderson, chancellor and senior vice-president for learning at Northeastern. “This will be a place where we hold convocation, where we hold graduations, where we hold events for recreation, club sports and varsity sports. It will also be a place where students are coming together in small groups and large crowds. It will be transformational.”

Matthews Arena was originally constructed in 1910 and rebuilt in 1918 after a fire. At that time it was known as Boston Arena, and later served as the original homes of both the NHL’s Bruins and NBA’s Celtics. The Bruins played at the arena from 1924 to 1928, while the Celtics staged games there from 1946 to 1955.

Northeastern acquired Boston Arena in 1979, renaming it three years later in honour of George Matthews, who would become chairman of the board of trustees, and his wife, Hope. 

While Northeastern has invested millions of dollars in renovations over the years, the replacement of historic features predating the university’s ownership makes Matthews Arena ineligible for listing on the National Register of Historic Places.

The new complex, designed by the architectural firm Perkins&Will, is pursuing net-zero carbon certification and the deconstruction of the existing arena will capture reclaimed materials. Suffolk Construction is the contractor for the project, which will reuse rainwater for ice making, irrigation, and flushing, among other green initiatives.

The project is awaiting final approvals from the city and state, which will determine the timelines for deconstruction and construction. “This new complex will allow us to increase our offerings with our neighbours and with our great partners in the City of Boston,” said John Tobin, Northeastern’s vice-president for city and community engagement.

“It’s going to be more than just a building. It will serve as a vital part of Boston’s civic community from concerts to blood drives to Boston Public School ice hockey games. It will bring people together in ways that matter.”