Several surprises as 115 years of history pulled from Matthews Arena before deconstruction
The university found some fun discoveries when clearing out the historic building ahead of its deconstruction in February.
The Beanpot championship banners have been removed from the rafters. The electronic scoreboard is also down with portions saved for reuse.
Familiar pieces like the lobby archway art with images of the women’s hockey team and the varsity club entrance letters are removed — and now available for fan purchase.
And a construction crew is beginning to take down the historic archway brick-by-brick as the beginning of the deconstruction of Matthews Arena.
The iconic building saw its last game on Dec. 13 after 115 years of operation, hosting ceremonies, concerts, collegiate celebrations and sports games for both collegiate and professional teams like the Boston Celtics and Boston Bruins.
Suffolk Construction will begin a careful deconstruction of the structure in February, making way for a new 310,000-square-foot multi-purpose complex that’s scheduled to be finished in the fall of 2028. The new building will include space for 4,050 hockey fans and 5,300 basketball fans, as well as 54,000 square feet for recreational use.
CollectU, a company that specializes in salvaging and preserving university memorabilia, collected four truckloads of keepsakes from the building, including rediscovered Sherwood, Easton, Koho, Titan and CCM brand hockey sticks and jerseys, said Jack McCorkle, executive director for advancement operations.
“They found hockey sticks in there, they found old jerseys in there and a bunch of old pictures in a room somewhere,” McCorkle added. “They found a lot of stuff that was just stored away. It’s all exciting. We don’t think anyone even remembers (they were there).”
The excavation process took place between the final game and Jan. 5, when Suffolk Construction, the contractor for the project, took over the building before it is taken down. According to a Suffolk spokesperson, deconstruction of the building is expected to begin in February.
Prior to the handover, McCorkle said CollectU was able to salvage hockey nets, dasher boards, plexiglass from the hockey rink, banners and different types of signage and chairs. The university is looking into working with a company that can turn some of the banners into duffle bags that fans can purchase.
Right now, there are Providence College, UConn, UMass and UMaine flags for sale and an auction going for the Women’s Beanpot Tournament Banner. Fans can also place a bid on a Boston University flag and a Matthews Arena official Northeastern flag.
Some of the arena’s signs will be auctioned off and sold. Stadium section signs, restroom signage, patron notices (such as a “No Alcohol Beyond This Point” sign), and wayfinding signs are also available for purchase.
An original blueprint drawing of the arena was also found, and Northeastern officials say they plan to eventually sell a copy of it, potentially with a piece of hockey net placed in a shadow box.
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“There was nothing surprising, but a lot of historical things that were just thrown in a closet somewhere,” McCorkle said of the excavation. “This wasn’t on our list of things to take … I truly don’t believe anyone knew they were there.”
McCorkle said the university plans to continue to sell these souvenirs from the historic arena over the next two years, with a plan to begin selling hockey-related gear in honor of this year’s Beanpot, such as banners and items from the hockey locker rooms.
So far, Northeastern has sold nearly 1,000 bricks that were saved from the building as well as 120 stadium seats.
During the excavation process, the university also relocated coaches, players and operations staff and moved their equipment to new locations, said Carla Morelli, a director of capital projects with Northeastern. Other items were removed and stored for repurposing and relocation.
In order to prepare for deconstruction, utilities and existing infrastructure are being cut and capped, Morelli added, and scaffolding has been installed around the main entrance.
Deconstruction will begin at the west end of the arena and continue eastward toward Mass. Ave in the coming months with plans for completion in April.
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