Photo courtesy of CambridgeSeven

What: Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Where: Springfield
Owner: Springfield Redevelopment Authority
Built: 2017-2021 

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame has reopened following an over $25 million refurbishment and closure during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Designed by architects CambridgeSeven, nearly every exhibit was updated with interactive elements. The new technologically advanced visitor experience include photos where visitor can “measure up” against cutouts of their favorite players, a “Hall of Honor” with interactive kiosks and over 24 hours of video footage and the “1891 Gallery Presented by MassMutual Foundation” focusing on the era of the game’s invention by Dr. James Naismith. 

Visitors can shoot baskets on the new “Jerry Colangelo Court of Dreams” which includes an LED screen showing highlights by legendary players and iconic moments in basketball history. 

The Hall of Fame partnered with regional contractors, with roughly 85 percent invested with vendors from Massachusetts and northern Connecticut. 

They Said It: 

“Our team and the Hall have enjoyed a long-standing partnership from the design of the original museum to this latest evolution, creating an immersive and highly interactive visitor experience. The new Hall celebrates the amazing game of basketball, uniquely tying thematic narratives from the game’s very beginnings in Springfield in 1891 all the way to the present-day action.” 

— Timothy Mansfield, principal, CambridgeSeven