Complete South Campus photos/videos released (Schembecler, new arena, Walk of Champions etc)
Back awhile ago, this nifty site was set up for donations to Michigan's massive facility upgrades. Before it just had a couple of crappy, low resolution photos for each project. Now there are high quality renderings and videos to go along with it.
To visit the full site and see all the videos, there is an interactive map. When you click on one of the dots, a video will pop up with the pictures next to it. Narrated by Dave Brandon: http://support.mgoblue.com/south-campus/explore/
Couple of notes-
- M/W Lacrosse will not have its own stadium apparently. They will "just" get lockerrooms and offices. They will continue to play in Michigan Stadium as their primary facility with Oosterbaan for the February games.
- The new sports arena will be home to Volleyball, Wrestling, Men's Gymnastics, Cheerleading and Dance. How many other schools have facilities for cheer and dance teams?
- Ferry Field and the U-M Indoor Track Bulding will be demolished after the 2014-15 season per the ADept budget pdf
- The sports arena will be the last thing to be built at the end of the decade. Cliff Keen will be demolished at some point then.
- Ferry & Keen being torn down gives a lot more parking options for the surrounding sports.
- There will be TWO High Performance Centers. One out by the Soccer/Track/Rowing/Lacrosse facilities and one over by the heart of South campus (I assume). These are universal Strength & Conditioning facilities for all varsity athletes.
Walk of Champions-
New M/W Soccer locker rooms, coaches offices
New M/W Soccer locker rooms, coaches offices
New M/W Soccer locker rooms, coaches offices
New M/W Soccer locker rooms, coaches offices
Schembechler Hall museum
Schembechler Hall renovations
Schembechler Hall museum
Schembechler Hall museum
Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center
Donald R. Shepherd Softball Center
Indoor Rowing Facility
Indoor Rowing facility
Indoor Rowing facility
Ross Academic Center expansion
Ross Academic Center expansion
Field Hockey facility
Field Hockey facility
Field Hockey facility
New multi-purpose arena
New multi-purpose arena
New multi-purpose arena
New multi-purpose arena
Lacrosse facilities
Lacrosse facilities
Lacrosse facilities
New Indoor Track & Field Building
New Indoor Track & Field Building
New Indoor Track & Field Building
New Indoor Track & Field Building
Weidenbach Hall expansion & renovations
Weidenbach Hall expansion & renovations
High Performance Centers
High Performance Centers
High Performance Centers
High Performance Centers
High Performance Centers
U-M Golf Course Club House renovations & expansion
U-M Golf Course Club House renovations & expansion
U-M Golf Course Club House renovations & expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
Canham Natatorium renovations and expansion
August 14th, 2013 at 5:51 PM ^
I think having that would be a big asset for the program and would be a solid show that the school takes the programs seriously.
On the plus side, I suppose that means Elbel Field will continue to exist (as I thought that was the proposed stadium location)
August 14th, 2013 at 6:06 PM ^
Elbel was debunked awhile ago. The thought was the lax stadium was gonna be out by soccer. But now that track is moving out there, that isn't happening.
At least we won't have to worry about games selling out and not being able to get a ticket to a lacrosse game now that it is staying at The Big House.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:28 PM ^
Lacrosse will get its own stadium. Probably out on South Campus, next to their new building with locker rooms and offices and such. Does not make sense to build them a building out there without a stadium and practice field. I think they don't have pictures yet because there's some approval hoops to jump through. I have been approached to donate to the cause, and it was made clear the stadium is coming and that it will be very nice.
The Elbel project was for the club team. They were going to build a lacrosse building next to Elbel and turf the fields. That project came to a halt as soon as the plans for varsity lacrosse happened.
August 14th, 2013 at 8:33 PM ^
I'd bet the stadium ends up on the Edwards Brothers Malloy property. EBM will be out of the building within a year, and they probably have a agreement in place to sell it to the university for a pretty nice price. After both parties conduct the requisite "It's-not-a-done-deal-we-swear-it" dog and pony show, of course.
There's also some talk about connecting Oakbrook to Main, which would give the university a bit more flexibility in terms of facility design and access road locations for whatever they end up building on that end of the athletic campus.
August 14th, 2013 at 8:49 PM ^
Did you mean connecting Oakbrook to State? Because Oakbrook and Main already cross.
August 14th, 2013 at 8:59 PM ^
Kind of. I meant connect the Oakbrook that exists west of Main to the one that exists east of State.
EDIT: But yes, since Oakbrook does cross Main, you are absolutely correct.
August 14th, 2013 at 8:59 PM ^
OK, thanks. I see that now looking at a map. I guess goodbye, Ward Park? (Not to mention a whole bunch of trees.)
August 14th, 2013 at 5:52 PM ^
1. This is why Akron costs $75
2. When will the CCRB and NCRB be upgraded? answer: never
August 14th, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^
Not sure how 2 relates to this thread as the athletic department is completely separate from the rest of the university.
NCRB and CCRB and IMSB are run by recsports. Recsports is given their funding from student activities I believe, which is funded by a portion of each student's tuition. I heard a rumor that part of the latest increase in prices for football tickets was going to fund recsports, which confused me as that violated the athletic dept is financially separate from the rest of the University par.
But all three of these facilties are undergoing renovations.
Link: http://recsports.umich.edu/article/regents-approve-student-fee-support-…
August 14th, 2013 at 7:40 PM ^
The seating situation at Pierpont could use some improvement. The stores need to be better clustered and there should be larger sitting areas. The ones that exist are only 10-12 tables at best (the one by Panda Express) or 5-6 tables (the one by the walkway to the Duderstadt center). The Dude is a much better place to study and even hang out because its seating plan flows with the entrances and exits to the building. Perhaps if another, larger entrance was added where Quizno's is now and that whole area was remodeled into a new seating area with marble (okay, linoleum) steps and a nice ramp on the side.....
Mitchell Fields for sure needs attention as well. It's not too bad on 85% of the surface but the field closest to the Huron River has permanent puddles in place from February - May. The elevated field nearest Huron Towers is my favorite spot to play frisbee with friends. I know it's a romantic place but could somebody - Huron Towers, the city - do something about that terrible path from HuTo to Mitchell and the Arb?!
August 15th, 2013 at 2:25 PM ^
is one-way. The AD sends a portion of its annual surplus (historically a couple million dollars per year) to the General Fund. The rule since 2000 is that no money flows the other way. So it's theoretically conceivable that a portion of the additional football ticket revenue could be sent to help pay for that.
August 14th, 2013 at 5:55 PM ^
I also like how the front desks of 5 or 6 sports are all exactly the same except for some decorations
August 14th, 2013 at 7:21 PM ^
It's so the security guards can practice the art of looking right. That did make me scroll back a few times!
August 14th, 2013 at 7:23 PM ^
-1 Redundant
August 15th, 2013 at 11:47 AM ^
The slogan "Those who stay will be champions" in connection with... soccer.
In soccer, the "staying" part might involve student visas and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and not two-a-days in August with Coach Schembechler.
August 15th, 2013 at 11:58 AM ^
any are doing two-a-days with Bo, but they're not doing much with ICE either. Only 4/54 of the combined soccer rosters are foreign. One English, one Brazilian, one from Ontario and one from Nova Scotia.
Beilein's team is more foreign than either soccer team, if that matters for whatever reason.
August 14th, 2013 at 5:57 PM ^
but as far as softball goes I think it's safe to say that M just joined a small top tier as far as facilities at actual contenders go. They'll need every bit of it when Hutch leaves.
Also food for thought, if they're fundraising 7+ years out, how many years until we hear anything about a Yost replacement? Can it last forever with a bunch of renovations or do we start hearing whispers about a new stadium at the end of this decade, or the next, or what?
August 14th, 2013 at 6:02 PM ^
Yost is gonna be around for at least 15 more years. Just my opinion. Can't see them replacing a place they just dumped million of dollars into.
The only thing close to a Yost replacement on the schedule is an ice plant replacement.
August 14th, 2013 at 6:04 PM ^
I'd bet it'll be the next major project after all this stuff finishes. I'd hate to see it go, but seems like the building can only stay standing for so long
August 14th, 2013 at 6:20 PM ^
that make Yost great for watching games the replacement could be positive all around. Building an ECHL arena should be regarded as light treason, but an intimate arena with all the technology that 2030 can provide would be an all-around win, IMO.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:01 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 7:02 PM ^
If you put your ear to the ground at the right times over the last 15 years, it seems just before every renovation plan was announced, there was more talk that this was it for Yost. It's been on the table for a long, long, long time, and those in-the-know seem to always be ready to expect it.
Yet with all these renovations, there really isn't much more you need out of a hockey arena than what Yost provides. There are enough locker rooms to host NCAA events (ahem), improved seating, better concessions, the place looks better than it ever has (though I think some of the stylistic choices in this latest renovation are going to look very, very dated very, very quickly)... There's no need to even think about giving up Yost. The bones are good, and the money has been put into it enough times to make replacement a non-starter at this point.
August 14th, 2013 at 6:18 PM ^
This is all definitely happening. I deal with the University some in my own work, and we have many of the plans so we can do relocations and modifications to our own distribution system.
Watching some of the interactive items, I really liked the proposed look for Schembechler Hall and the vision for Ross Academic Center was very impressive as well.
August 15th, 2013 at 11:52 AM ^
Are there any exterior images for the Schembechler Hall and Golf Course clubhouse renovations?
The golf course clubhouse is remarkably good architecture, which should not be tampered with.
Schembechler Hall might be the ugliest/worst architecture on the entire campus, although there are a large number of competitors in that category. I don't know why they'd preserve anything of Schembechler Hall.
August 15th, 2013 at 12:05 PM ^
Schembechler
No exterior pics but here is the quick video. They also are going to restore the golf course.
August 14th, 2013 at 6:34 PM ^
Still no water fountains in the locker rooms... I'm disappointed... In all seriousness, this is pretty awesome.
August 14th, 2013 at 6:43 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 6:50 PM ^
I can't believe they have this much money to spend
August 14th, 2013 at 6:59 PM ^
A lot of it is donations.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:12 PM ^
the shear # of facilities here makes me think it's a 150MM + series of projects. that's somewhere b/t the Crisler and M Stadium projects. IIRC, the revanue surplus is less than 10MM/yr, so I guess they did receive a crap-ton of donations- more than 20-30MM I assume?
August 14th, 2013 at 7:05 PM ^
$75 to watch Akron. If I ever have a kid, I couldn't afford to take them to a decent football game at the Big House. Those buildings sure are pretty, but it looks like UMich is turning into a professional sports center. It's like the Russians in Rocky IV.
August 14th, 2013 at 6:58 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 7:46 PM ^
August 14th, 2013 at 7:05 PM ^
Is just what happens to the names. Ferry Field and Cliff Keen-nice places, with history, for sure, but they're only places, they can be reincarnated in other locations. I'm wondering if the new multi-purpose area is going to be re-named after Keen, or if it's going to be Allstate Arena and Cliff Keen gets lost to history? Same for Ferry. Is the new track building going to be named the Ferry building, or is Ferry only going to exist in old record books?
August 15th, 2013 at 2:34 PM ^
My assumption is they'll most likely do what they have domne with all the recent renovations and name them for the highest donors, a la Wilpon, Glick, Ross, etc (unless Glick is being honored for a very impressive football career that didn't make the record books).
August 14th, 2013 at 7:07 PM ^
The other sports need to thank football for bankrolling them!
August 14th, 2013 at 7:11 PM ^
I guess I don't get the point of the Walk of Champions. Fancy paving and a nice brick archway?
August 14th, 2013 at 8:01 PM ^
It extends down to form an overpass over the railroad.
August 15th, 2013 at 2:34 AM ^
August 15th, 2013 at 7:27 AM ^
former coach who is rumored to have not been a Michigan Man, started the walk thing. What a horrible non-Michigan idea ....
/s
August 15th, 2013 at 11:57 AM ^
Bando, I think it may be to move people who are parked down by State Street up to the football Stadium.
I am not at all bothered by the Champions Walk. I see a lot of utility with it. Moving people in the opposite direction as well; from the Blue Lot down to Wilpon, Yost, etc.
Just make it look good and not like a shopping mall. See, e.g., Comerica Park.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:31 PM ^
We need to step it up. This is good, but it's not great.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:38 PM ^
What would be better? Looks pretty good to me.
August 14th, 2013 at 7:39 PM ^
Your wife.
August 14th, 2013 at 10:53 PM ^
When you look really closely at the proposed facility for Track, what is the difference from the current facility besides a new location and a big bank of windows on one end? Architecturally, it's almost identical, eerily so, even. New Cliff Keen looks to be a marginal, if negligible update from the current facility.
I see this as emblematic of the arms race in college athletics today. There is nothing functionally wrong with Cliff Keen. In fact, its unique architecture makes for arguably the most intimidating atmosphere on campus on a good night. There isn't anything functionally wrong with Ferry Field or the Track and Tennis Building, either, especially since the proposal looks like a carbon-copy structure with a better locker room. The problem with both is that they're not flashy enough. Renovating either one isn't a feather in the AD's cap as much as a new facility.
It's a disposable society. Out with the old, in with the new. With flatscreen TVs and fancy office chairs at every locker.
August 15th, 2013 at 9:56 AM ^
It was built in 1997 and court webcams were added in I believe 2005-2006. Berque had a hand in the webcams and getting block Ms put in between the courts and Michigan banners on the walls, etc.
"Completed in 1997, the $6 million indoor and outdoor complex provides the Wolverine tennis programs with a state-of-the-art on-campus training and competition site that is an excellent recruiting tool, and a premier and nationally competitive facility to nurture Michigan tennis players for many more decades to come."
It's cool that one of those new "High Performance Centers" will be on the south end of athletic campus close to the VTC so the tennis players and the swimmers are less isolated out there!
August 15th, 2013 at 10:24 AM ^
I wasn't talking about the Varsity Tennis Center, but the Track and Tennis Building, which I forgot was the old name for what is now just the Indoor Track Building.
August 15th, 2013 at 10:35 AM ^
Sorry about that.
August 15th, 2013 at 12:03 PM ^
New buildings = new naming-rights possibilities. Right?
I am very torn up about Ferry Field. It is sacred ground. But we need that parking. Victors Club parking -- somewhere, anywhere -- has to be one of the Athletic Department's highest priorites. I truly hate to see Ferry Field torn up. But it might be our best use.
I am totally unthrilled about the athletic-industrial complex being built way down south State Street. Someday, maybe it will feel right if and when we make some history there, and the critical mass of athletic facilities creates its own stmosphere. Right now, it is just cold. The Athletic Department's $100 million bus stop.
August 15th, 2013 at 12:12 PM ^
Ferry Field was where Yost's best team played. The 1925 team. He said it was his best ever. Led by the lethal Benny to Bennie combination.
Hopefully the gate stays up at the very least.