Kelley Rink | |
 | |
 Exterior view of the arena in 2006 | |
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| Full name | Silvio O. Conte Forum |
|---|---|
| Address | Chestnut Hill, MA United States |
| Coordinates | 42°20′6″N71°10′3″W / 42.33500°N 71.16750°W /42.33500; -71.16750 |
| Public transit | Green Line atBoston College |
| Owner | Boston College |
| Operator | Boston College Athletics |
| Type | Arena |
| Capacity | 7,884 (hockey) 8,606 (basketball) |
| Field size | 200' x 87' (hockey) |
| Surface | Multi-surface |
| Current use | Basketball Ice hockey |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | July 1986 |
| Opened | October 24, 1988; 36 years ago (October 24, 1988)[1] |
| Construction cost | $25 million ($66.5 million in 2024 dollars[2]) |
| Architect | Sasaki |
| Structural engineer | Thornton Tomasetti[3] |
| General contractor | Richard White Sons, Inc. |
| Tenants | |
| |
| Website | |
| bceagles.com/conte-forum | |
TheSilvio O. Conte Forum, commonly known asConte Forum,Kelley Rink (for ice hockey games), or simplyConte, is an 8,606-seat multi-purposearena which opened in 1988 inBoston,Massachusetts on the campus ofBoston College in theChestnut Hill neighborhood. Conte Forum is home to theBoston College Eagles men's and women's basketball and ice hockey teams as well as theBoston College Marching Band.
Conte Forum is named for former United StatescongressmanSilvio O. Conte, analumnus ofBoston College andBoston College Law School.[4] The ice rink is named in honor of long-time BChockey coachJohn "Snooks" Kelley. The entire arena is traditionally called "Kelley Rink" during hockey games.
Before the arena opened in 1988, the BC basketball teams played their home games inRoberts Center to the immediate southwest of Alumni Stadium, on the site of the present-day Merkert Chemistry Center. Games expected to draw more than its 4,400 capacity were moved off-campus toBoston Garden. The Eagles hockey teams played atMcHugh Forum which was positioned parallel to Alumni Stadium. Conte Forum was built on the site of McHugh Forum, and is situated perpendicular to the football stadium. The arena is directly adjacent to Alumni, with some luxury boxes overlooking both the football field and arena floors.
Conte Forum seats 8,606 spectators in its basketball configuration and 7,884 when set up for hockey. The facility also houses 950-seat Power Gym which is used for BC volleyball games and as an auxiliary basketball court.[5]
As the largest indoor venue on the BC campus, Conte Forum hosts larger university-related events including conferences and debates. It is the site of the annual "Pops-on-the-Heights" during the annual Parents' Weekend in the fall, a gala concert featuring theBoston Pops Orchestra which raises over $1.5 million for BC's academic scholarship fund.[6] In the event of inclement weather, Conte Forum also hosts the university'scommencement exercises.
Since 2008, Conte Forum has also hosted the Boston College AHANA Leadership Council Showdown in the spring, an increasingly popular dance competition between BC's various dance and cultural organizations.[7] Conte has also hosted numerous concerts, including in recent yearsAkon,Third Eye Blind,hellogoodbye,The Roots,Kanye West, andThe Academy Is, as well asWill Ferrell'sFunny or Die Comedy Tour.
On January 5, 2014, the Conte Forum was the venue for Boston mayorMarty Walsh's inauguration.[8]
In Boston's proposedbid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, Conte Forum was selected as a potential venue for various events, such asWrestling andJudo. However, the city eventually withdrew the bid.
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| Preceded by | Home of Boston College Eagles hockey 1988 – present | Succeeded by Current Arena |
