Following up on a recent post by David Sullivan about the history of Rensselaer's Houston Field House, reprinted below is an article by John Maynard that appeared in The Providence Journal many years ago on the same subject: OLD DAVISVILLE WAREHOUSE NOW HOUSES RPI ICE RINK "The Brown University hockey team wasn't Rhode Island's only contribution to the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute invitational hockey tournament that was held in Troy, N.Y., last week. The gigantic, hanger-like structure housing the tourney was originally a warehouse at the Davisville Supply Depot. Declared war surplus, it was given scot-free to RPI in 1948 and carted to Troy on flat-cars and by truck. Architects hired by the college redesigned the building, shortened it from 500 to 300 feet, refabricated much of the steel framework and added an iceplant, cinder block walls and facade. The field house is valued at $1,500,000 with RPI's actual cost amounting to roughly one-third of that figure. Without the gift of the warehouse, which saved the college approximately a million dollars, the building would probably not have been possible. Dr. Livingston W. Houston, RPI president, defines its purpose on the campus as a means for "furthering the educational, cultural and recreational needs" of the tri-city area which comprises Troy, Albany and Schenectady and represents a population potential of 400,000 persons. The huge building has a clear floor space of about 60,000 feet and a maximum capacity of 6,500 when the main floor is used for seating. Graduation exercises are held under its dome-like roof ending once and for all the vexing problem of rain on commencement day. In addition, there are public skating, figure skating and numerous cultural attractions in addition to a full schedule of high school and college ice hockey competition." HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey; send information to [log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.