McDonough Gymnasium
Encyclopedia
McDonough Gymnasium is a multi-purpose arena
in Washington, D.C.
The arena opened in 1951 and holds 2,500 people.
Ground was broken for construction of the gymnasium on May 20, 1950; the cornerstone was laid on October 14, 1950; the official ribbon cutting and opening was held December 8, 1951. When it opened, capacity was 4,000 for basketball and 5,500 for general events.
It was home to the Georgetown University
Hoyas men's basketball
team before they moved to Capital Centre
. The team continues to play a handful of preseason and non-conference games at the gym against lesser-known opponents each year. Excepting NIT
games in 1993 and 2005, no games against well-known opponents have been held at McDonough since 1983. Under the old sanction of the NIT, schools in the tournament were to play games on campus or at campus-owned facilities. Georgetown's men usually play at the Verizon Center
, which is neither on campus nor owned by the school, so they would play such "mandated" games at the facility. Currently, the arena hosts the women's basketball
and volleyball
teams.
The building is named for Rev. Vincent J. McDonough, S.J., athletic director from 1916 to 1928. Legend has it that three days before his death on September 3, 1939, he was asked what he wanted for the twenty-fifth anniversary of his priesthood, to which he replied, "You give the boys a new gym and I'll be happy." Though he did not live to see it, the gym eventually was built after World War II.
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
The arena opened in 1951 and holds 2,500 people.
Ground was broken for construction of the gymnasium on May 20, 1950; the cornerstone was laid on October 14, 1950; the official ribbon cutting and opening was held December 8, 1951. When it opened, capacity was 4,000 for basketball and 5,500 for general events.
It was home to the Georgetown University
Georgetown University
Georgetown University is a private, Jesuit, research university whose main campus is in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Founded in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic university in the United States...
Hoyas men's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team before they moved to Capital Centre
Capital Centre
The Capital Centre was an indoor arena located in Landover, Maryland, unincorporated Prince George's County, Maryland; a suburb of Washington, D.C. Completed in 1973, the arena sat 18,756 for basketball and 18,130 for hockey....
. The team continues to play a handful of preseason and non-conference games at the gym against lesser-known opponents each year. Excepting NIT
National Invitation Tournament
The National Invitation Tournament is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. There are two NIT events each season. The first, played in November and known as the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off , was founded in 1985...
games in 1993 and 2005, no games against well-known opponents have been held at McDonough since 1983. Under the old sanction of the NIT, schools in the tournament were to play games on campus or at campus-owned facilities. Georgetown's men usually play at the Verizon Center
Verizon Center
Verizon Center is a sports and entertainment arena in Washington, D.C., USA, named after telecommunications sponsor Verizon Communications, and has been nicknamed the "Phone Booth" because of its association with telecommunications companies...
, which is neither on campus nor owned by the school, so they would play such "mandated" games at the facility. Currently, the arena hosts the women's basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and volleyball
Volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
teams.
The building is named for Rev. Vincent J. McDonough, S.J., athletic director from 1916 to 1928. Legend has it that three days before his death on September 3, 1939, he was asked what he wanted for the twenty-fifth anniversary of his priesthood, to which he replied, "You give the boys a new gym and I'll be happy." Though he did not live to see it, the gym eventually was built after World War II.