The Joyce Center, formerly the Athletic & Convocation Center, is a 9,149-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend. The arena opened its doors in 1968.
- Venue
- Joyce Center
- Town
- Clay Township, US
- Capacity
- 9,149
The Joyce Center, formerly the Athletic & Convocation Center, is a 9,149-seat multi-purpose arena in Notre Dame, Indiana just north of South Bend. The arena opened its doors in 1968. It is home to the University of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball and volleyball teams. The main arena, Phillip J. Purcell Pavilion, is located in the southern portion of the facility. The northern portion housed a hockey rink until October 2011. It is also home to the Castellan Family Fencing Center and Rolfs Aquatic Center (added on in 1985) in the rear of the building. It is located across a pedestrian arcade from Notre Dame Stadium, and the center's two domes could easily be seen rising above the stadium's east side prior to its expansion. The 10-acre (4.0 ha) building, designed by architects at Ellerbe Architects of Saint Paul, Minnesota, was built in 29 months, and opened the first week of December 1968 as the Athletic & Convocation Center. It was renamed in 1987 to honor the Rev. Edmund P. Joyce, C.S.C., Notre Dame's executive vice president from 1952 to 1987. Prior to the building of the Joyce Center, the basketball team played in the Notre Dame Fieldhouse, which opened in 1900. The Fighting Irish Hockey team played in the North dome from 1968 to 2011. The team moved to the Compton Family Ice Arena in October 2011. The last hockey game at the Joyce Center was played on October 15, 2011 (Ohio State beat Notre Dame 4-3). In the fall of 2006, the university announced major renovation plans for the Joyce Center. In 2009, the South dome, which houses the basketball arena, underwent a $24.6 million renovation and was renamed Purcell Pavilion, after Philip J. Purcell, a Notre Dame alumnus, trustee, and chair of the athletic affairs committee. Architectural firm HNTB studied the center after the university began considering renovations in 2001 and worked on the project. Phase 1 of the project was completed in October 2009, with its first event, the women's volleyball "Dig Pink" match