Groundbreaking ceremonies for Central College’s P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium expansion are set for Friday, April 22 at 11 a.m.
The event is open to the public and will be staged near the entrance to the Ron Schipper Fitness Center, east of P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. Refreshments and seating will be available at 10:30 a.m.
The expansion is part of an $11 million project, the latest component in the college’s Forever Dutch initiative, an ongoing series of improvements to the A.N. Kuyper Athletics Complex. Project costs for the first two phases of the initiative will exceed $15 million. The initiative was officially launched at a public event Jan. 30.
The college will honor Forever Dutch donors at the groundbreaking, with special tribute to the family of Pella Corporation founder P.H. “Pete” Kuyper, which played an integral role in the development of the athletics complex. The family and their foundations teamed for a transformational $4.2-million gift for the Forever Dutch initiative, the largest gift in Central’s 163-year history. The donation included a lead gift from P.H. Kuyper’s daughter, M. Joan Farver, Chair Emerita of Pella Corporation and a Central College emerita trustee.
The gymnasium expansion will provide a new south entrance with a high visual impact, including an atrium, expanded lobby, Hall of Honor and All-America corridor, highlighting more than 200 of the college’s most decorated student-athletes. An expansion to the west will create space for a new varsity locker room for men’s and women’s squads, a new wrestling room and an enlarged area for a hitting cage for softball, baseball and men’s/women’s golf. Also included are major infrastructure replacements and enhancements for the 47-year-old building.
Fundraising continues for the second component of phase two, an interior renovation that will provide a new team meeting space, new offices, athletic training room improvements and recruitment space. Additional practice and competition space could follow.
Preliminary work has already begun with the removal of the pole building west of the gymnasium. The building once housed the college’s strength equipment. The walkways leading to the gymnasium’s second-floor south entrances have also been removed, along with the Tysseling Victory Bell, which will be relocated after construction is complete. The bell honors Richard “Babe” Tysseling ’32, a charter member of the college’s athletics hall of honor. Tysseling earned a school-record 16 varsity letters while starring in men’s basketball, baseball, football and track and field, and helped lead Central’s “Wonder Team,” which posted a 37-game winning streak in capturing three straight Iowa Conference men’s basketball titles. Tysseling also served as Central’s football coach from 1938-60 and as athletics director until 1964. He was Central’s admission director from 1964-76.
The initial expansion is expected to be completed in early 2017.