New Facility Offers Venue for Student Recreation and Wellness Programs

DePaul University students who have always made the most of Chicago’s lakefront, park system and bike paths will now have premium recreation opportunities even closer to home with construction of a $12 million fitness center on the Lincoln Park Campus set to begin next month.

DePaul will hold a public ceremony at 3 p.m. June 8 to break ground on the Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center to be built on a parking lot east of Alumni Hall in the 2200 block of North Sheffield Avenue.

"DePaul students need a new recreation center and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen," said former men’s basketball coach Ray Meyer, who will participate in the ceremonial sinking of the first shovel.

The four-level, 115,000-square-foot facility will become a venue for intramural athletic programs, wellness activities and fitness training for students. It is scheduled to be dedicated in June 1999, when DePaul concludes its yearlong centennial celebration, and will open for student use that fall.

The center is more than just a boon for students in Lincoln Park. Faculty, staff and students from all campuses will be encouraged to use it. Additionally, the university will continue to offer sports and recreation summer camps and create new programs designed to engage disadvantaged youth.

The new center will offer expanded space and enhanced amenities for students who currently work out at Alumni Hall. Features include a six-lane, 25-yard swimming pool, four regulation-sized basketball courts, an elevated jogging track, 7,000 square-feet of multipurpose aerobics space, 9,000 square-feet of weight and fitness training space, courts for volleyball, racquetball, handball, badminton, floor hockey and soccer, locker rooms with sauna and whirlpool, a juice bar and a lounge area.

Antunovich Associates, which has worked with DePaul on several recent projects, is the facility’s architect, while W.E. O’Neil has been contracted to build it.

"This center extends DePaul’s educational impact beyond academic subjects and focuses on wellness and fitness issues that promote a lifetime of healthy habits," said James R. Doyle, vice president for student affairs. "This reflects a change in the way students want to spend their leisure time and embraces a national trend in student recreation facilities."

In the past 15 years the number of students living on DePaul’s campus has tripled. Today almost 2,000 students live in residence halls and another 2,000 live in apartments in the neighborhood. "The Ray Meyer Fitness and Recreation Center has been designed to foster a sense of community among all who use it," Doyle said.

The Rev. John P. Minogue, C.M., DePaul’s president, said, "Much more than bricks and mortar, this facility will serve as an incubator for school spirit, fair play, physical fitness, discipline, leadership and self-confidence--values that are at the heart of DePaul."

The university is currently raising funds to finance the building’s construction.