Edgerton Park Arena began its life far from the hardwood, built in 1892 as the drill hall for a Rochester, New York training school for delinquent boys. When the school relocated early in the 20th century, the sturdy brick building was repurposed into an indoor arena and exhibition hall, eventually gaining an artificial ice-making system in 1935 that opened the door to professional hockey and basketball.
The venue’s biggest claim to fame came through the Rochester Royals, who called Edgerton Park Arena home from 1945 to 1955 and won the franchise’s only NBA championship in 1951 while based there. The arena also hosted the Rochester Cardinals of the International Hockey League starting in 1935 and welcomed touring entertainment acts before the city’s teams moved on and the aging building was demolished in the late 1950s.
- Sacramento Kings played here 1945–1955. See every Kings arena →
Stats at a Glance
- Team(s): Rochester Royals (NBA/NBL), Rochester Cardinals (hockey)
- Location: Rochester, New York
- Opened: 1892 (as drill hall); converted to arena early 1900s
- Closed: 1956 (demolished shortly after)
- Capacity (basketball): About 4,200
- Capacity (hockey): About 3,500
- Notable fact: Home arena during the Royals’ 1951 NBA championship season
From Drill Hall to Championship Arena
Long before it hosted professional sports, the building served a training school for delinquent boys, its open drill hall floor built for marching and exercise rather than spectators. The conversion into a sports venue gave Rochester a home for exhibitions and games, and the 1935 addition of artificial ice made it viable for hockey, drawing the Rochester Cardinals of the International Hockey League as its first professional tenant that season.
The arena reached its peak profile when the Rochester Royals arrived in 1945. Playing first in the National Basketball League and then the NBA, the Royals built a contender that captured the city’s only major professional basketball championship in 1951, defeating the New York Knicks in a seven-game Finals.
Closure and Legacy
As the Royals shifted toward the newly built Rochester Community War Memorial for the 1955-56 season, Edgerton Park Arena’s run as a major venue wound down, though the team returned for a handful of games there that season due to scheduling conflicts. The arena was demolished in the late 1950s, and the Monroe County Fair, another longtime tenant, relocated around the same time.
Today the site holds baseball fields near Rochester International Academy, with little trace of the arena that once hosted an NBA champion, Glenn Miller’s orchestra, and singing cowboy Gene Autry.
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Edgerton Park Arena FAQs
Where was Edgerton Park Arena located?
It stood in Rochester, New York, on a site that today holds baseball fields near Rochester International Academy.
What team played its championship season at Edgerton Park Arena?
The Rochester Royals, who won the franchise’s only NBA championship in 1951 while playing their home games at the arena.
When did Edgerton Park Arena close?
The arena’s sports tenants moved out by the 1955-56 season, and the building was demolished in the late 1950s.
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