Houston’s Delmar Fieldhouse, a classic saddle-roof arena once hosting University of Houston Cougars basketball in the Elvin Hayes era, is being demolished to make way for a new facility.
Delmar Fieldhouse, which opened in 1958, is owned by the Houston school district. Maintenance issues — ironically, with the distinctive roof — caused school officials to demolish the facility and build a new fieldhouse. From the school-district press announcement:
The Delmar-Tusa Fieldhouse, located at the athletic complex at 2020 Mangum Road, adjacent to the Hattie Mae White Educational Support Center, was built in 1958 and is currently in poor condition with major roof leaks, flooding problems in the locker rooms and a sports medicine area that falls short of athletic league standards.
“HISD desperately needs a new fieldhouse so that our students can compete with teams from across the Houston area in a setting that is safe and up to standard,” said Marmion Dambrino, HISD’s athletics director. “By moving forward with the demolition now, we’ll be ensuring that we move as quickly as possible to build this new facility once the design is completed.”
The Cougars played at Delmar Fieldhouse in 1966-1969. It’s also hosted NCAA tournament games and a WNBA match.
