📍 New Haven, Connecticut
🏀 Home of Yale Bulldogs basketball

Yale University demands excellence in every way. The Ivy League school not only sets high academic standards for students, but assuredly has lofty expectations for the architecture and design of the university grounds as well. Home to many indelible structures in the Gothic Revival style, each and every building on campus features incredibly elaborate design, from opulent exteriors to ornate interiors. Payne Whitney Gymnasium – the world’s second largest sports facility – is no different, showcasing Bulldog athletics in some of the most unique recreational spaces around.

Constructed at the height of the Great Depression, the gymnasium first opened its doors in 1932. Although many improvements have been made over the years, the venue has remained very much the same over the past century. A nine-and-a-half story tower stands front and center, flanked by two enormous wings housing a 6-lane competition pool, a practice pool, recreational basketball courts, a fencing area, a gymnastics studio, a running track, squash courts, a fitness center and a 2,500-seat arena known as the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

The arena is the home of Yale basketball and is considered Payne Whitney’s crown jewel, featuring stained glass windows, large gothic doors and sumptuous archways. Nicknamed “The Cathedral of Sweat”, the Amphitheater was rededicated in 1996 in honor of John Lee, a Bulldog basketball legend who broke and set several school records on his way to helping Yale clinch its first-ever Ivy League Championship.

Glass cases located near the amphitheater’s main entryway showcase the history of Yale athletics, including artifacts from John J. Lee’s time in New Haven. Cherished live mascot Handsome Dan also has his own display, the focal point of which is the original Dan, who now sits taxidermied in Payne Whitney’s lobby. More informative plaques on the arena’s inner concourse highlight former Bulldogs players that have made it to the NBA.

Yale has been a real contender in the Ivy League as of late, appearing in March Madness in the late 2010s and early 2020s on a handful of occasions. The Bulldogs have made more than half a dozen trips to the NCAA Tournament – with an equal number of Ivy League titles – but have yet to escape the Second Round of the modern 68-team field.

Back in New Haven, the Bulldogs often storm through their conference slate in front of energized crowds that have come to rock the Amphitheater. The venue’s unique architecture makes for some great acoustics and gives fans some one-of-a-kind perspectives of the game, including from perches in each corner that put folks right on top of the action. The seating bowl features mostly tall wooden chairbacks which, despite their evident age, have held up very well and provide good back support, optimizing the comfort of spectators. There are many other little nooks and crannies all around the gym too, littered with Gothic design elements. Small stained glass windows that open to the outside and large wooden doors with diamond portholes that open to the end zone balconies only add to the remarkable aesthetic of the Amphitheater. It all works in tandem to serve as a constant reminder to visitors just how special a game is at this marvelous relic from a bygone era.