NELSON

Robert A.M. Stern Architects has been selected to design Brown University’s new 65,000-square-foot fitness center, which will provide state-of-the-art recreational areas as well as student-oriented community spaces. It is scheduled for completion in 2010.

Jonathan Nelson, a 1977 graduate of Brown, emeritus member of the Brown Corporation and a Brown parent, provided the lead gift for the $45-million project, which will be named the Jonathan Nelson Fitness Center. In addition to the $30-million cost of the building, the university plans to raise $15 million for an endowment to cover the center’s annual operations and maintenance costs.

Nelson is chief executive officer and a founder of Providence Equity Partners, an investment firm in Providence.

Built within the Wendell R. Erickson ’19 Athletic Complex, the Nelson Fitness Center will feature a three-court gymnasium, five fitness and dance studios, and 11,900 square feet of dedicated space for free weights and cardiovascular equipment. The project will allow Brown to offer more than 100 physical-fitness classes, as well as increase space and scheduling options for club sports, intramurals and open recreation. The design will also include a new quadrangle and a lobby atrium, which will serve as social gathering areas for students.

Originally announced in September 2004, at a more modest scale, the scope of the project was increased significantly last spring in recognition of the need on campus for an adequate amount of fitness facilities.

“The new spaces provided by the Nelson Fitness Center will transform the extracurricular experiences of Brown students by giving them increased opportunities to meet, learn from each other and build a shared sense of community,” said Russell Carey, interim vice president for campus life and student services. “Brown has an obligation to provide students with an environment that fosters a balanced and healthy lifestyle, and this new facility is essential to that purpose.”

The existing facilities within the Erickson complex currently serve the Brown varsity sports program. About 3,500 students take part in intramural programs; 2,700 students, faculty and staff register for physical education classes; and as many as 1,800 members of the Brown community seek physical recreation every day.

“In addition to enhancing the university’s fitness and recreation offerings, the Jonathan Nelson Fitness Center will have a tremendous impact on the health and well-being of our students and the greater Brown community,” said Michael Goldberger, director of athletics.

Robert A.M. Stern Architects, based in New York, is a 270-person firm of architects, landscape architects, interior designers and supporting staff that does residential, commercial, and institutional work. The firm’s previous work includes Rodgers Recreation Center at Salve Regina University, in Newport, which opened in 2000.