World's oldest basketball court in St. Stephen, N.B., to transform into a museum

The world’s oldest basketball court is lacing up for a facelift 130 years in the making.

Located in St. Stephen, N.B., the old court on King Street held its first game on Oct. 17, 1893. Nova Scotia’s Lyman Walker Archibald brought the game to the Maritimes two years after playing in the first-ever basketball game under the direction of fellow Canadian Dr. James Naismith in Springfield, M.A.

“To think we were one of the first places to get a basketball court after Dr. Naismith invented it, and for us to find out that it is in New Brunswick makes it such a cool story on so many levels,” says Tyler Slipp, who is the executive director of Basketball New Brunswick.

In 2010, the court was rediscovered after a fire, leading to a renewed push in town to protect the iconic hardwood.

Now, plans are in place as the historic spot will soon be transformed into the Canadian National Basketball Experience Museum.

“Sometimes, New Brunswick is unfortunately called the drive-thru province,” says Tom Liston, who is a board member with the World’s Oldest Basketball Court Inc. “We want to stop that, and if the first thing across the border is this one-of-a-kind experience centre that’s first in the world it’s great to have that as kind of a gateway to New Brunswick.”

The project will be undertaken by architecture and exhibit design firm CambridgeSeven out of Cambridge, M.A. The company has been the leader in a number of projects, including the Canada Sports Hall of Fame in Calgary. The firm most recently completed a multi-million dollar renovation of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

“When they saw the connection to what they just finished at the Naismith Hall of Fame being six-and-half hours away or so to the border, I think it made a lot of sense from their end as well,” Liston says.

He admits he wasn’t sure at first if the firm would commit to the project, calling the group, “truly the world leaders in the sports-type museums.”

The original hardwood floor of the world’s oldest existing basketball court is seen in St. Stephen, N.B., on June 9, 2022. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic)

Timothy Mansfield with CambridgeSeven is the principal for the project. He admits the chance to work with the world’s oldest basketball court was an opportunity the firm couldn’t pass up on.

“The greatest asset to the whole thing is the building itself,” Mansfield admits. “It needs a little T-L-C (tender, love, and care) right now, but the fact is there is so much original woodwork. There’s the court floor, there is the spaces that were there at the time that [Lyman Archibald] did this.”

“We are proposing to build a small addition to the building that allows for us to introduce an elevator,” Mansfield continues. “It’s going to have a tremendous presence on the streetscape we think, and it’s going to be a great attraction for folks coming through St. Stephen.”

There is no timeline for when construction work will begin on the project. Officials say the goal is to have the facility open to the public in 2028.

Slipp says St. Stephen was already a hotspot for basketball in the province, and expects the project to add to the hype.

“It gives the chance for them to become a bit of a regional hub,” Slipp says. “And to be able to host some interesting things down there. We’ve been in talks with some potential things we can do in the space.”

Both Slipp and Liston say the finished project will bring global attefntion to the small New Brunswick border town. Liston says the museum will bring high-end tournaments to the community, and even believes the project could bring the Toronto Raptors to the province for a training camp down the line.

“It’s been really heartwarming and encouraging from coast to coast,” Liston says of the support for the project. “Again, we are in little St. Stephen and you wonder if it resonates across Canada. It absolutely does and people are really excited that we have this asset in Canada.”

Canada First Basketball Inc. has already raised more than a million dollars for the project which was used to purchase the necessary buildings for the project. The Archie golf tournament in St. Andrews, N.B., named after Lyman Archibald, has become a main annual fundraiser for the project, which has also helped garner more project donors.

“Through that, we have made a number of great connections,” Liston says. “Whether that be through Canada Basketball itself, or people in the community who have an affinity for basketball that want to get behind it. It’s everything from corporate donors to a lot of individual donors, and we will also look for government funding both federally and provincially as well.”

The overall project cost is expected to top $10 million.

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