History
Boston Arena opened on April 25, 1910. Rebuilt after a 1918 fire, it hosted the Bruins' first NHL game on December 1, 1924, the Celtics' early BAA/NBA seasons from 1946 to 1955, the first Beanpot in 1952 and the WHA's New England Whalers in 1972-73. Northeastern bought it in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena in 1982.
The last game, a 4-3 Boston University win over Northeastern, was played on December 13, 2025. Deconstruction began in late February 2026 to make way for a new Northeastern athletics building scheduled to open in fall 2028.
Why it matters: One of the oldest indoor hockey arenas in North America and the original home of the Boston Bruins.
Timeline
- April 25, 1910Opens[1]
Boston Arena opened.
- December 18, 1918Fire[1]
Fire destroyed the arena; it reopened on January 1, 1921.
- December 1, 1924Bruins' first game[1]
The Boston Bruins played their first NHL regular-season game here.
- 1952First Beanpot[1]
The first Beanpot tournament was held here.
- November 14, 1982Renamed Matthews Arena[1]
The arena was renamed for George Matthews.
- December 13, 2025Final game[1]
Boston University beat Northeastern 4-3 in the last hockey game.
- February 25, 2026Deconstruction begins[2]
Crews began the physical takedown, with work on the arena itself from March 2, scheduled to finish by the end of April 2026.
The site today
| Physical status | Status unknown[1,2] |
|---|---|
| Current use | Site of Northeastern University's planned 310,000-square-foot athletics and recreation building, scheduled for fall 2028[2] |
| Mapped location | Former venue site |
Street View near the former site · Satellite view (external, current imagery)
Teams & events
| Harvard Crimson | NCAA · 1911–1956 |
|---|---|
| Boston College Eagles | NCAA · 1917–1958 |
| Boston University Terriers | NCAA · 1918–1971 |
| Boston Bruins | NHL · 1924–1928 |
| Northeastern Huskies | NCAA · 1930–2025 |
| Boston Celtics | BAA/NBA · 1946–1955 |
| New England Whalers | WHA · 1972–1973 |
Listed here are organizations that used this physical venue. A franchise's history and a venue's history are tracked separately.
Venue facts
| Other names | Boston Arena (1909–1982); Matthews Arena (1982–2025); Northeastern Arena |
|---|---|
| Location | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Venue type | Arena |
| Sports | Hockey, Basketball |
| Level | NHL, BAA, NBA, WHA, NCAA |
| Opened | April 25, 1910[1] |
| Last used for sports | December 13, 2025[1,2] |
| Demolished | March 2026[1,2] |
| Physical status | Status unknown |
| Final capacity | 4,666[1] |
| Capacity notes | Ice hockey 4,666; basketball 5,066. |
| Owner / operator | Northeastern University (purchased 1979) |
| Closure | Northeastern University replaced it with a new athletics and recreation building on the site. |
Documented details
Sources
- Matthews Arena, Wikipedia. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: capacity, closed, coordinates, demolished, events, opened, teams
- Matthews Arena deconstruction timeline, Northeastern Global News. Accessed 2026-10-19Supports: closed, current land use, demolished
Research confidence
Key facts on this page (opening, closing, status and location) are each supported by sources, with key dates corroborated by at least two independent sources. Last reviewed 2026-10-19.
See something wrong or missing? Suggest a correction or submit a source.