Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena
The Ritter | |
Location | 51 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, New York 14623 |
---|---|
Coordinates | 43°5′7″N 77°40′26″W / 43.08528°N 77.67389°W |
Owner | Rochester Institute of Technology |
Operator | Rochester Institute of Technology |
Capacity | 2,100 (hockey) |
Field size | 185 ft x 85 ft (56 m x 26 m) |
Construction | |
Opened | 1968 |
Architect | Roche-Dinkeloo[1] |
Tenants | |
RIT Tigers men's ice hockey (1968–2014) RIT Tigers women's ice hockey (1975–2014) Genesee Figure Skating Club (1968–2021) |
The Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena, known colloquially as "The Ritter", is an arena on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States. It is the former home to the RIT Tigers ice hockey teams and the Genesee Figure Skating Club. Its official capacity for ice hockey games was 2,100.[2]
The building was erected in 1968 when RIT moved from downtown Rochester to a new suburban campus in nearby Henrietta. Frank Ritter, a furniture maker famous for his dental chairs, helped found the Mechanics Institute, a forerunner of the Rochester Institute of Technology, in 1885. The Ritter-Clark Rink on the downtown campus had previously been named in part for Frank Ritter. Frank Ritter Shumway, Ritter's grandson and a major figure in U.S. Figure Skating, was a generous benefactor of RIT, and he ensured that the ice rink on the new campus was named for his grandfather.[3][4]
The arena was also home to the Genesee Figure Skating Club, founded in 1955 by F. Ritter Shumway.[5]
The ice surface measures 85 feet by 185 feet (26 m by 56 m), with the goals at the north and south ends. The home bench, scorer's table, and
A new scoreboard was purchased and installed in time for RIT's inaugural Men's Division I season, 2005–2006. Previous renovations in 2000 improved the lighting, acoustics, and concessions in the arena. In 2010, the Institute announced a $3.5 million expansion project to include new locker rooms, offices, video rooms, and training rooms.[1]
The arena was ranked the second-best rink in the
In 2011, Rochester Institute of Technology began raising funds for the Gene Polisseni Center, which became the eventual replacement home to the varsity hockey programs in 2014. Ritter Arena remained open despite the move of the varsity hockey programs to the new center.[9][10]
In 2021, The Ritter became the temporary home of RIT Libraries while major renovations began on the Wallace Library building.[11] These renovations were included as part of construction of the new Student Hall for Exploration and Development ("SHED") building attached to the library, which lasted throughout the 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years. The library contents were moved back into the Wallace building for its re-opening at the start of the Fall 2023 semester. [12] After the arena was vacated, plans were announced to convert the facility to an indoor turf field.[13]
References
- ^ a b "RIT announces $3.5 million renovation to Ritter Arena locker rooms". Rochester, New York: RIT Athletics. September 28, 2010. Archived from the original on July 15, 2011. Retrieved September 28, 2010.
- ^ About the Frank Ritter Ice Arena https://www.rit.edu/fa/arenas/ritter-arena/about-facility
- ^ When Ritter Arena was new https://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=49865
- ^ Lerch, Chris (26 February 2014). "Commentary: As RIT says farewell to Ritter, here are some of its most memorable moments". uscho.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "Genesee Figure Skating Club". Archived from the original on 2015-08-14. Retrieved 2015-09-09.
- ^ "RIT says farewell to Ritter Arena". democratandchronicle.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "RIT Athletics – Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena". ritathletics.com. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ [1] (registration required)
- ^ New Arena FAQs "Power Play | RIT | FAQs". Archived from the original on 2011-11-09. Retrieved 2011-11-28.
- ^ "Ritter Arena – Finance & Administration". rit.edu. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
- ^ "RIT Libraries moves to temporary home in Ritter Arena". RIT. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ "Library Update: Summer 2023". www.rit.edu. Retrieved 2023-11-08.
- ^ Taylor, Moe (September 16, 2023). "Frank Ritter Ice Arena? Nope, Frank Ritter Field". Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-09.