Norville Center Opens

Loyola University Chicago trustee and former men's basketball player Allan Norville (BS '60, trustee) and his wife, Alfie, came forward to provide the lead gift for the first phase of Loyola's reimagine campaign. In honor of the couple’s vision and generosity, the new facility bears the name Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics.

The three-story building is the first step in Loyola's plan to transform the student experience.

"We are extremely excited about the building and what is means for Loyola's athletics program," says Norville. "I view it as a start of the reimagine campaign's goal of getting students more involved in this and other areas of student life. When you look ahead to the new stadium seating for the Gentile Center, the renovations to the Halas Sports Center, and the new student union, I think you’ll see the campus really come alive."

The state-of-the-art facility houses an improved strength and conditioning center, a sports medicine facility, a student-athlete academic center, locker rooms, student-athlete meeting and activity spaces, and administrative offices for athletics personnel.

"We are deeply indebted to Al and Alfie Norville for their generosity," says Loyola President Michael J. Garanzini, S.J. "We believe that to produce optimal results on the court and field, our training facilities must match the potential of our students. This gift is an important first step in ensuring that our student-athletes have every advantage to be successful when competing on the court, as well as in the classroom."

The five-phased, five-year reimagine campaign was launched in January 2010 on Loyola's Lake Shore Campus. The $100 million investment in student life promises to vastly improve the student experience on campus in a number of ways. The next phase includes replacing the bleachers in the Gentile Center with stadium seating, creating a more comfortable and intimate experience for fans. That project is scheduled for completion in 2011.

Key facts about the Norville Center for Intercollegiate Athletics

• Located on the Loyola Lake Shore Campus
• Opened on March 3, 2011
• First part of a multi-phased project to upgrade non-academic student life at Loyola
• The center replaces most of the current facilities now housed in historic Alumni Gym, which was built in 1924
• Architects: Solomon Cordwell Buenz
• Builders: Power Construction

The facility includes:

• An improved strength and conditioning center
• Home and away locker rooms for men and women
• Sports medicine facility
• Student-athlete academic advising center
• Student-athlete meeting and activity spaces
• Athletics administrative offices