Although many of the venues in which the pioneering teams of the Black Fives Era played no longer exist or are out of use, they are worth celebrating. Here are profiles of some of the most noteworthy among them.
8th Reg. Armory,
Chicago
12th Street YMCA,
Wash., DC
14th Reg. Armory,
Brooklyn
Chicago Stadium, Chicago
Int’l Amphitheater,
Chicago
Knickerbocker Courts, Brooklyn
Madison Street Armory, Chicago
Manhattan Casino,
New York City
Olympic Audit’m,
Los Angeles
Public Stadium,
Cleveland
Renaissance Ballroom, NYC
Savoy Ballroom, Chicago
St. Philip’s Parish House, Harlem
True Reformers Hall, DC
Joe Turner’s Arena,
District of Columbia
Union Lab. Temple,
Pittsburgh
Wabash Avenue YMCA, Chicago
Washington Park, Pittsburgh
These arenas, ballrooms, church gymnasiums, armories, and other spaces—often just improvised courts—made the games themselves possible. Furthermore, these venues made enabled growing numbers of basketball fans to watch, cheer, and participate in the progress of their local teams, visiting squads, and the overall evolution of the game itself.
(We are working on the individual profiles for each of these venues, which will be available soon. Thank you for your patience!)