By Chile Hidalgo '99

Special to the Gazette

A project that the Harvard Athletic Department has been contemplating for the past 25 years is finally nearing completion as work continues on the new tennis and squash facility next to Harvard Stadium.

The center, scheduled to open late next spring, will improve the playing conditions for Harvard students, faculty, and staff, and the working environment for Harvard Athletics.

"We're very excited because we'll now have centralized athletic and administrative facilities," said Senior Associate Athletic Director Patricia Henry. "We hope the new center will become the hub of athletic activity on campus."

The building will include 6 doubles tennis courts, 16 international squash courts, and a state-of-the-art weight training area. It will also feature a "hall of fame" for Harvard athletics and a spectacular lounge and conference rooms overlooking the stadium.

The racquet facility will replace the Palmer-Dixon tennis courts, located in the Soldiers Field athletic area, and the Hemenway squash courts, behind the Littauer building, as the site for varsity matches in both sports. At this time, the future of the existing buildings remains unclear.

Another renovation currently under way at Harvard's main sports complex is the creation of a new, more welcoming entrance at the north end of the football stadium.

Administrators hope the grassy quadrangle and the new pedestrian walkway will make the area bordered by the new center, Briggs Cage, Dillon Field House, and Bright Hockey Center, an attractive site for relaxation and informal gatherings.

Parking will be moved to the south side of the football stadium, near the baseball diamond, and vehicles will enter through the south gate.

Although the $15 million construction project was on the University's books for more than two decades, it could not begin until the money had been raised, according to David Zewinski, associate dean for physical resources and planning in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

Ground was finally broken this summer, thanks to successful fundraising efforts of the Athletic Department. The project is part of the University's $2.1 billion Campaign.

When finished, the three-story building will feature tennis and squash courts on the lower level, with offices lining the top floor. The football scoreboard will sit on its roof.

The center, which is located at the site of the former Carey Cage, will connect to Blodgett Pool and share its showers, lockers, and reception desk. The Lee Kennedy Co. of Boston is the general contractor, and D'Agostino Izzo Quirk of Somerville are the architects.

Besides providing a new site for varsity sports, the racquet center will help ease the strain on Harvard's current facilities, Henry noted. Requested contract time on the existing tennis and squash courts far exceeds the University's ability to meet the demand from members of the Harvard community who wish to play on weekends and afternoons.

For varsity athletes, the courts will provide a welcome upgrade from the current outdated facilities. For example, all squash matches now must be played away because there are no international-sized squash courts on campus.

Ivy Wang '99, a three-year member of the women's varsity tennis team, noted that the Palmer-Dixon complex contains only three indoor tennis courts, and when bad weather prevents outside play, matches can last upwards of six hours. "When you're playing six singles and three doubles matches, those games can go on for a while," she said.

Wang sees the new center as essential to building a top-caliber team.

"To be the top 15 team we want to be, I think facility and equipment are very important," she said. "Stanford has a fantastic facility, and they were the number one team last season. Both things go hand-in-hand."

Although no varsity events are planned on the new courts for the '97-98 school year, coaches and players alike can rest assured that after a quarter of a century, Harvard will have top-of-the-line facilities.