Johnson Fieldhouse, located on UW-Stout’s Campus, is more than just the host for many of the university’s athletic endeavors; it is a hotspot for community and campus involvement. From the time it was built in 1964, the building has undergone numerous renovations.
However, Recreation and Athletics Complex Facilities Manager Erik Johnson thinks some of the largest renovations will be happening soon. The Rec Complex Renovation Project includes adding a new fitness center near the west entrance, renovations to locker rooms, the conversion of the old athletic weight room to multi-use studios that can host yoga, relaxation classes, labs, and meetings, and updates to the building’s mechanics, according to Johnson.
These renovations have been years in the making. The school has been talking about this project since the early 2000s, even when he was a student himself, says Johnson. With the contribution of a five-million-dollar donation, given from an alumnus to the renovation and building along the west entrance, Johnson has told that it is said to be the biggest gift in Stout history. This allowed plans to be made to create a community space, where the public, students, and athletes will have the ability to hang out and form a better entrance to the fieldhouse.
Not only is the fieldhouse getting a facelift, but many interior and safety updates are being made to the building as well. “Since our building is 60-plus years old for this original part, a lot of our major mechanicals are in desperate need to be replaced, things like fire, electrical, HVAC; a lot of those type(s) of things are all getting renovated and replaced. “We don’t have cooling, air conditioning in a lot of areas, which is kind of unheard of,” Johnson said. These needs will be addressed in the new renovations, he says.
The old pool area, located on the first and second levels of the fieldhouse within Johnson, will also be getting renovations. This includes additional locker rooms being added on the lower level, as well as an additional multipurpose gym that will host more pickleball courts on an added pool deck connected to the second floor. “Pickleball for us has been increasing in popularity in the community. They are playing 6 days a week in the Johnson Fieldhouse, and they will take more courts if we can provide them,” Johnson says. “It’s a good relationship for us to have those folks in the building and get a chance to see some of our students and meet some of our staff,” he says.
UW Stout student Peyton Zipperer plays pickleball in her free time and is excited about the new renovations. “It’s a great way to relax and destress after a long day of classes. I like hanging out with friends while being active,” she says. Students and the public will get to enjoy these updates and extra space somewhere within the next few years, according to Johnson.
