Northwestern will finally break ground on its new athletics facility on the shores of Lake Michigan.
After several generous donations from trustees and alums, the school announced Friday that the groundbreaking ceremony will take place next Friday Nov. 13 at 1 p.m. on campus. Construction is set to begin immediately thereafter.
The “Lakefront Athletics and Recreation Complex” will include an “indoor multipurpose facility” for football practice and practices and competitions for Olympic sports teams. The indoor facility will be named Ryan Fieldhouse “in honor of the generosity of alumni Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan.” Additionally, the indoor playing surface “will be named Wilson Field in honor of a $15 million gift from alumni Stephen R. and Susan K. Wilson.”
The facility also includes the Walter Athletics Center, which will be home to an academic support services center, a nutrition center, a sports performance center and offices for coaches and administrators. The Walker Athletics Center will also be the headquarters for Northwestern football.
“This is a landmark day for our entire campus community," said Jim Phillips, vice president for athletics and recreation. "Ryan Fieldhouse and the Walter Athletics Center will provide the finest support, training and developmental facilities for Northwestern student-athletes in an incomparable location. This transformational facility will seamlessly integrate athletics into the heart of campus, offer new recreational opportunities for Northwestern students, faculty and staff and enhance the use of the lakefront by the entire Evanston community. We are tremendously excited to begin construction and realize this vision."
The project also includes the expansion of the school’s swimming facilities, not to mention the addition of an outdoor football practice field and improved soccer, lacrosse and field hockey fields.
Wildcats head coach Pat Fitzgerald previously called the new facility a “game-changer” for the football program. The school’s football facilities haven’t been updated since a renovation to Ryan Field and the addition of an indoor practice facility about a mile off-campus in 1997. With the new facility, the program will be stay on campus for practice.
For more Northwestern news, visit WildcatReport.com.
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