Location | South Road, Chapel Hill, N.C., United States |
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Owner | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Operator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
Capacity | 6,000 (1952) |
Construction | |
Broke ground | 1936 |
Opened | 1937 |
Renovated | 2004, 2010 |
Expanded | 1942 |
Construction cost | $646,000 (including swimming pool) |
Architect | Atwood and Weeks |
Main contractors | J. A. Jones Construction Company |
Tenants | |
North Carolina Tar Heels (NCAA) 1938-1965 |
Coordinates: 35°54′33.65″N 79°2′45.13″W / 35.9093472°N 79.0458694°W
Woollen Gymnasium was the home of the University of North Carolina's physical education classes from 1937, and the North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball team from early 1938. The Gymnasium was named after Charles T. Woollen, Class of 1905. The gymnasium replaced the nearby arena colloquially known as the Tin Can. The Woollen Gymnasium was the home court of Tar Heel basketball until 1965, when Carmichael Auditorium was completed as an annex to Woollen, sharing the Gymnasium's eastern wall. North Carolina won its first NCAA basketball title in 1957 while playing at Woollen.
The Gymnasium is still in use today, hosting classes and intramural events, as well as providing room for the Roy Williams Basketball Camp in the summer. The old section numbers and ticket windows are still visible.