Butler Fieldhouse
| Indiana's Basketball Cathedral | |
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| Former names | Butler Fieldhouse (1928–1966) |
|---|---|
| Location | 510 West 49th Street Indianapolis, IN 46208, USA |
| Owner | Butler University |
| Operator | Butler University |
| Capacity |
9,100 (2014–present) |
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Butler Fieldhouse
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National Historic Landmark Plaque
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| Coordinates | 39°50′37″N 86°10′2″W / 39.84361°N 86.16722°WCoordinates: 39°50′37″N 86°10′2″W / 39.84361°N 86.16722°W |
| Built | 1927 |
| Architect | Cannon, Fermor S. |
| NRHP Reference # | 83003573 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | December 22, 1983 |
| Designated NHL | February 27, 1987 |
| Surface | Hardwood |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1927 |
| Opened | March 7, 1928 |
| Renovated | 1989, 2011–2014 |
| Construction cost | $750,000 ($10.5 million in 2017 dollars) |
| Architect | Fermor Spencer Cannon |
| Tenants | |
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Butler Bulldogs (Big East) (1928–present) Indianapolis Jets (BAA) (1948–1949) Indianapolis Olympians (NBA) (1949–1953) 1987 Pan-American Games |
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9,100 (2014–present)
10,000 (2009–2014)
11,043 (1989–2009)
15,000 (1928–1989)
Hinkle Fieldhouse is a basketball arena located on the campus of Butler University in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States. When built in 1928, it was the largest basketball arena in the United States, a distinction it retained until 1950. It is the sixth-oldest college basketball arena still in use, and it is a U.S. National Historic Landmark. It is among the earliest of the major college fieldhouses, which, along with rules changes that made for a faster game, transformed college basketball in the late 1920s and 1930s.
Hinkle Fieldhouse is nicknamed "Indiana's Basketball Cathedral" due to the rich history it has played in the development of basketball in Indiana, also to distinguish it from The Palestra, known as "The Cathedral of College Basketball."
Hinkle Fieldhouse and the 36,000-seat Butler Bowl football stadium were two of the first buildings erected when the university moved to the Fairview campus. The facilities were promoted by a corporation of 41 Indianapolis businessmen who viewed it as a prize for the city as well as for Butler. When Butler signed a lease with the Indiana High School Athletic Association to host the high school state tournament, the corporation agreed to finance the building at a cost of $1,000,000.
In 1933, the interior was reconfigured, moving the court from an east-west orientation to a north-south position. In the initial arrangement, over half of the seats were at the ends of the court, while event viewing is typically better from the sides. Butler hosted the high school tourney from 1928 to 1971, except for 1943–1945, when the building housed the US Army Air Forces and US Navy as a barracks during World War II.
Hinkle Fieldhouse hosted the annual state high school basketball championship games, including the Milan Miracle, the memorable 1954 victory of tiny Milan High School over the much larger Muncie Central High School. The film Hoosiers is loosely based on that event and used Hinkle Fieldhouse and the memorable voices of original announcers Hilliard Gates and Tom Carnegie in filming the climactic game of the popular movie. Ralph Underwood was the radio announcer. With the exception of an occasional high school showcase, high school basketball games are rarely contested at Hinkle Fieldhouse any more, and Indiana High School Athletic Association state basketball tournament games are played elsewhere.
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