WATCH: Demolition Of Fairfield U's 60-Year-Old Alumni Hall

FAIRFIELD, CT — Alumni Hall, of one of the longest-standing buildings on Fairfield University’s campus, was demolished Monday morning.

Constructed in 1959, the building was a landmark facility for more than 60 years, according to a news release from the university. It served as home to the school's three-time MAAC Champion men’s and women’s basketball teams, and the 11-time MAAC Champion volleyball team, and housed concerts throughout the decades, including performances by the Beach Boys, The Byrds, John Legend and more.

Alumni Hall is one of the earliest pre-stressed concrete structures of its kind ever attempted, the news release said. Engineering magazines from the time noted that the 11, 160-foot pre-cast arches used in the building’s construction were a record-breaking span for pre-cast arch ribs in the U.S.

Construction began this spring on a new Arena & Convocation Center on the current site of Alumni Hall. The 85,000-square-foot, 3,500-seat Convocation Center will boast a state-of-the-art broadcast and media center, luxury seating and lounge areas. Projected to open in 2022, the facility will be home to Fairfield’s Division I basketball and volleyball programs, as well as Fairfield Prep basketball, and will host convocations, concerts and gatherings for the university and neighboring community.

Alumni Hall's architect, John Phelan, was onsite Monday for a final walk-through of the building, accompanied by Fairfield University President Mark R. Nemec and other university officials.

Under the leadership of Vice President for Facilities Management David Frassinelli, Fairfield’s campus has evolved and expanded. The Frassinelli family has a long association with the university, starting with the construction of Xavier and Berchmans Halls in the 1940s. They built most of the buildings up to the 1980s, about 1 million square feet.