The Tsongas Center: Prompt 1

Savannah Szymanski

Professor Conway 

Freshman Honors Seminar

15 September, 2014

One of the most iconic buildings within the University of Massachusetts Lowell Campus is the Tsongas center building. As a structure dedicated to entertainment and providing the best experience for its audience, the Tsongas center host sports events, musical performances, and an array of public events for the community of Lowell and the student of Umass Lowell to enjoy the facility and all that it as to offer. The center is most commonly known as the University’s rink site for their wildly popular hockey games. With the increasing reputation and skill level of the University’s team, Umass Lowell Riverhawks, the activity and status of the Tsongas center is continuously on the rise; however, the history of how the Tsongas center came to be is often unknown amongst the campus community.

The Tsongas center was opened in January of 1998 in Lowell, Massachusetts in memory of the well respected former senator Paul E. Tsongas who had passed away from pneumonia the previous year. Paul Tsongas was born and raised in Lowell during the several of the most financially detrimental years in Lowell economic history. The poor financial state of the city was partially due to the closing of textile mills in Lowell that aided the town in economic stability ("Paul Tsongas." Newsmakers). Being part of the wealth deprived environment, Tsongas learned early on in his life of the struggles members of lower economic classes face every day.  Tsongas was shaped by the environment he was involuntarily brought up in, therefore effecting his later campaign in politics that was geared toward improving the overall economy of the nation: “Lowell became a city haunted by unemployment and empty storefronts, and for Tsongas served as a personal emblem for the economic strife of the entire country” ("Paul Tsongas."Newsmakers). After volunteering for the Peace Corps and devoting his life to giving back to his community, Tsongas began an influential political career that was unfortunately struck down early on after being diagnosed with several illnesses and later dying at the age of fifty six. Though Tsongas’s story and career were cut short due to health circumstances, the impression he left remained and later inspired the dedication of the Tsongas center to him.

The Tsongas center contains a well-developed history, inspired by a Lowell native, and lives up to those standards by containing some of the most entertaining aspects of a sports facility. The centers hosts events specifically designated for the University students as well as popular events open for public attendance, though typically the most enjoyable aspect of Tsongas center events are those that offer discounted prices to campus students. With thousands of seats, a jumbo-tron with video access to the audience, and several food options on the upper level of the arena, the stadium provides the maximum amount of entertainment available for audiences: “In addition to exciting hockey action, the center hosts concerts, family shows, sporting events, tradeshows and conferences. Some of the world's biggest stars have performed before capacity crowds. We can seat 6,500 patrons for hockey and up to 7,000 for concerts without losing the intimate feeling” (“Venue History” Tsongas Center”). The University’s students as well as the Lowell community are able to enjoy a positive and all around pleasurable viewing experience at the Tsongas Center, while the facility still receives a large profit through ticket and food sales to reinvest in maintaining all of its unique features.

            The facility commonly hosts public concerts with well-known artists, speeches, and family friendly events. In addition, they also put on exclusive student focused events including student free skate days, freshman convocation, and other student activities. Amongst the most popular of these occasions would be the sports events, starring the extremely supported hockey games during the highly anticipated Riverhawk season. With a Division one team recently returning from yet another division championship, the popularity and fan base of the Tsongas center as they host these games has increased dramatically over the years. The integrity and inspiration offered from the life of Paul Tsongas as well as the success of University of Massachusetts Lowell sports teams and other events held throughout the year have contributed to a well-rounded stadium that has the potential to greatly increase in profit and audience members in the future.      

 

                                                                        Work Cited

         "Paul Tsongas." Newsmakers. Detroit: Gale, 1997. U.S. History in Context. Web. 15 Sept. 2014.
       
         "Venue History" Tsongas Center. AYC Media. Web. 15 Sept. 20114.