Matthews Arena demolition underway at Northeastern University

Demolition is underway at Matthews Arena, the more than century-old home of Northeastern University athletics that once hosted the Boston Bruins and the Boston Celtics, kicking off the start of a project that will replace the building with a modern athletic facility.

Crews recently began knocking down the arena that opened in 1910 and was recognized as the world’s oldest multipurpose athletic building and the oldest arena still in use for hockey, according to the university.

The new 310,000-square-foot facility, slated to open in the fall of 2028, will house Northeastern’s men’s and women’s hockey and basketball teams and provide space for student recreation, club sports, and intramural programs, the university said. Plans call for modern courts, locker rooms, training facilities, and expanded fan amenities.

A pile of red bleacher chairs at the demolition site of Matthews Arena on March 9.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

Northeastern forward Eloise Caron moves the puck toward the Boston College net during the final women’s hockey game at Matthews Arena in Boston on Dec. 6, 2025. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

The project also aims to be a national model for sustainable sports facilities. The arena is designed to be fossil-fuel free, with a hybrid heating system combining ground-source and air-source heating pumps supported by 46 geo-exchange wells. The system is expected to handle about 40 percent of peak heating and cooling demand and roughly 80 percent of annual HVAC energy use, the university said.

Designers are also incorporating a rooftop solar array and a high-performance building facade to improve energy efficiency, the university said. A 100,000-gallon cistern will collect rainwater for uses including ice making and irrigation, reducing demand on the city’s water systems and helping to manage stormwater, according to the university.

Debris is lifted into a trailer dumpster at the site.David L. Ryan/Globe Staff

The development will also include improvements to surrounding streets and landscaping, university officials said.

Demolition should be completed by the end of April, according to Northeastern Global News. Work on the foundation is expected to begin in May and work on the building’s structure and facade is slated to begin in June, according to the news service.