Southwestern College celebrates 100 years in beloved Stewart Field House
WINFIELD, Kan. (KSNW) — The state of Kansas has a handful of notable hallowed basketball fieldhouses. There’s Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas, “The Home of the Jayhawks.” The Kansas State Wildcats played in the old Ahearn Field House from 1950 to 1988.
But the oldest of the field houses in Kansas is located in Winfield.
It’s been called the “Queen of Old Gyms” in Kansas. If that’s the case, Stewart Fieldhouse at Southwestern College, which opened 100 years ago this week, has aged beautifully.
It’s the oldest basketball facility west of the Mississippi that’s still being used for its original purpose. The school celebrated the occasion Saturday in Winfield.
“This is home, and anytime someone asks about the Field House, I get chills because it just means so much to me and so many Builders across the nation,” said Matt O’Brien.
Matt is the Moundbuilders’ men’s basketball head coach and athletic director. He’s been the caretaker of the men’s program and the historic building for 15 years.
“I’m all in. I love Southwestern College. I definitely bleed purple, and I’m so proud for what we stand for at the college,” said Matt.
The Southwestern position is more than a job to Matt.
“You know, this basketball program has been 15 years in the making of what we’ve been able to build it in, and then I’m just so fortunate to be the athletic director here,” he said.
To put it into perspective, the legendary Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence opened 69 years ago in 1955. Stewart Field House opened 31 years before that in 1924. Just like the Jayhawks, the ‘Builders enjoy a tremendous homecourt advantage. Their home record over the last 10 seasons is 126-25.
“I’ve been coming to games here for 15 years now, and I’ve been playing here for the last three. So, this place has always been special to me,” said Andrew O’Brien, a senior guard from Halstead. “It’s always been a really cool gym. A really cool place to be, and I’m really grateful to play here.”
“I’d say one of the main things is not only is there a lot of character within this building, but it builds a lot of character. You know, with a 100-year-old building comes during the summer the lack of air conditioning. And I think that really, you know, gives us a little bit of adversity before the season even starts that we’re able to work through,” said Trey White, a senior guard from Baxter Springs.
Character. This basketball palace has plenty of that. Beginning with the native Winfield stone walls to the banked, wooden running track suspended from the ceiling to the bare rafters in the ceiling itself.
“It’s just spectacular up there. And the windows and the art and all of that. And then the track, and up until the mid-70s when I think some fire marshal with probably a little reasoning said, ‘you can’t be packing people up there on that track,'” said Steve Wilke.
Wilke Is a Winfield native who played basketball at Winfield High School. He says high school games were played at Stewart Field House until 1974. Wilke went on to play college hoops at Southwestern. These days, he serves as the Stewart Field House unofficial historian.
“From the college’s point of view, Stewart Field House has been almost everything in the 100 years,” he said.
The basement once housed the campus library and hosted classes. The Field House also hosted many functions such as dances, physical education classes, volleyball matches, concerts, and graduations. Wilke says there was a time when students lived in the Field House.
“We do have a lot of things in our world that we buy and throw away. We have a lot of things that just kind of come and go, and to have something that represents a lot of effort, a lot of work, a lot of care, a lot of love over the years,” said Wilke.
Maybe the most unique thing about Stewart Field House is its resident black cat. “The Jinx” serves as the Builders’ mascot, and he lives in the old building.
“Yeah, the cat is amazing. It’s always here. So, you can always see it’s always around, even late at night when I’m up getting shots in here. He would just be lying around,” said senior guard Jarvis Jennings.
“The cat’s cool. It’s something that’s unique that I don’t think a lot of other places have, and it’s something that we are thankful to have here,” said Andrew O’Brien.
All of this combined makes Stewart Field House a truly unique and special place.
“I would say it kind of gives me a Hoosiers vibe. And it’s so small, and everybody’s stacked on top of each other, and it’s so wild. It’s so amazing to play here, and I wouldn’t play anywhere else,” said senior guard Cevin Clark of Arkansas City.
Clark, who scored a season-high 42 points Saturday in an 86-78 victory over Evangel, leads the NAIA and the nation in scoring at 27.2 points per game.
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“I just think it’s fun to love something that’s really good. I mean, you know, lots of things get torn down, and life moves on. But this one, I think it’s good to have something that we can cherish,” added Wilke.
Stewart Field House doesn’t have air conditioning. It doesn’t have fancy scoreboards or, high-tech lighting, or slick suites. But for what it lacks in modern amenities, it makes up for in charm, originality, and a bit of quirkiness.
The Moundbuilders are 15-2 (10-2 in the KCAC) and ranked in the NAIA Top-10. Their next two games are on the road at Tabor College and York University (Nebraska).
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