Photo by Cory Wyman ’16 – Contractors work to build a new gym just north of the Harper Great Hall. This gym will be called The Dutch.
By Jack Cahill ’17
THE ROUNDUP
Anyone walking past the Virginia G Piper Building and the Great Hall will see a major construction zone where last year was just a field.
This construction zone is where Brophy’s new gym is being built.
The new gym, known as the “Harry T. Olivier Practice Gymnasium”, or “The Dutch,” seeks to improve upon the existing gym by being more modern and having more amenities.
The multi-purpose function of the new gym will be retained, though new features will be added.
“The gym will provide the school with sorely needed practice and competitive time for basketball, volleyball and wrestling along with a state of the art weight training facility and more gym space for Brophy’s intramural program,” according to Brophy’s website.
The gym will be located on the east side of the existing Robson Gymnasium, and will be as large as the current gym.
“It’s a practice gym, that’s a big part of it. The basement will have conditioning, weights, as well as a place for running and it will likely have some artificial turf which can be used for soccer,” said The Rev. Edward Reese, SJ, Brophy’s president.
The gym will be three floors, including a basement, second floor and balcony.
“The second floor will feature the normal court, the classic gymnasium floor, and there will be more aerobic kinds of things on this floor,” Fr. Reese said. “The balcony floor will be around the basketball and volleyball court will have some classrooms for video taping production and some more cardio equipment.”
Students have had a positive reaction to the gym.
“I think that it is a very good investment. We’ve needed a new gym for quite some time, and the current one is getting a bit old, it smells, and it’s in our best interest to build something newer and cleaner,” said Cam Grams ’17.
Construction began in July of this year and the gym is expected to be completed by the fall of next year.
