Athletic Facilities Receive Upgrades

By Michael C. Russell | Friday, May 5, 2006

Prior to the construction of Baker Library it was once said that Dartmouth was the only college with a gymnasium larger than its library. Thankfully, over the last century the College’s priorities have changed and it now boasts an even larger library network that sprawls across campus.

Dartmouth has been working to improve all aspects of campus life in a new swath of construction that has broken the tranquility of otherwise quiet Hanover. The construction of the McLaughlin and Tuck Mall residential clusters and Kemeny-Haldeman Hall will address the long-neglected housing crunch and the need for a new mathematics building, respectively. Although the new dorms will expand the footprint of the campus, they will mercifully allow the eventual destruction of the River Cluster. Yet, for all the new living and learning space to the north and west, the athletics in the south have not been forgotten.

Dartmouth Rugby Football Club inaugurated the construction of modern athletic facilities with their building of the eponymously-titled Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse. The 6,500 square foot facility is built into the hillside and offers Rugby players, for the first time, their own facilities located less than a mile north of the Green. Funded by an endowment left by the adopted father of Dartmouth Rugby, Corey Ford, generous donations by alumni, and the College itself, the clubhouse represents one of the finest such facilities in New England. With a new pitch laid out in front of the landscaped amphitheater that the clubhouse creates, Dartmouth Rugby will feel more at home than ever.

The rugby clubhouse is just the beginning though, as construction at the athletic complex invigorates the southern end of campus. President McLaughlin ’54 T’55 presided over the last major athletic construction projects in the mid-eighties, which culminated in Berry Sports Center and Friends of Dartmouth Rowing Boathouse. Despite the addition of Berry Sports Center, the heart of Dartmouth’s athletics has always been the Alumni Gymnasium and while it has been remodeled several times (1972, 1974, 1980, 1989), the Gym was clearly in need of a major overhaul in order to preserve it. Though it was still far from a relic, the College contracted Lavelle/Bresinger Architects to draw up plans for a renovation of the Gym that would make major changes to its layout and update the aging infrastructure.

The renovated Alumni Gym has streamlined the hodgepodge of structural improvements made over the last century by eliminating some offices, removing ceilings, and adding a new fitness center that is even larger than Kresge Fitness Center. Also, because the Gym has not undergone any major changes since the passage of the A.D.A., it has been brought up to code and a new elevator allows visitors to travel unassisted to each of the Gym’s four floors. Major electrical and mechanical changes have been made, reflecting the need for full-scale infrastructural improvements. Aesthetic changes were made to the interior of the Gym, including the exposure of roof trusses for natural light in the upper gym, though the facade remains largely unchanged from when it was first built. Gone are the unused squash courts that Berry Sports Center largely replaced in 1987 in favor of “multi-use fitness spaces” open to the wider Dartmouth community for club sports and physical education classes.

One of the most welcome changes to the Alumni Gymnasium has little to do with the structure itself, rather it is the equipment inside the Gym. The rechristened 14,000 square foot Fitness Center occupies what was once the Upper Gym and has all the trappings of a modern fitness club. New to the Gym are 64 cardio machines, half of which come complete with TV screens while the others look out through the restored clerestory windows onto the landscaped entrance of the Gym. The Fitness Center, which complements Kresge Fitness Center, will increase space for varsity weight training by 33%. After what can best be described as lack-luster conditions for the last year, the opening up of the renovated Alumni Gymnasium has given Dartmouth a modern fitness complex that chooses to excel rather than cut corners.

Possibly as an act of penitence, the College also installed a state-of-the-art dehumidification system at Karl Michael Pool. An unfortunate consequence of this is the removal of a section of bleachers that the system now occupies. The dehumidification will improve the lifetime of the pool facilities, because of the reduction in water damage to the facilities and overall improved air quality. Consistent with the new redesign of the interior, the ceiling will be removed to allow natural lighting of the pool in addition to artificial light.

Memorial Field is undergoing renovation currently, the next step in the modernization of athletic facilities. During this off season, the football field will be replaced with artificial turf, which will decrease maintenance costs and allow it to be used all year. However, the major change to Memorial Field will come in the addition of a brand new, three-level Varsity Athletic Facility that will force the removal of a better portion of the East Stands. The removal of the stands will result in a loss of 5,000 seats, reducing capacity from 18,000 to 13,000.

The Varsity Athletic Facility will address the need for additional, modern space for Dartmouth athletics. The greater part of its space will be utilized by the football team, including a “smart classroom” and new locker rooms. Various varsity teams will gain additional office space on the third floor; however half of the new office space will be devoted to the football team and its coaching staff. Beneficial to all will be the second floor, a 10,000 square foot varsity strength training center that will further increase space of that kind on campus. The Office of Planning, Design and Construction has only released floor plans for the new facility, and until renderings of it are available, the aesthetics of it will remain unknown.

Further along in the future, and in the spirit of no sport left behind, is the Burnham Soccer Facility, named in honor of Alden “Whitey” Burnham, coach of the soccer team from 1960-1969, when he moved over to the administration. The soccer facility, made possible by a $4.5 million gift from Stanley Smoyer ’34, will be composed of a field with permanent stands, lighting for night games, a press box, locker facilities, and facilities for spectators such as a concession stand. Construction is planned for March of 2007, and the facility is still in the design phase.

It is worth taking a look at the past accomplishments of the Wright administration to understand the priority he has put on athletic improvement, especially in the context of Freedman’s less-than-benign neglect. In the first few years of his administration, Wright accomplished more athletic improvements than Freedman did during his whole tenure. The first major year of opening was 2000, which witnessed the opening of new tennis courts and lacrosse/field hockey fields.

Scully-Fahey Field was opened in early 2000 as the first athletic facility built by Dartmouth in over a decade. The artificial turf field is used by both the lacrosse and field hockey teams and was installed with 1,500 seats for spectators as well as lights for night games.

The tennis teams gained their own modern facility in late 2000 with the completion of the Boss Tennis Center and the Gordon Pavilion, each respectively named for a former Dartmouth varsity tennis player. Together the facilities provide six courts with four locker rooms (two public and one for each tennis team) and a team meeting room. Though structurally underwhelming, the building is thoroughly utilitarian and makes good use of the space it is in.

Hanover Country Club also underwent a major renovation that was completed in mid 2002, thanks to a donation by Robert Keeler ’36, who also contributed the funds for a modern irrigation system a few years prior. The donation allowed for the rebuilding of four holes, and significant redesign of others by Ron Prichard, an expert influenced by the seminal Donald Ross, one of the must influential course designers of all time. The renovation brought the course up to championship standards and is challenging for golfers at any level.

Dartmouth athletics have recently found an ally in President Wright and it is clear that the College is benefiting from his chastened support. Of course, it is impossible to understate the role of alumni in maintaining and improving Dartmouth’s facilities, as the majority of the projects under construction were funded by their gifts. Even if the campus construction has ended some of the tranquility Hanover once enjoyed, there is much to be said for a little improvement.

Athletic Facilities Receive Upgrades

Article Tools

Related Articles