Before there was UD Arena, a unique area was proposed for a similar location.

In 1948, a $4 million War Memorial Sports Arena was proposed on 110 acres donated by NCR, throughout the Miami River from the Deeds Carillon.

At the time, Dayton solely had Memorial Hall the the Fairgrounds Coliseum during which to carry all massive indoor actions.

It was to be devoted to the reminiscence of servicemen who died in World War II.

The proposed area

The auditorium was designed for use for every type of indoor sports activities, public assemblies, exhibitions, conventions and “mass pageantry.”

It was designed to carry 10,500 individuals. There can be 8,000 everlasting seats and a couple of,500 momentary seats.

The area flooring was to be 110 by 190 toes, massive sufficient for 3 basketball courts. Seats have been to be situated in a U-shaped sample with a big stage on the open finish of the U.

The design was made in order that no supporting posts would hinder views from the seats.

About $3 million of the overall value was to enter the constructing with the remaining funds going in direction of landscaping and tools.

Voicing assist

The Dayton Junior Association of Commerce (JAC) was finishing up the marketing campaign to win assist of the bond situation.

Reporter Bob Husted’s sports activities column within the Dayton Herald in favor of the world levy mentioned, “We Daytonians like to regard ourselves as ‘big league.’ And we have attained such stature in many ways only to remain definitely Class D when it comes to having what virtually every other metropolis the size of our town possesses — a sports auditorium.”

The Dayton Herald and Dayton Daily News each ran a sequence of statements from Dayton public highschool coaches urging the levy to go.

The coaches talked about quite a lot of benefits to having a brand new sports activities area, together with higher locker rooms, improved seating, higher loos and the power to deal with bigger crowds.

Even Dayton Daily News Hall of Fame sports activities author Si Burick, who usually stayed away from politics and elections, weighed in, saying, “This up-to-date city is strictly horse-and-buggy when it comes to providing a place to meet indoors in any great number. Every basketball season, for instance, we invite visitors from the neighboring communities to see high school tournament games, then we shut them out for lack of space.”

The tax levy

A county bond situation to cowl the price of the venture was placed on the poll in November 1948.

For the levy to go, it wanted 65 p.c of the bulk.

The tax levy on the bond situation would have value 51 cents per $1000 of tax valuation. At that point, it meant the common taxpayer would contribute $2 to $2.50 annually for 20 years.

Voting outcomes

Voting outcomes for the War Memorial Sports Arena:

For: 51,162

Against: 57,862

It didn’t get a easy majority, not to mention the 65 p.c majority for passage.

In voting down the sports activities area bond situation, voters indicated that they didn’t approve of public funds financing a mixture fieldhouse-stadium.

It was believed that any such venture for Dayton would then should be financed by personal funds.

University of Dayton Arena

In 1950, the University of Dayton opened the University of Dayton Fieldhouse, designed to seat roughly 5,500 individuals, near the University chapel on campus,

Between 1950 and 1969, the Fieldhouse hosted a variety of Dayton Flyers and highschool video games together with different native occasions.

Dayton Flyers basketball crowds lastly outgrew the Fieldhouse, and plans got here collectively to construct the University of Dayton Arena. After a downtown Dayton location for the world fell by, it was determined to construct the world subsequent to Welcome Stadium, on the website as soon as proposed for the War Memorial Sports Arena

A groundbreaking for the 13,435-seat multi-purpose area was held on Nov. 6, 1968.

The Dayton Flyers opened UD Arena with a sport in opposition to Bowling Green on Dec. 6, 1969.