The Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse was an 8,500-seat (6,500 for basketball) multi-purpose arena in Huntington, West Virginia. It was built in 1950. Prior to the completion of the Huntington Civic Center (now known as Mountain Health Arena) in 1976, it was the only large arena in the city. It closed on February 10, 2012, and was demolished later that year. History In the aftermath of the November 14, 1970 Marshall University air tragedy, which claimed the lives of 75 Marshall University football team members, coaches, support staff, boosters and Southern Airways flight crew, the Fieldhouse was the site of a community memorial service on Sunday evening, November 15, 1970 that attracted an estimated 7,000 mourners to the arena. With the completion of the two more modern facilities, the Fieldhouse was used primarily for smaller concert events. Also, the facility was built in an era when boxing was more popular and thus was designed around that sport and remained an excellent venue for boxing and professional wrestling. After Marshall moved out, the Fieldhouse started to fall into a state of disrepair. As of 2011, the aging structure was in need of significant roof repairs and interior renovations and had become a financial burden for its owner/operator, the Greater Huntington Park and Recreation District, which operated the arena at a financial loss. In April, 2011, the District Board voted unanimously to transfer the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse property to Marshall University, which redeveloped the site as part of a $30 million athletic facilities project approved by the Marshall University Board of Governors. The only condition of the transfer was that the area be known as the "Veterans Memorial" area. Marshall University spent $5.4 million on the Veterans Memorial Fieldhouse phase of the facilities project, which included demolition of the 61-year-old venue and construction of Veterans Memorial Soccer Complex and veteran's memorial park on the site. To allow for the project, the university agreed to allow St. Joseph Catholic High School to move their home games to the Henderson Center, but then an NCAA ruling prohibiting regular season games in college owned venues was passed. A grand finale event for the 62-year-old venue - a Marshall University alumni basketball game and a veterans recognition ceremony - was held on February 10, 2012. The last shot ever in the building was made by Marshall great Russell Lee, and the crowd was addressed by the state's only