UTRGV Fieldhouse atrium taking shape

2 months ago 51

EDINBURG — UTRGV athletics held a topping out ceremony Thursday to celebrate the placing of the final beam in what will be the UTRGV Fieldhouse atrium, signifying the completion of the structural phase of the construction of the atrium.

“This is going to help this facility really become something that’s recognizable. When you’re driving down across campus, you’re going to be able to look over here and say that’s a sports facility and that’s something I think that we’ve been missing,” UTRGV vice president and athletic director Chasse Conque said.

The atrium, which will stand 27 feet tall, will include a new entrance for fans attending games with a new box office, team store, concession stand, Hall of Fame area and restrooms. Conque said the construction of the atrium adds a new element to the UTRGV Fieldhouse while maintaining the history of the facility, which was completed in 1969.

“We were able to hold on to the integrity of this facility. There’s a lot of institutions today that are tearing down buildings, building new ones, but there’s so much tradition in this building, there’s so many memories in this building,” Conque said. “This building was constructed in 1969, so you think about the coaches and the student-athletes that have passed through here. You think about the non-athletic events that we’ve hosted in this facility — presidential debates and primaries, concerts, university events, there’s so much history here and certainly the thousands of matches and games that we’ve played — so we’re very proud to be able to celebrate our tradition and our history and be able to bring it into a modern era.”

The atrium is part of $160 million in facilities enhancements across 13 capital projects taking place from 2022-26 touching all 18 athletic programs at UTRGV. Construction is expected to be completed in the spring and ready for UTRGV volleyball to start its 2025 season next fall.

“This is just the final topping to something that I’ve been hearing about since the inception of UTRGV. We talked about expanding athletics and creating an environment for our student-athletes to truly thrive at the Division I level and this is it,” UTRGV head volleyball coach Todd Lowery said. “Just adding the front porch to the fieldhouse is like adding the front porch to UTRGV. UTRGV athletics is just becoming the front porch of our university. The community support, the community interest that it’s generating is just phenomenal over the last 18 months.”