John Paul Jones Arena facts for kids
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| Location | 295 Massie Road Charlottesville, Virginia 22903 |
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| Coordinates | 38°02′46″N 78°30′24″W / 38.0460°N 78.5068°W |
| Owner | University of Virginia |
| Operator | ASM Global |
| Capacity | Basketball: 14,623 Concerts: *End stage 180°: 12,467 *End stage 270°: 14,075 *End stage 360°: 15,177 *Center stage: 15,405 *Theatre: 7,352 |
| Record attendance | 15,219 (11/12/06 vs. Arizona) |
| Construction | |
| Broke ground | May 30, 2003 |
| Opened | August 1, 2006 |
| Construction cost | $131 million ($208 million in 2022 dollars ) |
| Architect | VMDO Architects |
| Structural engineer | Ellerbe Becket |
| General contractor | Barton Malow |
| Tenants | |
| Virginia Cavaliers (Men's & Women's Basketball) |
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John Paul Jones Arena, often called JPJ, is a large building owned by the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. It's a place where many different events happen. Since November 2006, it has been the home court for the Virginia Cavaliers men's and women's basketball teams. It also hosts concerts and other fun events.
JPJ can hold 14,623 basketball fans, which is almost twice as many as the old arena, University Hall. This makes it the biggest indoor arena in Virginia. It's also the largest basketball arena in the Atlantic Coast Conference that isn't in a huge city. Sports Illustrated magazine even called John Paul Jones Arena the best new college basketball arena of the 2000s!
Fans at JPJ are known for cheering very loudly, especially when their team plays defense. One famous coach, Rick Pitino, said it has "one of the best home court advantages" he had ever seen. He felt like the fans were "on top of you" because they were so close and loud. The arena opened for basketball on November 12, 2006. Virginia won its first game there, beating the No. 10 ranked Arizona team 93–90. As of March 2025, the Virginia men's basketball team had a great record of 257 wins and 63 losses at John Paul Jones Arena.
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Building the Arena: A Look Back
The design of John Paul Jones Arena has cool features inspired by ancient Roman and Greek buildings. It mixes these old styles with a modern look.
Who is John Paul Jones?
The arena is named after John Paul Jones, the father of Paul Tudor Jones. Paul Tudor Jones, who studied Economics at UVA, gave $35 million to help build the arena. In return for his generous donation, he got to choose the name. He decided to honor his father, who graduated from the University of Virginia School of Law in 1948.
Some people sometimes think the arena is named after John Paul Jones, the famous founder of the United States Navy. Others might think it's named after John Paul Jones, the bassist from the rock band Led Zeppelin. But it's actually named after Paul Tudor Jones's father!
First Events and Awards
The very first event at the arena was Cirque du Soleil's Delirium on August 1, 2006. But the official Grand Opening was a two-night concert by the Dave Matthews Band, who started in Charlottesville. This happened on September 22–23, 2006. Before that, there was an "open house" on July 22, 2006, so local people could come and see the new building.
In February 2007, the arena won an award! It was named "Best New Major Concert Venue" at the 18th Annual Concert Industry Awards by Pollstar.
Basketball at JPJ
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The University of Virginia opened John Paul Jones Arena for basketball on November 12, 2006. It was a winning day for both teams! The Virginia women's basketball team beat Old Dominion University 92–72 in the afternoon. Later that evening, a huge crowd of 15,219 fans watched the Virginia men's basketball team beat No. 10 ranked Arizona 93–90. The men's team made an amazing comeback after being down by 19 points in the first half. Both games had exciting pre-game shows with fireworks and the Cavalier mascot rappelling from the ceiling!
On March 1, 2007, the men's team beat Virginia Tech 69–56. This win helped them share first place in the ACC standings for the 2006–2007 season. They finished that season with a fantastic home record of 16 wins and only 1 loss. They also went undefeated in league games at home for the first time since 1982.
JPJ has seen many exciting games. On February 28, 2013, Virginia surprised No. 3 Duke, and thousands of fans rushed onto the court to celebrate! The 2012–2013 Cavaliers set a school record with 18 home wins that season.
On March 1, 2014, the No. 12 Virginia team played No. 4 Syracuse at JPJ and won big, 75–56. This victory meant they won the ACC regular season title all by themselves! On the same day, the Virginia student section, called the "Hoo Crew," won the 2014 Naismith Student Section of the Year award for being the best student fans.
On December 21, 2014, the Virginia team made history at JPJ. They tied an NCAA record by only allowing the Harvard team one field goal in the entire first half! Virginia went on to win the game 76–27.
A Tough Place for Opponents
John Paul Jones Arena is known as one of the hardest places for visiting basketball teams to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference and across the country. The crowds are very loud and supportive of their team. Coach Rick Pitino, a Hall of Famer, said that at JPJ, the UVA crowd is "on top of you." He also added, "They all stand up with 10 seconds to go [on the shot clock], cheering their team on defensively. I have not seen that in my 40 years of college basketball." ESPN even ranked John Paul Jones Arena as the second toughest arena to play in within the ACC.
The 76–27 Games
It's a strange coincidence, but on two different occasions at JPJ, Virginia's men's and women's basketball teams beat strong opponents by the exact score of 76–27! This meant they won by 49 points and almost tripled their opponent's score.
On December 20, 2014, the No. 6 ranked UVA men's team beat a Harvard team that was headed to the NCAA Tournament. Harvard had even been ranked in the top 25 just a month before. Two years later, on January 26, 2017, the unranked UVA women's team surprised No. 19 Virginia Tech with the same 76–27 score. In both games, Virginia's strong defense made their opponents take many difficult shots, and they just couldn't make them.
Other Exciting Events
John Paul Jones Arena is like a second home for the Dave Matthews Band, which started in Charlottesville in 1991. The band has played at the arena many times, including the grand opening and their 25th anniversary show. In 2023, a special banner was put up to celebrate the band's record of 13 performances at the venue.
On August 14, 2006, WWE brought their Monday Night Raw show to the arena. This was the first time WWE had ever come to Charlottesville, because before JPJ was built, there wasn't a big enough place to hold all the WWE fans.
Many other famous musicians have played at JPJ. On October 25, 2008, Jay-Z performed, becoming the first hip-hop artist to play there. On October 17, 2009, Metallica brought their "World Magnetic" tour to the arena.
On June 23, 2015, Paul McCartney played a sold-out concert at John Paul Jones Arena as part of his "Out There" tour. Just two days later, the arena hosted a big celebration to welcome home the 2015 Virginia Cavaliers baseball team after they won the College World Series championship!
On April 13, 2019, John Paul Jones Arena hosted Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live, which was a big hit. On September 13, 2019, the Virginia Men's Basketball team received their 2019 NCAA tournament championship rings at the arena. Fans got to see the team's stars and watch as the 2019 NCAA Tournament National Champions banner was raised to the rafters.
More recently, on April 23, 2023, Tina Fey, a famous comedian and actress, appeared at John Paul Jones Arena for a special talk.
Images for kids
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John Paul Jones Arena from the outside.
