BRONX – The oldest NCAA Division I continually used gym is about to turn 100.  When Bishop John J. Collins, S.J., who served as president of Fordham University from 1904-1906, blessed the cornerstone of what would become the Rose Hill Gymnasium on November 4, 1923 then university president, Rev. E.P. Tivnan, S.J., said "We have set a cornerstone today – may we not call it a milestone." This year we will call it a milestone as the beloved building celebrates its 100^th anniversary.
 
When the cornerstone was laid, the plans of architect Emile G. Perrot, who also designed buildings at fellow Jesuit institutions Georgetown University and Saint Joseph's University, were put into action. A year and a half later, on January 16, 1925, the Rose Hill Gym officially opened with a basketball game between Fordham and Boston College in a game officiated by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Frankie Frisch, aka The Fordham Flash.
 
This year we celebrate the historic Rose Hill Gym with a special 100^th anniversary logo and special events throughout the 2024-2025 season to honor the cherished facility. The Rose Hill Gym was one of the largest on-campus facilities at the time it was built, earning the nickname "The Prairie" because of its large floor space. The original configuration had no end zone stands and a seating capacity of 2,100 but several standing room crowds of 6,000 were reported in the late 1920s. It was just one of two regulation sized basketball courts in New York City when it opened.
 
The Rose Hill Gym has been used continuously as an athletic facility since 1925, with the exception of the 1943-1944 academic year when the building was used as a U.S. Army barracks.
 
Over the years the Rose Hill Gym has served many different purposes, including sporting events, concerts, television and movie sets, fashion shows, inaugurations, and even as a church, since the gym hosts the annual Graduation Mass each May. The venue has been the site of many legendary college and high school basketball games including Kareem Abdul Jabbar's final high school game, and the 1988 Tolentine-Archbishop Molloy Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Championship game, which featured three high school All-Americans and was billed by the New York Newsday as the "Best High School Game of the 80's".
 
Many honors have been bestowed on the historic building, including being named as one of the four "Cathedrals of College Basketball" by ESPN The Magazine and as one of the Top Ten arenas by USA Today.