Foster Auditorium

Foster Auditorium
Map
LocationUniversity of Alabama
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487
OwnerUniversity of Alabama
OperatorUniversity of Alabama
Capacity3,800
Opened1939
Tenants
Alabama Crimson Tide
Men's Basketball (1939–1968)
Women's Basketball (1975, 2011–2016)
Volleyball (1974–1995, 2011–present)
Foster Auditorium
Wallace standing against desegregation while being confronted by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach at the University of Alabama.
Foster Auditorium is located in Alabama
Foster Auditorium
LocationTuscaloosa, Alabama
Coordinates33°12′28″N 87°32′38″W / 33.20778°N 87.54389°W / 33.20778; -87.54389
NRHP reference No.05000457
Significant dates
Added to NRHPApril 5, 2005[1]
Designated NHLApril 5, 2005[2]

Foster Auditorium is a multi-purpose facility at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It was built in 1939 as a Works Progress Administration project and has been used for Alabama basketball, women's sports (in the 1970s and 1980s), graduations, lectures, concerts, and other large gatherings, including registration. Its status as the largest indoor building on campus came to an end in 1968 with the opening of the Memorial Coliseum. The building housed the Department of Kinesiology until 2006. In April 2009, the University announced a major renovation for the auditorium. After the renovation, the Crimson Tide women's basketball and volleyball programs moved back to Foster Auditorium, their original home.[3][4][5]

The facility is named for Richard Clarke Foster, president of the University of Alabama from 1937 to 1941.

The building was declared a National Historic Landmark on April 5, 2005, for its role as the site of Governor George Wallace's "Stand in the Schoolhouse Door" opposing actions to desegregate the university.[2]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
  2. ^ a b "Foster Auditorium". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved October 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Jones, Adam (April 21, 2009). "University to renovate Foster Auditorium". The Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  4. ^ Drago, Danielle (April 23, 2009). "Foster to house women's basketball, volleyball". The Crimson White. Archived from the original on October 11, 2009. Retrieved April 23, 2009.
  5. ^ "Foster Renovations Unveiled". The Tuscaloosa News. February 8, 2010.