Wellness and Recreation Center
Built in 2017, the new Wellness and Recreation Center (WRC) is the largest capital construction project in the history of St. Ambrose University.
With 80,000 square-feet of new construction, this building is home to Fighting Bees athletics, Wellness and Recreation, and Kinesiology programs.
See WRC Hours and Activities Schedule Your Visit to SAU
About the Wellness and Recreation Center
The Building
- 80,000 total square-feet of new construction
- 56,000 square-feet field house, with 200-meter, six-lane competition track, pole vault areas, long- and triple-jump pits; and four basketball/volleyball courts (two wooden floor courts, two resilient flooring courts)
- 5,200-square-feet, two-story cardio/weightlifting workout center
- 2,200-square-feet group exercise room
- 1,200-square-feet club room
- Concurrent renovation of 19,000 square-feet PE Center includes new HVAC systems; office suites for Athletics and Wellness and Recreation Departments; weight room for use by athletics teams; updates to locker rooms; new bathrooms and locker rooms and interior painting of Lee Lohman Arena.
The Team
Lead Architect: Jack Patton, RDG Planning and Design, Des Moines, Iowa
General Contractor: Russell Construction, Davenport, Iowa, with an additional 42 regional firms used as subcontractors
Timeline
The building was identified by the Board of Trustees as the highest priority in a Master Plan approved in 2011. We broke ground in April 2016, concurrent with announcement of Building Our Future capital campaign, and it opened for student and campus use in August 2017.
Funding
- Total cost (including equipment and furniture): $21.5 million
- Construction cost: $18.5 million
- Building Our Future campaign fundraising goal: $18.5 million
- Campaign co-chairs: Beth (Figge) '86 and Brian Lemek '86 and Barbara (Bush) and Michael Johnson; honorary campaign chairs Jim '56, '93 (Hon) and Mary Hagen.