Evening star., 1940-03-04
S450,0O0 Structure
Boon 10 Basket Ball,
Boxing, Hockey
Seat Capacity Will Vary
From $500 to 10000;
Stirs 6. W. Ambitions
BY BURTON HAWKINS.

Stirs 6. W. Ambitions
BY BURTON HAWKINS.
The missing link in Washington's
sports pattern. stable, modern in
door structure, will be provided by
Michael j. Uline, local ice magnate,
by September.
Ground for the erection of the
most modern arena of its size in the
East will be broken tomorrow or
wednesday at Second and M streets
NE. by Patricia Uline Hill, grand
daughter of the man backing the
project and prominent socially.
Equipped to accommodate 5,100 in
armchair seats for ice hockey, the
arena will handle more than 1000
spectators for basket ball and 10000
for boxing. No bleacher seats will
be installed.
The building will be situated on
21a acres bounded by Second. Third.
M and N streets NE, with a parking
lot of two acres across M street from
the arena, which will face on Third
street. Grading of the parking lot
already is under way and the build
ing itself is expected to be COM
pleted by September l.
Project to Cost $450,0O0.
To be constructed at a cost of
S450,000, the structure is patterned
after the Hershey (Pa) Arena, con-
sidered the finest in the East. with
more modern improvements. 1t will
be an oblong building with an egg
shaped roof with no supporting
beams to obstruct vision. If patron
age demands it, galleries may be in
stalled to accommodate thousands
more without harming the trim ap-
pearance of the arena.
The rink itself will be larger than
that in Madison Square Garden and
while Mr.. Uline hasn't obtained a
franchise in an ice hockey league as
yet. he has been offered at least two
teams. One of these is thought to
be the New York Americans of the
National Hockey League, a team
which currently is supported by that
league.
Careful to avoid stymies which
may have checked his plans, at least
to the extent of being forced to pay
more than a normal price for ground
Mr.. Uline purchased the property in
small lots in the names Of several OF
his employees, thus guarding also
against revelation of His idea.
No stock has been or will be sold
to finance the structure, according
to Mr.. Uline. who says loan of
$500, ,OO0 from the Government, plus
his own money, is carrying the prof.
ect.
Spurs Reinhart's Ambition.
Situated ideally from the stand
point of transportation, being con-
venient to both streetcar and bus
lines. the Uline plant will be Wash
ingtons third ice arena. Chevy
Chase Ice Palace. on Connecticut
avenue. and Riverside Stadium. at
Twenty-sixth and D streets NV,
currently cater to skaters, while the
Washington Eagles. representatives
of this city in the Eastern Amateur
Hockey League, also play at River
side.
Mr.. Uline, who has 64 patents on
various inventions concerning the
ice industry, is a member of IA Or
ganizations. A Hollander. he gained
his start on the back of an ice wagon
while still unable to speak English
and his hobby and chief love is doing
things to please the crippled chill
dren of Langdon School. How highly
the children regard him is revealed
by an afghan in his office knitted by
them.
How much the new arena will
mean to local sports still is con-
jectural, but basket ball, at least.
should boom. Bill Reinhart, George
Washington University basket ball
coach, often has stated that. given
the proper facilities, he could i'm
port the Nations outstanding court
GcdlIlS dllCi IilOil oPPCoi oiiSC ia
double headers at New York's Mad
ison Square Garden. Uline, Incl
dentally, is personal friend of
Col. John R. Fitzpatrick, Madison
Square Garden chief.
Boon to Boxing and Track.
Coach Reinhart will confer with
Mr.. Uline shortly and if satisfied
with arrangements will return from
a coaches meeting at Kansas City
within two weeks with the most
pretentious schedule ever under
taken by the Colonials. 1t is, his
idea to stage double headers with
Georgetown. providing, of course,
Georgetown officials are receptive.
Relations between the schools are
extremely harmonious.
Such teams as Southern Califor-
mia, Notre Dame. Oregon, Mime
sofa and California can be import
ed, says Mr.. Reinhart, who loses
only two men from crack varsity
quint and whose freshman basket
ball team is undefeated. Making
the arena suitable for basket ball