By Seth Boyes,
Jack Bell, an all-conference soccer goalie and NCAA qualifying diver, used a sledge hammer to break through copies of the blueprints for the Gerdin Fieldhouse. Luther College held a “wall breaking ceremony” the morning of Aug. 5 to mark the beginning of renovations to the building. Bell and numerous other student-athletes were invited to the ceremony. (Photo submitted)
A sledge hammer and a copy of some blueprints met to form a metaphor outside Luther College’s Gerdin Fieldhouse for Athletics and Wellness last week. The “wall-breaking ceremony” marked the launch of renovations to the building. College officials expected construction to begin Monday, with hopes the first three phases of the $24 million project will be complete by next fall — the fourth and final phase will focus on the addition of a wrestling wing.
Several of Luther’s student athletes were present for the ceremony, alongside more than 90 prospective students, many of whom were on campus to meet coaching staff and attend training seminars. Luther College’s Vice President of Communications Bill Smith said college officials were able to show the rising high school juniors and seniors the current fieldhouse facility while also making it clear the group was “walking through a museum” — he explained the facilities will be vastly different by the time the prospective Luther students become sophomores.
Portions of the fieldhouse — a facility boasting more than 200,000 square feet — dates back to the 1960s, according to information from the college, and Smith said many portions of the building, including the gymnasium and locker rooms, are not air conditioned, which he said limits its use.
“Most people think of it as an athletic training space, but a lot of classes are held in there,” Smith said.
The Gerdin Fieldhouse — formerly known as the Regents Center — has hosted not only physical education classes but many other elective courses, such as social dance.
Smith said the gymnasium itself has remained in the same configuration — wooden bleachers and court bounds near its entrances — since it was first constructed. Renovation plans call for the court to be rotated 90 degrees, with new seating installed around its entirety in what Smith called an arena-style arrangement.
But this month’s work won’t be inside the gym.
Smith said supply chain delays prompted college officials to shift some aspects of the project schedule — specifically, he said work on the gymnasium floor can’t begin until after air handling units are installed — and work will first be concentrated on the building’s north lobby. Smith said the college expects to host one more season of court sports, such as volleyball and basketball, in the current gym space before holding another brief ceremony in recognition of the current gym’s final use.
Work on the gymnasium space is then expected to begin the following day.
Work on the north lobby was expected to begin Monday, and Smith said patrons will likely need to use the fieldhouse’s south entrance near the sports and recreation center until the project enters its fourth and final phase. Students may also have access to the fieldhouse via another entrance when coming from the main campus.
The upgraded fieldhouse’s lobby will feature a new concession area for the public as well as improvements to make the college’s hall of fame displays more engaging, Smith said.
Renovation plans also call for the addition of quiet spaces for athletes to study, and workers will also be upgrading the fieldhouse’s locker rooms.
“Modernizing the locker room spaces for the various teams will be a great step forward for them,” Smith said. “It adds to the spirit.”
Smith noted the current building doesn’t offer many working spaces for teams to gather for events outside typical practice sessions.
“If a team wanted to get together for film, our locker room facilities don’t really allow for that,” he said.
The overall renovation project’s final phase will focus on the addition of a wrestling wing — college officials announced the addition to their plans earlier this year.
“As we approached the Board of Regents for approval of the final plans, we took the opportunity to think bigger,” Luther College President Jenifer Ward said in a June 5 statement. “Shifting the main entry has inspired a new design, and we were able to imagine a four-mat training space in place of the old south entrance circle. The board agreed that, with the level of changes set for the old Regents Center, now is the time for Luther to propose a wrestling addition.”
Previous plans had called for a three-mat training space near the aquatic center and the north gymnasium, according to information from the college, but the new plan will place a four-mat space near Carlson Stadium and the Robert and Ann Naslund Sports and Recreation Center.
“This is a game-changer for one of Luther’s top programs,” Luther’s Athletic Director Renae Hartl said as part of the June 5 announcement. “Not only will it be huge for wrestling, it is going to transform the circle drive into a new outdoor plaza area for all of our outdoor venues and events and an additional gathering space for campus.”
More than 60 percent of the funds for the expanded renovation have been raised at this point, according to Luther’s Vice President for Development Mary Duvall, and officials hope to have secured the remaining funds by the end of 2025.
Elsewhere on campus, plans to improve Luther’s Preus Library are also in the works. Smith said the library renovations will be a separate project but are still part of the same master plan for Luther’s campus.
“Preus is in a stage where the Regents Center was four to five years ago — preliminary plans, preliminary concepts,” Smith said.
Smith went on to say the college has yet to set a definite start date for work on the library, but he said renovations there are the next project on the college’s proverbial list.
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