Marista Hall

Chevrolet Hall.

Chevrolet Hall as seen in the center of this image, in Nossa Senhora do Carmo Avenue.

Marista Hall, currently named Chevrolet Hall, is a convention centre in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, created by the Marist Brothers institution UBEE, the Brazilian Association of Education and Teaching. The goal was to create an environment with a great diversity of spaces. It includes a multipurpose room, a theater, an arena, courts, and a parking lot; this structure is suitable for a wide variety of cultural, artistic, and sports events, be it of a technical, commercial or recreational nature.

Construction began in March 1997, and the original deadline was December 1998. However, this deadline was progressively postponed, and the building did not open until June 25, 2003.

Since a good part of the construction was financed by students of the nearby Colégio Marista Dom Silvério, Marista Hall is a target of jokes and dissatisfaction, because thousands of students paid for it but never benefited from it, having left school before construction was completed.

Further dissatisfaction came when Chevrolet began to sponsor the convention center in 2005; as a result the place changed its name to Chevrolet Hall. There is a community in orkut dedicated to "refusing" the new name, mostly former and current students of Colégio Marista Dom Silvério who feel their contributions to the site should be recognized in its name.

The arena show has a capacity of 6,700 people, and the sports facilities conform to official international rules. Dom Silvério Theater has a capacity of 400 people.

External links

• Official website

Coordinates: 19°56′31″S 43°56′03″W / 19.942082°S 43.934192°W / -19.942082; -43.934192