Alumni Hall was built in 1955 to suit the needs of the men's basketball program, under the direction of then-college president Rev.

The team had previously played either off-campus or in a small gymnasium in the basement of Bishop Harkins Hall (a space which would later become the Blackfriars Theatre).

For its first seventeen years, it was the home of the burgeoning men's basketball program, which won the 1961 and 1963 NIT championships under coach Joe Mullaney.

When the men's team played there, Alumni Hall's upper level was traditionally reserved for season ticket holders while the bleacher seating was generally filled with students.

On February 21, 2018, the final 13:03 of the second half in a Providence-Seton Hall men's game was played at Alumni Hall the following day after the court at the Dunkin' Donuts Center had slippery conditions due to the ice underneath the court, used for Providence Bruins games, melting.

A part-time Hospital Trust Bank branch also operated near the ticket sales area in the foyer of Alumni Hall.

The upper floors of Alumni Hall housed the studios of WDOM AM & FM which were the campus radio stations staffed by students.