Boston Arena opened on April 25, 1910, at 238 St. Botolph Street in Boston, a 5,000-seat hall built for ice skating, curling, and the growing sport of hockey. After a 1918 fire destroyed much of the building, it reopened in 1921 and went on to host some of the most important moments in Boston sports history, including the Boston Bruins’ first-ever NHL regular season game on December 1, 1924.
Beyond hockey, Boston Arena was home to the Boston Celtics in their earliest NBA seasons, the WHA’s New England Whalers, and decades of professional boxing featuring fighters such as Jack Sharkey and Marvin Hagler. Northeastern University purchased the building in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena in 1982, but the original Boston Arena bones remained in use for ice hockey and basketball for over a century before the venue closed in December 2025 and was demolished starting in early 2026.
- Boston Bruins played here 1924–1928. See every Bruins arena →
- Boston Celtics played here 1946–1955. See every Celtics arena →
- Carolina Hurricanes played here 1972–1973. See every Hurricanes arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Boston Bruins (1924–1928), Boston Celtics (1946–1955), New England Whalers (1972–1973)
- Location: 238 St. Botolph Street, Boston, Massachusetts
- Opened: April 25, 1910
- Renamed: Matthews Arena, November 14, 1982
- Closed/Demolished: Closed December 13, 2025; demolition began March 2026
- Capacity: 5,000 at opening; 4,666 for hockey and 5,066 for basketball at closure
- Notable fact: Site of the Boston Bruins’ first NHL regular season game, December 1, 1924
A Proving Ground for Boston’s Original Teams
When Boston Arena opened in 1910, it was promoted as one of the largest and most complete sporting venues of its era, built for ice skating, curling, and horse shows. Its role expanded quickly, and by the 1920s it had become the launching pad for the Boston Bruins, the first American team admitted to the NHL, who played their inaugural league game there in December 1924 after the ice surface was trimmed to NHL regulation size.
The arena’s reach went well beyond hockey. The Boston Celtics played home games there during their first NBA seasons in the late 1940s, and the building also hosted professional boxing cards headlined by fighters like Jack Sharkey and Marvin Hagler, cementing its place as one of the city’s central sporting stages for most of the 20th century.
From Boston Arena to Matthews Arena
Northeastern University bought the aging building in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena in 1982 in honor of alumnus and university chairman emeritus George Matthews, continuing its use for college hockey and basketball. The venue earned recognition as the oldest multi-purpose athletic building still in continuous use and the oldest arena still hosting ice hockey anywhere in the world.
That long run ended on December 13, 2025, when Northeastern and Boston University played the final hockey game in the building before it closed. Demolition began in early 2026, with crews disassembling rather than razing the structure so that materials could be recycled and arena artifacts, including a historic 1901 archway, preserved for the university’s new facility.
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Boston Arena FAQs
What was Boston Arena originally used for?
It opened in 1910 as a venue for ice skating, curling, and horse shows before quickly becoming a major hub for hockey and boxing in Boston.
Did an NHL team ever play at Boston Arena?
Yes. The Boston Bruins played their first-ever NHL regular season game there on December 1, 1924, and used the arena as their home ice in the league’s early seasons.
What happened to Boston Arena?
Northeastern University bought it in 1979 and renamed it Matthews Arena in 1982. The building closed on December 13, 2025, and was demolished starting in 2026 after more than a century of continuous use.
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Photo: Nusportsinfo / CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.