Barco-Stevens
Hall is located in the Belgium Building, which was first
built in 1939 for the New York World’s Fair. It was
listed in the June 20, 2005 edition of the NCAA News as
one of 13 athletic facilities around the country which are
worthy of “unique” distinction, including Ingalls
Rink at Yale University and Cousens Gymnasium at Tufts University.
“While
some institutions are tearing down old to make way for the
new, others are celebrating their uniqueness by restoring
or renovating older facilities,” wrote Michelle Brutlag
Hosick of the NCAA. The article praised VUU for preserving
the charm and character of college athletics.
“These
buildings often come with a storied history that bears frequent
retelling or bring an element of fun to the campus,”
Hostig wrote.
The
Belgium Building, with its stone reliefs of the Belgian
Congo on the walls, was awarded to VUU after a competition
among the nation’s 23 historically black colleges
in 1941.
Relocation
of the building to its current location on the VUU campus
was completed in 1943, and the VUU men’s basketball
team played its first game in January, 1947.
The
building acquired the name Barco-Stevens Hall in 1962, when
VUU honored athletics administrator and CIAA co-founder
John W. Barco and professor Wesley A. Stevens as part of
the 50th anniversary of the CIAA.
Barco-Stevens
is currently undergoing renovations, many of which have
already been completed. New bleacher seats, a new playing
surface and a new roof have already been installed.
Seating
just over 2,000 people, Barco-Stevens Hall has been the
home of three men’s basketball national championship
teams and a women’s national championship team, as
well as the site of the 1980 NCAA Regional men’s basketball
championship.
Chicago
Bulls star Ben Wallace, as well as former NBA standouts
such as Charles Oakley and Mike Davis, all called Barco-Stevens
Hall home when they played for the Panthers.
Barco-Stevens
Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1970.
