Article in wahington business journal today about filings for this new facility. Construction begins in October 2024 and ends in August 2025. https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2023/12/29/gwu-smith-center-basketball-practice-court.html?csrc=6398&taid=659149bd499051000173b713&utm_campaign=trueAnthemTrendingContent&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter
Got around the paywall here is the content of the article:George Washington University has filed plans to decommission the Charles E. Smith Center pool and replace it with a new double-height practice facility for its men’s and women’s basketball teams.
The project, designed by DLR Group, is expected to increase the Smith Center’s gross floor area by 1,485 net square feet, per the application. It will appear from G Street NW as a nine-foot-deep bumpout that generally resembles the existing facade, but with improvements inside and out including insulated glazing, a new high-efficiency HVAC system and LED lighting.
More importantly, GWU writes in its application, the practice facility will “allow the University to remain competitive with its peers” — Georgetown University was approved for similar facilities some 16 years ago — while bringing an end to the existing game of musical chairs across the Foggy Bottom campus that takes place during conflicting events.
“When there are conflicts, practice for the basketball programs is displaced to the Lerner Health and Wellness Center’s courts, which in turns displaces use of those facilities by other members of the University population,” per the application.The bumpout for the new Smith Center practice court will appear like the rest of the facade.The Lerner Health and Wellness Center at 2301 G St. NW serves the general university population but also as a backup for intercollegiate athletics when the Smith Center is unavailable.
The 5,000-seat Smith Center, 600 22nd St. NW, was constructed in the mid-1970s and renovated in 2011. It is the primary athletic facility for the majority of GWU’s intercollegiate athletic programs — so the court is shared between basketball, gymnastics, volleyball and other school events such as concerts and career fairs. As part of the project, which is expected to begin in October 2024 and end by August 2025, the Smith Center’s aging natatorium will be filled in. Aquatic athletic programs will be moved to off-campus facilities, according to the application.
The George Washington Revolutionaries men's basketball team is 10-2 and in first place in the Atlantic 10 conference. The women's team is in eighth place with a 7-5 overall record. Neither team has started conference play. The Atlantic 10 is in the process of moving its headquarters to D.C.
A hearing before the D.C. Zoning Commission on the practice court project has not yet been scheduled.
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