MILWAUKEE — Marquette University President Michael Lovell gave his annual address on campus Thursday, where he announced the full redevelopment of the university's recreation center.
The Helfaer Tennis Stadium and Recreation Center is currently located at 525 N 16th Street, on the southwest side of campus. In the coming years, it is going to be fully redeveloped into a comprehensive Wellness + Recreation facility, according to Marquette.
The Marquette University Medical Clinic and Counseling Center will be housed within the facility and portions of the current rec center will be completely renovated, including updated facades with added windows. There will be a newly constructed three-story wellness tower at the core of the facility.
Marquette said it will use an existing building footprint and some original structure supports.
The project is estimated to cost $80 million and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.
At his eighth annual campus address, @PresLovell announced that the university plans to fully reimagine its Helfaer Tennis Stadium and Recreation Center as a comprehensive Wellness + Recreation facility.
— Marquette University (@MarquetteU) March 4, 2022
Learn more: https://t.co/txXzxjEL7k pic.twitter.com/J9IrTPl9CL
The university said the funding will come from a combination of philanthropy, external partnerships, and university capital. The school will also use money collected through the existing recreation and wellness fee.
“This will be a transformational project for our campus, particularly our students. Not only is this facility a key part of our Campus Master Plan, but it is also truly about building a culture of wellness at Marquette,” President Lovell said. “When complete, the facility will position recreation, fitness, clinical and mental health services under one roof.”
When the facility is complete, it will offer four tennis courts, two multipurpose recreation courts, four basketball courts, a 25-yard pool, two group fitness studios, and a spin studio.
Marquette said no groundbreaking date has been set but fundraising, design processes, and programmatic planning have already begun.
The news of the new development comes less than a week after Marquette University Alumnus Marcus Lemonis announced a $15 million donationto the school to redevelop Memorial Library into the Lemonis Center for Student Success.
That new center will provide services for students across all majors, backgrounds, and academic abilities to enrich and expand student opportunities, according to the university. It will function as a part of the new Student Success Initiative that President Michael Lovell announced last year in his presidential address.
