2008 Woodie Awards
Saint Joseph's to make Maguire Campus active next fall
Kate Ledford, '08
Issue date: 5/10/08 Section: Features
|
Aug. 15 is settlement day for Saint Joseph's University, the day the university officially closes on The Episcopal Academy's Merion campus and begins renovations to transform the property into Saint Joseph's Maguire Campus.
The Maguire Campus was named for James J. Maguire '58 after he donated $10 million towards the purchase of the property. Saint Joseph's entered into an agreement with Episcopal to purchase the property in August 2005.
The university plans to transition to the Maguire Campus in a series of phases that would allow student access to limited buildings as early as next fall, said Kevin Robinson, vice president of administrative services
Phase one will begin with a primary focus on getting Episcopal's athletic facilities up to college standards. Episcopal has two gymnasiums, an aquatic center, locker rooms and field space that will make room for varsity as well as intramural and recreational sports, Robinson said.
Varsity baseball, softball, women's field hockey, and tennis are slated to be integrated into the Maguire Campus, Robinson said, along with athletic offices and a state-of-the-art fitness center.
Robinson said university officials are considering safety concerns resulting from students crossing busy City Avenue to get to Maguire and dodging construction once they are there.
"We'll have to be careful logistically about how we get students to the gym in a safe way," said Robinson.
The new main entrance to Saint Joseph's will be where City Avenue and Cardinal Avenue converge at the Maguire campus, Robinson said. Multiple concepts have been drawn up for the entrance and, according to Robinson, there would be some combination of stone and wrought iron to visually tie the two sides of campus together.
The first phase of the move will also involve updating the largest academic building on the Maguire Campus, currently known as "Main Building" on the Episcopal campus. Saint Joseph's English, education, and sociology departments will all move into the building, which will house 35 classrooms as well as computer labs.
The university will also dedicate three buildings on the Maguire Campus to the St. Joseph's department of fine arts, extending the program beyond Boland Hall. One of the newly acquired buildings will be used exclusively for the development of a music program, Robinson said.
Be the first to comment on this story