Beloit College Powerhouse on course for a 2020 opening
January opening expected for Powerhouse
September 26, 2019 | By Hillary Gavan | Beloit Daily News
Hillary Gavan/Beloit Daily News
Construction work is approximately 80% complete on the Beloit College Powerhouse. It is scheduled to open Jan. 19.
BELOIT – The Beloit College Powerhouse is about 80% complete with plans to open the majority of the building on Sunday, Jan. 19 followed by the opening of the astroturf fieldhouse in late March, according to Powerhouse Project Manager Dan Schooff.
Corporate Contractors Inc. (CCI) will finish the 105,000-square-foot historic portion of the Powerhouse by December to be open by the first day of classes in January. Crews are working on finishing the pool, locker rooms, auditorium, arcade, batting cages, study and multipurpose rooms, cafe, turbine gallery, fitness and workout area, level 4 event space and the bridge connection to campus.
Furniture will come in during November and December as construction is completed to be placed in time for the January opening. Signage, which is expected to be understated yet stylish, will be finished up as well.
The facility will incorporate features from the Powerhouse’s history such as coal hoppers and funnels, a 100-foot tall smokestack to peer into, old intake pipes and retro gauges. Although its features will give a nod to the past, it will have the latest technology with geothermal energy powering its heating and cooling system by use of river water.
“The college is excited for the students and the Beloit community to begin utilizing this building when second semester begins. The building is shaping up to be a special place that we are proud of and we hope the community is proud of as well,” Schooff said.
The 17,000 square feet of new construction on the north side is scheduled to be completed at the end of March, with the possibility of it being finished a few weeks earlier. The new construction consists of an astroturf gymnasium. In the summer the community will be able to use it as a pavilion space as well.
This is a pretty special space in that not many division 3 schools have a practice facility of this quality. We also like that it will be able to be utilized by the community, especially in the summer,” Schooff said.
Schooff said Beloit College has been pleased with CCI’s construction team.
“The workers on site have been a joy to work with and are taking great pride in this building which takes the best of the old and creates a world class space for the college and community,” Schooff said.
