MSOE to dedicate Kern Center with the snip of a ribbon, open house
| Published: 10/20/2004 |
|
It took only a year-and-a-half to build, but Milwaukee School of Engineering has waited 101 years for the first new athletic center of its very own. The doors to MSOE's 210,000 square-foot Kern Center officially open Friday, Oct. 29 with a 5:30 p.m. ribbon-cutting dedication, followed by lots of tours, demonstrations, open ice skating and even a home hockey game. The Grand Opening continues Saturday, Oct. 30, with an all-day Open House for the entire community. Activities will include tours, varsity team demos, a wellness clinic and open skating.
Designed by Milwaukee's Uihlein-Wilson Architects, the contemporary brick and glass building is highlighted by a glass ellipse at the corner of Broadway and Knapp Street as well as a running track that is cantilevered 10 feet over Knapp. It sets a high standard for the developing Lake Park freeway neighborhood.
But more important than its good-looks, are the many functions that will be brought together under one roof for the first time. The center's five levels contain an Ice Arena, an Arena for basketball and volleyball, a Field House for all kinds of sports, a running track, a two-story fitness center with weights and cardio machines, a wrestling room, classrooms and offices. There is even parking for 50 vehicles.
Kern Center will be a place for everyone - not just athletes. It will be used for NCAA Division III athletics, intramural and club sports (floor hockey, Tae Kwon Do) and individual workouts. It also will be home to MSOE counselors, wellness workshops (study skills, career and time management), Health Center (inoculations), Campus Ministry programs, student activities, programs (Tai Chi, yoga, dance, self-defense) and the Servant-Leadership office. The center exemplifies MSOE's philosophy of a well-rounded university experience and will be an important asset in attracting prospective students and providing current students with ample access to fitness.
Besides MSOE students, faculty and staff, memberships will be offered to alumni and even the larger community.
The Kern Center is a privately funded $31 million project named after its major contributor, the Waukesha-based Robert & Patricia Kern Family Foundation. Robert Kern is a university Regent. Other major donors include Milwaukee businessman and Regent Eckhart Grohmann and his wife, Ischi, who donated funds to buy the land from the city, which was a parking lot, and previous to that, a Blatz Brewery building.