Royal Brougham Pavilion, now beginning its sixth decade as Seattle Pacific’s primary athletic facility, is not only one of the best arenas to watch a college basketball game in the Great Northwest, its also a most formidable place to face the Falcons.

Over the past seven seasons, the men's basketball team has won 91 of 100 games played in the pavilion and women's basketball has gone 78-5 the last five years, including 34 straight victories at one point . Yet Brougham also lends home-floor advantage in volleyball and gymnastics. Since 1997, the Falcons have gone 42-11 at home in volleyball and on the carpet, the gymnastics team claimed their 1997 national championship in the pavilion.

For foes of the Falcons Brougham has proven to be the Nightmare on Nickerson Street. For fans it is an intimate setting; the student section bleachers roll right down to the south sideline. The north side features 700 theater-style seats with optimum sightlines and comfort. Although the pavilion is nearing its silver anniversary, a guest would never know it. In fact, Brougham was basically rebuilt during a two-phase renovation and expansion from 1988-92.

The privately-funded project added over 1,200 new seats, bringing capacity to 3,000 for concerts and 2,650 for basketball and volleyball. Beyond the main arena, new additions included six locker rooms, two classrooms, offices for athletics, intramural and physical education staff, an athletic training room, gymnastics center and crew shellhouse. More recently, the weight room was remodeled and furnished with all-new free weights and a full range of Universal equipment, and a fitness center was stocked with a wide-range of cardiovascular equipment. Other features include an auxiliary gym on the lower level, and a 70-seat lounge overlooking the main floor.

Original construction of Brougham began on May 26, 1951 and 20 months later, the project was completed for a cost of $375,000, with most of the funds raised through private donations. In the inaugural game against Portland State on February 13, 1953, the Falcons fell to the Vikings, 66-56. A day later SPU avenged the loss, defeating Portland State 73-58.

Before Brougham was built, the basketball teams used local high school gyms as their home court, including nearby Lincoln, Queen Anne and Ballard. Several homecoming games were played off-site at the Seattle Center (now Mercer) Arena and Coliseum (now KeyArena) from 1965-87. During the renovation, games were played at Connolly Center and Edmonds Community College.

Seating capacity has fluctuated over the years. The largest single-game attendance record was established on November 9, 2000 when 2,782 attended a men’s basketball exhibition between SPU and Washington. Prior to expansion capacity was listed at 1,800, however there were several crowds of over 2,000 prior to 1974.

Numerous prestigious athletic events have been held in the pavilion over the years, including a 1965 and 2000 NCAA West Regional for men's basketball, the USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships in 1996 and '97, the 1998 an d2003 NCAA West Regional for women's basketball, and the 1999 Pacific West Conference volleyball championships.

The building’s namesake, Royal Brougham, was a long-time supporter of local Christian school sports programs. He was sports editor and columnist for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer until his death in 1978.