View source for Kaplan Arena

{{Short description|Building in Virginia, United States}}
{{Infobox venue
| stadium_name        = Kaplan Arena
| nickname            = 
| former names        = William & Mary Hall {{small|(1971-2005)}}
| image               = WMHall1.jpg
| image_size          = 250px
| image_map           = {{maplink|frame=yes|plain=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|zoom=15|type=point}}
| fullname            = Kaplan Arena at William and Mary Hall
| location            = 751 Ukrop Way, [[Williamsburg, Virginia|Williamsburg, VA]] 23186
| coordinates         = {{coord|37.273472|-76.719625|type:landmark_globe:earth_region:US-VA|display=it}}
| broke_ground        = 
| built               = 
| opened              = {{Start date|1971|12|05}}
| renovated           = 
| expanded            = 
| closed              = 
| demolished          = 
| owner               = [[College of William & Mary]]
| operator            = 
| surface             = 
| construction_cost   = $5.3 million<br>{{small|(${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US|5300000|1970}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}})}}
| architect           = 
| structural engineer = 
| general_contractor  = Southeastern Construction Company
| former_names        = 
| tenants             = [[William & Mary Tribe]] ([[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]) (1971–present)
| seating_capacity    = 11,300
| dimensions          = 
}}

'''Kaplan Arena''' is a building used for athletic events for the [[William & Mary Tribe]] sports teams at the [[College of William & Mary]] in [[Williamsburg, Virginia]]. The building contains an 8,600-seat arena, which can seat 11,300 with extra bleachers.<ref name=KAP>[http://www.tribeathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&ATCLID=205088775 TribeAthletics.com — Kaplan Arena at William and Mary Hall]. Accessed August 9, 2011.</ref> The arena's floor measures almost {{convert|24000|sqft|m2}}.<ref>[http://www.wm.edu/conferenceservices/facilities/wmhall.php William and Mary Hall — wm.edu] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719105901/http://www.wm.edu/conferenceservices/facilities/wmhall.php |date=2008-07-19 }}. Accessed March 19, 2008.</ref> The building was formerly known as '''William & Mary Hall'''. From 2005 to 2016, only the arena proper was called Kaplan Arena, before the entire building was renamed to honor alumni Jane Thompson Kaplan and Jim Kaplan.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://giving.wm.edu/about-us/news/william---mary-hall-renamed-kaplan-arena-in-honor-of-jane-thomps.html |title=William & Mary Hall renamed Kaplan Arena in honor of Jane Thompson Kaplan '56 and Jim Kaplan '57 |date=September 23, 2016 |publisher=College of William & Mary |access-date=October 5, 2016}}</ref>

The building's lower level houses the coaching and staff offices for the school's athletic department. It also hosts a seminar room, medical suite, and a gymnastics workout area.<ref name=KAP/> Completed in 17 months by the Southeastern Construction Company of [[Charlotte, North Carolina]], the building cost $5.3 million but was financed by state [[revenue bond]]s.<ref name=KAP/>

==History==
{{Campus of William & Mary}}
Its name was granted in 2005 as part of a publicized funding effort by then-college president [[Gene Nichol]], initially applying only to the arena proper. Between the 1920s and 1970s, the William & Mary Indians played basketball in '''Blow Gym''', which now houses the registrar, bursar, and other university offices. It hosted the last [[Eastern College Athletic Conference|ECAC South]] men's basketball tournament in 1985 (the conference added more championships in the 1985–86 school year and was renamed the [[Colonial Athletic Association|CAA]]). Retired jersey banners depicting some of W&M's own basketball greats hang from the rafters of Kaplan Arena. The arena opened in 1971 and is home to the [[William & Mary Tribe men's basketball|Tribe basketball]], [[gymnastics]] and [[volleyball]] teams.<ref name=KAP/>

The [[Harlem Globetrotters]] and [[roller derby]], as well as other sports and entertainment acts, have also utilized Kaplan Arena as a venue over the years. "[People] in the Williamsburg area have seen [[auto show]]s, [[conformation show|dog shows]], [[Prince Charles]], [[Glenn Close]], a [[Billy Graham]] crusade, [[Bette Midler]], [[Billy Joel]], [[1976 United States presidential election|the 1976 televised presidential debates]] between candidates [[Jimmy Carter]] and [[Gerald Ford]], the ''Shakespeare Players'', a [[three-ring circus]], and even a ''[[Howdy Doody]]'' show."<ref name=KAP/> It also hosted the [[9th G7 summit]] in 1983 for some of the world's political leaders, including [[Ronald Reagan]], [[Margaret Thatcher]], and [[François Mitterrand]]. The [[14th Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama]] visited William & Mary on October 11, 2012, and spoke to a crowd of over 8,000 people at Kaplan Arena.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wm.edu/news/stories/2012/dalai-lama-brings-his-wisdom,-philosophy-to-wm.php|title=William & Mary-&nbsp;Dalai Lama brings his wisdom, wit and philosophy to W&M|access-date=27 September 2016}}</ref>

The first event held at the Kaplan Arena was a basketball game between the William & Mary Indians against the top 5 ranked [[North Carolina Tar Heels men's basketball|University of North Carolina Tar Heels]]. The event took place before construction of the building was complete. The most noticeable thing lacking during that game were doors on the back of the arena. Photos of the game show the sold out crowd dressed in winter coats and hats. The Tar Heels opted to spend halftime on their team bus as opposed to the unfinished locker room. North Carolina won the game 101-72.

The first musical concert in Kaplan Arena, performed in 1971, was by [[Sly & the Family Stone]]. The record for the largest crowd to attend a concert was 13,514 for [[The Police]] on January 25, 1982.<ref name=KAP/> Other notable performers have included [[Bruce Springsteen]], [[The Pretenders]], [[My Chemical Romance]], [[Muse (band)|Muse]], [[R.E.M. (band)|R.E.M.]], [[Sting (musician)|Sting]], [[The Roots]], [[The Grateful Dead]], [[Nirvana (band)|Nirvana]], [[The Chainsmokers]], Williamsburg native [[Bruce Hornsby]], [[10,000 Maniacs]], [[Beach Boys]], [[Chicago (band)|Chicago]], the [[Stone Temple Pilots]], and [[Kendrick Lamar]].<ref name=KAP/><!-- IF YOU ADD ANYTHING ABOUT BETTIE ADAMS IT WILL BE REVERTED. YOU WILL ALSO BE WARNED NOT TO DO IT AGAIN. IF YOU IGNORE THESE WARNINGS, THERE IS AN EXCELLENT CHANCE YOU WILL BE BLOCKED FROM EDITING WIKIPEDIA. -->

==See also==
* [[List of NCAA Division I basketball arenas]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{The College of William & Mary}}
{{William & Mary Tribe men's basketball}}
{{William & Mary Tribe women's basketball navbox}}
{{Colonial Athletic Association basketball venue navbox}}
{{Music venues of Virginia}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Portal bar|Architecture|Basketball|Education|History|Sports|Virginia}}

[[Category:1971 establishments in Virginia]]
[[Category:College basketball venues in Virginia]]
[[Category:College volleyball venues in the United States]]
[[Category:Sports venues completed in 1971]]
[[Category:Sports venues in Hampton Roads]]
[[Category:William & Mary Tribe basketball]]
[[Category:William & Mary Tribe sports venues]]
[[Category:William & Mary Tribe volleyball]]