Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Marquette University Announces Renovated Wellness and Recreation Facility

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/08/22

Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis., recently revealed plans for a major renovation to the Helfaer Tennis Stadium and Recreation Center. The building will be reimagined as the Wellness + Recreation facility, and it will unite the school’s fitness and recreation services with its counseling center and medical clinic under one roof. A news release reports that the $80-million, 180,000-square-foot project is tentatively scheduled for completion by the end of 2024, pending the available funds.

The university is partnering with HOK and Workshop Architects to renovate the existing recreation center and build a new, three-story wellness tower. The tower will play home to the Marquette University Medical Clinic, the Counseling Center, and dedicated spaces for sexual violence prevention and alcohol and drug recovery programs. It will also include a variety of flexible and multipurpose spaces for group meetings.

Marquette Wellness Recreation Center
Photo credit: HOK and Workshop Architects

“This will be a transformational project for our campus, particularly our students,” said Marquette University President Michael R. Lovell. “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. When complete, the facility will position recreation, fitness, clinical and mental health services under one roof.”

New recreational amenities will include a large gym with basketball courts, fitness space and equipment, group fitness studios, a spin studio, tennis courts, a swimming pool, and administrative space for campus recreation staff. Construction crews will use the existing building footprint and parts of its structure but will replace all interior building systems.

“Marquette’s vision for the Wellness + Recreation Center acknowledges the relationship between physical activity and student mental health, well-being and academic success,” said Peter van den Kieboom, principal and architect at Workshop Architects. “Workshop is honored to have played our part in this important initiative, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • DFW-Area District Opens New Replacement Middle School

    The Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District near Fort Worth, Texas, recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new replacement middle school campus, according to a news release. The new facility for Wayside Middle School, originally established in 1964, was built on the site of the former district administration building and funded through Bond Proposition A in 2023.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • UT System Board of Regents Approves $108M Housing Complex

    The University of Texas System Board of Regents recently announced the approval of a new, $108-million housing complex at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), according to a news release. The facility will stand four stories and have a total of 456 new beds for freshmen students.

  • University of Kentucky Receives $150M Gift Toward New Arts District

    The University of Kentucky’s Board of Trustees recently received a $150-million gift from The Bill Gatton Foundation, according to a university news release, to build a new arts district on the campus in Lexington, Ky. The new district will feature a new College of Fine Arts building and a multi-hundred-seat theater, among other amenities.