Historic Matthews Arena to be replaced at Northeastern University in Boston

BOSTON — The one-time home to the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins may soon have a new chapter as part of the campus of Northeastern University.

Northeastern has filed a letter of intent with the City of Boston to replace the historic venue.

Matthews Arena opened in 1910 and is currently home to the Northeastern Huskies basketball and hockey programs. The first NU game was played on January 17, 1930. The Bruins first played on the ice at Matthews on December 1, 1924, and the first Celtics game at Matthews Arena was played on November 5, 1946.

It holds more than 5,000 fans for basketball games and 4,600 for hockey.

“The arena is the world’s oldest multi-purpose athletic building and houses the world’s oldest artificial ice sheet,” according to Northeastern. It’s on Saint Botolph Street in Boston, near Massachusetts Avenue.

As part of its 10-year master plan, NU wants to build a new 290,000-square-foot “multi-purpose athletics facility that is anticipated to contain an arena for Northeastern sporting events. and a fieldhouse containing multi-purpose turf, basketball courts, recreational courts, and other accessory uses to support the University’s broader recreation and fitness needs.”

The news was first reported by Universal Hub.

“The project will also include site improvements, including new street trees, pedestrian improvements, and public realm improvements,” according to NU’s letter of intent filed with the Boston Planning and Development Agency.

“We look forward to working with the City of Boston agencies,” said NU.

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