Dee Stadium

Amphidrome
The 1907 addition can be prominently seen in this postcard (circa 1907-09). The rest of the stadium is off to the left.
Built	1902
Michigan State Historic Site
Designated	~2006

Dee Stadium, also called The Dee, is an ice hockey arena in Houghton, Michigan, that replaced, and is located on the same site as, the Amphidrome. It is regarded as the birthplace of professional hockey, and is the seventh oldest indoor ice rink in the world.

The Houghton Warehouse Company, operated by James R. Dee, built and owned the Amphidrome. Construction of the Amphidrome finished in December 1902.

The first hockey game was played on December 29, 1902, in which the Portage Lakes Hockey Club defeated the University of Toronto, 13-2. The game was attended by over 5000 spectators. For the 1903-04 season, the Portage Lakes became the first hockey team whose players were all paid. James Dee and John "Doc" Gibson formed the International Hockey League later that year, in which the Portage Lakes competed. These events marked the beginning of professional hockey.

In 1907, an addition was constructed on the western end of the Amphidrome. Styled like a castle, it was used as a community ballroom and armory.

The Amphidrome burned down on January 9, 1927. The fire was discovered at 3:45 a.m. in the upper floors of the 1907 addition. The fire destroyed a nearby warehouse and the equipment of the Portage Lakes, the Michigan College of Mines hockey team, and the Houghton and Hancock high school sextets. The fire cancelled the regional high school hockey season and forced other area teams to use the Calumet Colosseum in Calumet, Michigan.

After the loss of the Amphidrome, the debris was cleared and a temporary outdoor rink was formed. Before the next season, in 1928, a replacement stadium was constructed called the New Amphidrome. James Dee assisted in financing the reconstruction.

The New Amphidrome was renamed the James R. "Dee" Ice Stadium in 1943 when the Michigan College of Mining and Technology (now Michigan Technological University) purchased it for their hockey team. Michigan Tech played their last hockey game in Dee Stadium on December 4, 1971, after which they moved to the Student Ice Arena.