Photos by Paul Baker, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.43
Silvio O. Conte Forum 2601 Beacon St. Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
Year Opened: 1988
Capacity: 8,606
Greater Heights
Boston College is a private Jesuit university founded in 1863. The campus is one of the earliest examples of collegiate gothic architecture in the United States. With an enrollment of over 15,000 students, Boston College offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees in its eight colleges and schools.
The Silvio O. Conte Forum is the on-campus home of the Boston College men’s and women’s basketball and hockey teams. The facility was named for Boston College alumnus and United States congressmen Silvio O. Conte. Built perpendicular to Alumni Stadium, Conte Forum is located on the former site of McHugh Forum, the former home of the Eagles hockey team.
Basketball has been played at BC since 1904. Over their history, the Eagles have qualified for the NCAA tournament 18 times, most recently in 2009. Boston College has advanced as far as the Elite Eight three times in their history (1967, 1982 and 1994). 25 former Eagles have played in the NBA. Boston College’s women’s teams have appeared in 7 NCAA tournaments (every year from 1999-2006). Five Eagle alumni have played in the WNBA.
Food & Beverage 3
Concessions have never been at the forefront of the Boston College athletics experience, but the school has taken steps to improve the overall experience in recent years. Several stands line the inner edge of the concourse at Conte Forum, with each stand offering a different signature item.
Stands feature hot dogs, Sal’s pizza and BBQ sandwiches. All stands also sell a variety of sides and snacks to round out your selection. If the main stands don’t have what you’re looking for, portable stands offer chicken tenders and fries, popcorn, ice cream treats or meatballs.
Coca-Cola products are featured at Conte Forum. Eagle fans looking for an adult beverage will find a selection of beer and wine sold at concession stands as well as a portable stand. Craft beers from local favorites Fiddlehead, Whirlpool and Lord Hobo Brewing and Stormolong Cider are featured.
Food quality is decent, and prices are in line with other college facilities in the Boston area. Combo Meals are sold at all stands for fans looking to save a few dollars.
Atmosphere 3
Despite the best efforts of the game day staff here at Conte Forum, you can only do so much with the experience at a gymnasium when it’s half-full at best. To their credit, all the elements that you expect at a big-time program can be found here, but the total falls short of the pieces, simply due to lack of fan support.
Video boards at either end of the facility are put to good use with hype videos, replays, game stats and more. For most games, you’ll find the cheerleaders, pep band, and Baldwin, the Eagles mascot, doing their thing throughout the game. There’s an emcee who leads promotions, contests and giveaways throughout the game to keep the fans engaged, and the PA announcer, who does a nice job keeping the energy up without being too over the top. The one issue at Conte is with the sound system. It’s woefully inadequate, and it’s really difficult to hear anything being said over the speakers during the game.
Neighborhood 4
Boston College’s sporting rivals (we’re looking at you, other Beanpot schools), will point out that Boston College is located not within the city limits of Boston, but in the village of Chestnut Hill, part of the town of Newton. Newton is a very well-to-do suburb which is frequently found on many “best places to live in the USA” lists.
Visiting fans looking to grab a bite to eat nearby right before or after an Eagles game can walk from Conte over to Cleveland Circle, where a cluster of shops and restaurants are located. Among these shops is Eagles Deli, which has been featured on Man vs. Food and other shows because of their massive hamburger challenges. Their large portions and cheap prices make them a favorite of BC students. Newton Centre is located a few miles in the other direction, and is a good place to stop if you happen to be driving to the game. There’s no shortage of options to be found here.
Fans looking for lodging options won’t find much right by campus, but Downtown Boston is just six miles away. There are more than enough dining, lodging and entertainment options there to keep any visitor happy.
Fans 2
New England as a whole doesn’t really embrace college basketball as the premier winter sport like much of the rest of the country. There are exceptions to this rule (we’re looking at you, UConn, PC and URI), but for the most part, hockey rules the roost in this part of the country. Even the allure of the ACC isn’t enough to draw big crowds to the Heights on most nights.
Boston College averaged just over 4,600 fans per game for the 2024-25 season, good for 15th in the 18-team ACC. Stadium Journey visited Conte Forum for the Eagles’ home finale, which unfortunately occurred on a Wednesday night during Spring Break. As you might imagine, the crowd was pretty sparce, even by BC standards. In talking to many staffers, small crowds have been the norm recently as the basketball team has struggled and the hockey team has taken residence at the top of the rankings. Only the Duke game packed Conte Forum this season. From our own experience at BC, when there’s a big crowd at Conte for basketball, it’s made up primarily of visiting fans.
You will find some Eagle diehard fans in attendance and a decent turnout from the student body, but overall the fans here in Boston can be really fickle. This is a pro hoops town, and the Celtics are the undisputed kings.
Access 3
Despite Boston College’s location in the suburbs, it shares the same access issues as downtown Boston. Anyone who has tried to navigate the crowded, crooked streets of Greater Boston by car can tell you how difficult driving in this area can be. If you are visiting from out of town, your best bet is to find a copilot who knows their way around town.
Stadium Journey recommends leaving your car at home and using public transportation to arrive at Conte Forum. Boston’s subway system, known as the “T”, has several stops that access the Boston College campus. The green line’s B train terminus is located on Commonwealth Ave., right across the street from campus. From here, it is a short five-minute walk to Conte Forum. In addition, Boston College operates free shuttle busses that stop at several points around town. The complete route schedule can be viewed here.
If driving to Boston College, it’s easier to avoid the city and come in from the western suburbs. Interstate 90, Route 9 and local roads will all lead you to the Boston College campus with varying degrees of success. The area around Boston College is quite scenic, with a nice suburban feel, but traffic can be very heavy at times. Give yourself plenty of time to arrive on campus. Complete driving directions can be found here.
Parking is available for BC basketball games in either the Beacon Street Garage or the Commonwealth Avenue Garage. Both are a short walk from the arena. A single concourse circles the court, with the court visible at both ends. Lower-level seats are plastic maroon stadium seats, and upper level seats are bleachers without backs. Rest rooms are plenty large enough for a typical Eagles crowd, but you’ll still want to time your trips to concessions wisely.
Return on Investment 4
Boston College utilizes dynamic pricing for basketball games, meaning premium games will be more expensive, but baseline pricing for most games is between $10 and $30 for tickets. Parking is free in the nearby garages. Food prices are a bit on the high side, but bargains are available. Given that there aren’t any other top-tier programs in Boston, an Eagles game is pretty affordable.
Extras 5
Boston College displays its basketball (and hockey) history proudly throughout Conte Forum. Banners dominate the view throughout the interior space of the facility. Banners commemorating tournament appearances, conference titles, retired numbers and more hang from virtually every available rafter inside Conte Forum.
When visiting Boston College, make sure to give yourself enough time to explore the concourse here at Conte Forum. On one end of the facility is the Varsity Club, where over 400 notable athletes from Boston College’s long and illustrious sporting history are honored. You’ll find dozens of Olympians, Hall of Famers, NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB players. It’s quite an impressive display.
At the other end of the arena are trophy cases containing hardware earned by Eagles teams over the years displayed in a modern and pleasing way. A tribute to the Gaudreau brothers, two BC alumni who were killed by a drunk driver this past summer, is located here as well.
Displays honoring every BC alum to play in the NBA, WNBA and NHL are located on the concourse.
Final Thoughts
If you were to Google “what did a basketball gym look like in the 1980s?” it’s very likely that a photo of Conte Forum would pop up. Looking very much like a product of its time, the home of the Eagles may be more well known as a hockey rink than a basketball court, but it’s still a great place to catch some of the best basketball teams in the country as they pass through this part of the country.
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