Nov. 06--Northwestern announced plans Friday to break ground on its long-proposed Lakefront Athletics and Recreation Center.
Construction will begin immediately on the north end of the Evanston campus at 1 p.m. on Nov. 13, as first reported by the Tribune.
The complex will include Ryan Fieldhouse, where the football team will practice and other sports will conduct practices and games, and the Walter Athletics Center, which will house academic services, training facilities and dining for student-athletes and offices for coaches and administrators, according to an NU news release.
"We're about ready to embark on a game-changer in our 365-day facility," football coach Pat Fitzgerald said earlier this week. "We're not standing pat with going to bowl games. We want to compete for championships, but we have to get our infrastructure in a better place and we're all-in here at Northwestern."
The facilities are named for alumni donors Patrick and Shirley Ryan and Mark and Kimbra Walker.
"This is a landmark day for our entire campus community," athletic director Jim Phillips said in a statement. "Ryan Fieldhouse and the Walter Athletics Center will provide the finest support, training and developmental facilities for Northwestern student-athletes in an incomparable location."
