Charlotte Y. Martin Centre

Martin Centre
The Kennel
Full name Charlotte Y. Martin Centre
Former names John F. Kennedy Memorial Pavilion (1965–1987)
Location Spokane, Washington
Owner Gonzaga University
Operator Gonzaga University
Capacity 4,000
Construction
Broke ground June 3, 1964
Opened December 3, 1965
Renovated 1986
Construction cost $1.1 million ($8.26 million in 2016 dollars[1])
Tenants
Gonzaga Bulldogs - NCAA
(1965–present)

Charlotte Y. Martin Centre is an athletics center in the northwest United States, on the campus of Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington. Its multi-purpose arena has a seating capacity of 4,000.[2]

Ground was broken in June 1964 on the $1.1 million center, which opened in late 1965 as the John F. Kennedy Memorial Pavilion, with a capacity of 3,800 for basketball.[3][4] The center included a 6-lane 25-yard (22.9 m) swimming pool.[3] The first varsity event on December 3 was a men's basketball game against Washington State, won by the Cougars 106-78 before an overflow crowd of 4,300 spectators.[5] Charlotte Martin, the daughter-in-law of former governor Clarence D. Martin,[6] donated $4.5 million for the renovation of the complex and it was renamed for her as part of Gonzaga's centennial celebrations on March 17, 1987.[4][7][8] Mrs. Martin died less than eight months later, at age 68.[6]

It is the home of the Gonzaga Bulldogs women's volleyball team, and was home of men's and women's basketball teams from its opening until the $25 million McCarthey Athletic Center opened in the fall of 2004.[9] An exception was the partial hiatus in the 1979–80 season when the men's team returned to its former home of the Spokane Coliseum for WCAC home games only,[8][10][11] The Pavilion was affectionately known as The Kennel, a reference to the nature of the crowds who turned up to Bulldog basketball games.[4]

In late 1968, the English rock group Led Zeppelin played their fifth-ever American concert in at the Kennedy Pavilion on December 30; the first known bootleg recording of the band originated from this performance.[4][12]

References

  1. Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–. Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  2. "Our region's arenas". Spokesman-Review. November 18, 2004. p. O8.
  3. 1 2 Missildine, Harry (May 21, 1965). "Kennedy Pavilion heralds modern Gonzaga sports era". Spokesman-Review. p. 28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Venue information and background
  5. Missildine, Harry (December 4, 1965). "New Pavilion big success - for Cougars". Spokesman-Review. p. 8.
  6. 1 2 Wagoner, Richard (November 4, 1987). "Advocate of education Charlotte Martin dies". Spokesman-Review. p. A1.
  7. Sparks, Jim (March 18, 1987). "Gonzaga dedicates center - with a flair". Spokane Chronicle. p. A3.
  8. 1 2 "Through The Ages – Homes of the Bulldogs" (PDF). 2007 Gonzaga University Men's Basketball Media Guide. Gonzaga University Athletics. p. 108. Retrieved 2007-05-29.
  9. Bergum, Steve (November 18, 2004). "Welcome home". Spokesman-Review. p. O2.
  10. Missildine, Harry (February 15, 1980). "Zags are paying - for visiting teams, vacant Kennedy Pavilion". Spokesman-Review. p. 25.
  11. "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). 2007 Gonzaga University Men's Basketball Media Guide. Gonzaga University Athletics. pp. 123–133. Retrieved 2007-06-03.
  12. "Gonzaga '68". YouTube. Retrieved 2008-05-15.

External link

Coordinates: 47°39′56″N 117°24′02″W / 47.66556°N 117.40056°W / 47.66556; -117.40056


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