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A.J. Palumbo Center
Located at the intersection of Forbes Avenue and Magee Street on the Northeast corner of the Duquesne campus, the multi-purpose Palumbo Center received a $1.8 million facelift in the summer of 2010. Chair back seats were installed from top-to-bottom on the north side of the arena and treads, risers and chair backs on the lower level of the south side of the facility were replaced. In addition a custom designed center-hung Daktronics video board and four lower level corner scoreboards were installed. The renovation work changed the building's capacity from 5,358 to 4,406 for basketball. The work came on the heels of an extensive renovation completed in the spring of 2006. The `06 renovation featured new offices for the men's and women's basketball staffs, construction of a recruiting suite and state-of-the-art video breakdown room in addition to new areas for strength training and conditioning and athletic training. Prior to the 2006-07 season, the Palumbo playing floor was completely resurfaced and repainted with Duquesne's new athletics logo. In addition, new press tables and premium courtside seating were also added to help create an updated game day atmosphere. Not just an athletics facility, the Palumbo Center also houses athletics department and facility staff. In the past 22 years, the Palumbo Center has been the site of two NIT men's basketball games (1994), the WNIT (2009), four post-season conference volleyball tournaments (1993, 1994, 1998 & 2004), NCAA East Regional wrestling (2000, 2005 & 2007) and two opening rounds of the A-10 women's basketball tournament (1989 & 1990). The Palumbo Center, which annually serves as the host site for numerous high school basketball tournaments and playoff games, has consistently been ranked among the Top 10 grossing arenas of its size by Performance Magazine, a popular concert trade publication. Duquesne's basketball home is named in honor of the late Antonio J. Palumbo, the son of an immigrant family who built his wealth in the coal mining and real estate industries near his home in St. Marys, Pa. Mr. Palumbo, who served on DU's board of directors, donated more than $15 million to universities, colleges, hospitals and high schools in the region prior to his passing in 2002. His generosity resulted in his name being attached to a number of high-profile buildings and academic programs that he felt symbolized his values.
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Facilities
Clayton Adams' layup six seconds into a 73-69 win over Saint Joseph's on Dec. 3, 1988 christened the A.J. Palumbo Center as Duquesne's men's basketball home. Twenty-two years later - and boosted by nearly $4 million in renovations over the past five years - the 4,406-seat Palumbo Center looks as good as it did on opening day.
