For most of its 75 years, Finch Fieldhouse was known for Central Michigan University athletics. But the building's history is much broader. It housed graduation ceremonies, concerts, protests and vaccination clinics.
Some of those highlights were captured in the following photos:
Charles Anspach lays Finch Fieldhouse's cornerstone in 1950. At the time, the school was Central Michigan College. That changed in 1959 when it was renamed Central Michigan University. Anspach retired a short time later as CMU's first president.Louis Armstrong performed in Finch Fieldhouse on May 16, 1958, as part of the festivities for the first Greek Week. Finch also hosted graduation ceremonies during this time. Six days before it was named Central Michigan University, 4,500 students graduated from Central Michigan College. At the time, 4,500 students were enrolled in a school that had 40 buildings on a 235-acre campus.Attendees at a protest to end of the war in Vietnam listened to speeches in Finch Fieldhouse on Oct. 15, 1969. While Finch Fieldhouse has been synonymous with CMU athletics for most of its history, the large open space has made it a perfect place for large gatherings of people concerned with social issues. Finch was used as the location for the AIDS Quilt in 1992. It's also hosted the Martin Luther King Jr. Peace Brunch.CMU's 'Celebrating Life' Pow Wow was first held in Finch Fieldhouse in 1989. It was held in Finch until 2010. That year, it was moved to McGuirk Arena.Finch Fieldhouse has undergone several renovations over the years, including major overhauls in 2013 and 2022. In 2013, the floor and walls were redone in the big gymnasium that houses the climbing wall, which itself was built between 1998-2001.A partnership between Central Michigan University and the Central Michigan Health District led to vaccination clinics held in Finch Fieldhouse during the COVID-19 pandemic. That included some of the first in Isabella County in March, 2021.
