When Memorial Gymnasium opened in 1924, it was one of the biggest gyms in the East, but it would have been hard to imagine how important a building it would become. Mem Gym is named in honor of the University students who were killed during World War I, and was opened as a replacement for the old gym, Fayerweather Hall.
Mem Gym was the home of the Cavalier basketball team for 42 seasons until 1965, when University Hall opened. It is estimated, however, that Mem Gym only had a capacity of about 2,000, compared to U-Hall which boasts more than four times that figure. Along with the basketball team, Mem Gym once was home to the indoor track and swim teams. Another notable team that called Mem Gym home was the Virginia intercollegiate boxing team. The boxing team went undefeated from 1932-1937 and captured national championships in 1938 and 1939.
These days, Mem Gym is the home of the wrestling team. This past season, the Cavalier wrestlers were a perfect 5-0 in dual matches at home.
"It is definitely an advantage," red-shirt junior Joe Alexander said. "It can get pretty crazy compared to other gyms."
In addition to wrestling, Mem Gym houses offices of the intramural and physical education programs. Also, starting in the fall of this year, the volleyball team will be moving back to Mem Gym after spending several years at U-Hall. Volleyball coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton said she is excited about the prospect of moving back to Mem Gym. She thinks that it will give the team a better sense of a facility that is their own.
This move was made possible thanks to a $1.5 million anonymous donation to renovate Mem Gym. The planned improvements include a new lighting system, sound system, scoreboard, bleachers and windows. Some of the more important upgrades include a resurfacing of the floor, an improved airflow system and new locker rooms. Renovations should begin this spring and could be completed by next fall.
The sports history that accompanies Mem Gym does not tell half of the story about how important it has been to the University, the city of Charlottesville and the nation.
"Because of its size, Mem Gym was a central social point for Charlottesville dances and concerts," said Mark Fletcher, director of intramural and recreational sports.
The big band acts of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey played capacity crowds in Mem Gym and was a regular place for dances. Other legends that played at Mem Gym include Louis Armstrong and Chuck Berry.
But the extent of Mem Gym's impact went further than hosting famous musical acts. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended the Law School graduation of his son, Franklin Jr., and was commissioned to give the University's commencement address. Because of rain, graduation was moved into Mem Gym, where FDR delivered his famous "Stab in the Back"speech. in response to news that had broken earlier in the day when Italy allied with Germany. Also, then-Senator John F. Kennedy, accompanied by brothers Robert and Ted, spoke at Mem Gym in 1958 at a U.Va. Law Day Dinner.
Nowadays, most people associate Mem Gym with pick-up basketball games and jogging around the oldest indoor track in the nation. But this historic building is so much more than most students realize.
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