EMORY, Va. - Emory & Henry College broke ground Monday on a $5.3 million athletic field house, which will be located on the east end of the newly renovated Fred Selfe Stadium.
The James H. Brooks Field House will be a two-story, 18,237-square-foot structure adjacent to the east end zone of the E&H football field.
The building will provide space on the first floor for locker rooms, showers, training and equipment rooms, and mechanical rooms. The second floor will contain lounge space, classrooms, a conference room, offices for coaches, and a viewing deck.
Building planners are seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy Efficiency and Design) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).
The field house represents the second phase of a two-part renovation and construction project for the E&H athletic complex. Phase one consisted renovations to the Fred Selfe Stadium, which included the construction of perimeter fencing, a new scoreboard, lighting and a game day operation center. The renovations also included the installation of artificial turf on the athletic field, which is used for both football games and soccer matches.
E&H President Rosalind Reichard said the field house, which should be finished by the fall of 2012, will "provide students and the community that supports this College with the high-quality athletic facilities that they deserve."
Emory & Henry will begin construction this summer on the Brooks Field House with the help of a loan from the Rural Development Agency of the United State Department of Agriculture. Gifts to the College will be used to pay back the loan.
The field house memorializes James H. Brooks, a former member of the E&H Board of Trustees and a longtime supporter of E&H athletics. The Brooks family provided a significant lead gift to begin fundraising momentum for the new facility.
Brooks' son, Jimmy Brooks, a 1992 graduate of the College, spoke of his father's love of the College and his impact on E&H athletics. He also spoke of the late Fred Selfe and Bob Johnson, two former E&H athletic directors, and the late Dave Thomas, a former Athletic Department employee, all of whom dedicated passion and energy to the future of E&H athletics.
"When it is all said and done, these are the guys who were the backbone of this program," Jimmy Brooks said.
The new field house will free up space in existing E&H athletic facilities for other sports. "This facility will be a catalyst that will help all of our teams gain traction," said Myra Sims, E&H Director of Athletics.
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