Barco-Stevens Hall
Home of the VUU Basketball and Volleyball Teams
Capacity: 2,500
Barco-Stevens Hall, the home court of every Virginia Union basketball and volleyball squad since 1947, has been named by the NCAA as one of the most unique facilities in all of intercollegiate athletics.
Barco-Stevens Hall is located in the Belgium Building, which was first built in 1939 for the New York World’s Fair. It was listed in the June 20, 2005 edition of the NCAA News as one of 13 athletic facilities around the country which are worthy of “unique” distinction, including Ingalls Rink at Yale University and Cousens Gymnasium at Tufts University.
“While some institutions are tearing down old to make way for the new, others are celebrating their uniqueness by restoring or renovating older facilities,” wrote Michelle Brutlag Hosick of the NCAA. The article praised VUU for preserving the charm and character of college athletics.
“These buildings often come with a storied history that bears frequent retelling or bring an element of fun to the campus,” Hostig wrote.
The Belgium Building, with its stone reliefs of the Belgian Congo on the walls, was awarded to VUU after a competition among the nation’s 23 historically black colleges in 1941.
Relocation of the building to its current location on the VUU campus was completed in 1943, and the VUU men’s basketball team played its first game in January, 1947.
The building acquired the name Barco-Stevens Hall in 1962, when VUU honored athletics administrator and CIAA co-founder John W. Barco and professor Wesley A. Stevens as part of the 50th anniversary of the CIAA.
Barco-Stevens is currently undergoing renovations, many of which have already been completed. New bleacher seats, a new playing surface and a new roof have already been installed.
Seating just over 2,000 people, Barco-Stevens Hall has been the home of three men’s basketball national championship teams and a women’s national championship team, as well as the site of the 1980 NCAA Regional men’s basketball championship.
Chicago Bulls star Ben Wallace, as well as former NBA standouts such as Charles Oakley and Mike Davis, all called Barco-Stevens Hall home when they played for the Panthers.
Barco-Stevens Hall was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.
Hovey Field
Home of the VUU Football Team
Capacity: 10,000
In the Spring of 1907, Dr. George Rice Hovey (VUU’s 2nd President) purchased 11 acres of land east of Lombardy Street for athletic fields. A former athlete himself, Dr. Hovey laid the foundations for VUU’s Athletic Program.
He purchased, for $8,483.55, an 11-acre tract of land on the opposite side of Lombardy Street from the main campus. Part of this was transformed into the main athletic field. Because of Dr. Hovey’s interest in and commitment to athletics, the land purchased in 1907 eventually became known as Hovey Field.
The first football game that was ever played on Hovey Field took place in October 30, 1909 between Virginia Union University and Virginia State University. The two teams battled to a scoreless tie.
Originally existing simply as a field with a fence surrounding it, bleachers were installed in the 1920’s. Eventually lights were installed, and the first night game took place during the 1949 season.
Over the years, Hovey Field has seen VUU evolve into a perennial football power. The Panthers have captured 1 National Championship, 11 CIAA Championships and have participated in the NCAA post-season playoffs on 7 occasions. In addition, the Panthers have finished the regular season undefeated six times in their history.