bring the dream home

After an 18-month study, the university determined that the overall financial investment in DePaul Athletics has historically been materially lacking and has proven to be an impediment to program success.

Among the findings, DePaul currently stands as one of only two BIG EAST Conference programs without a dedicated basketball practice facility constructed or currently in the design phase for impending construction. Further, DePaul is among a small minority of Division I institutions that still do not offer locker rooms for each team, severely affecting the student-athlete experience and recruitment of potential students across all 15 sports. Each of the two proposed projects are slated to fix DePaul Athletics’ most pressing needs and provide space for future growth.

These investments are being strategically prioritized now to foster long-term financial health for the entire university. Athletics success on a national scale will elevate the university’s brand, reputation, and self-generated revenues. Attributable revenue growth from admissions, philanthropy, and auxiliary revenues will allow DePaul to make future investments in academic and institution-based initiatives.

Yes, all 219 student-athletes and all 15 sports programs will benefit from these projects through the creation of dedicated locker rooms for all varsity sports—for the first time in school history—in addition to modernized sports performance, sports medicine, team meeting room, and nutritional spaces for all student-athletes. These investments will provide our student-athletes and coaches the resources to train, recruit, and compete at the highest levels of collegiate athletics.

Wintrust Arena serves as a state-of-the-art facility for game day and pre-game practices; however, its non-DePaul event calendar, and the logistics of daily transportation to Wintrust Arena are not feasible for regular practice when considering academic commitments on the Lincoln Park Campus. Additionally, all student-athlete support services are located on the Lincoln Park Campus.

Currently, DePaul is the only BIG EAST Conference institution that does not have a dedicated basketball practice facility constructed or currently approved for construction. A basketball practice facility, separate from the team’s home arena, is not uncommon in the BIG EAST Conference or within Power 5 schools—in fact, it is considered the current industry standard.

The estimated total of approximately $60 million for both capital projects will be funded primarily through donor gifts. The projects have dependencies between them, so one cannot be accomplished fully without the other; however, the projects can run concurrently once said dependencies are met.
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As part of a larger university philanthropic expansion, the Philanthropy Committee of DePaul’s Board of Trustees has approved two focused fundraising campaigns—the first to support academic initiatives focused on interdisciplinary research and learning, and the second to assist in the funding of these capital projects for DePaul Athletics.

Philanthropic support and corporate naming opportunities will be key to the advancement of these projects and fundraising will begin immediately.

The feasibility study was key in determining the most cost-effective option that accomplished the goals set forth in the needs assessment and affected the most student-athletes possible, while also leaving flexible spaces to adapt to evolving needs and future growth. 

The basketball practice facility will be constructed at the corner of Belden Avenue and Sheffield Avenue on DePaul’s Lincoln Park Campus, across the street from the current Sullivan Athletics Center. The facility will replace a few currently constructed, DePaul-owned and privately managed housing properties. DePaul’s Sheffield Square student apartment complex will not be affected, nor any other academic spaces.

The university considered a variety of concepts as part of a robust feasibility study. After conducting a needs assessment with student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff, reviewing benchmarking data from peer BIG EAST institutions, and discussing with campus partners, DePaul adopted the proposed model.

Key factors in the selection of the proposed location were property costs, student-athlete and staff access, proximity to student-athlete housing and other support services, and other ancillary costs that would be incurred with off-campus locations.

The renovation of the Sullivan Athletics Center will not affect any other buildings or spaces. The new basketball practice facility is currently planned for the northwest corner of Sheffield and Belden, across from the Sullivan Athletic Center, where a recently acquired, university-owned apartment complex currently is constructed. There are four other smaller buildings in this area, including the current Athletics Annex and other housing-managed properties. The demolition of these buildings would not begin until summer 2025 at the earliest. No academic spaces will be affected by either project.

DePaul’s consulting team has performed due diligence research and has not identified any known architects or uncovered historically significant occupants or events at the proposed construction site.

The university considered a variety of concepts as part of a robust feasibility study. After conducting a needs assessment with student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff, reviewing benchmarking data from peer BIG EAST institutions, and discussing with campus partners, DePaul adopted the proposed model.

Key factors in the selection of the proposed location were property costs, student-athlete and staff access, proximity to student-athlete housing and other support services, and other ancillary costs that would be incurred with off-campus locations.

This question is commonly referenced regarding the parcel on the northwest corner of Fullerton and Sheffield. The parcel is reserved for academic and student services. DePaul has approved zoning to develop a future mixed-use housing and academic facility on that site. In the meantime, this site has current contractual obligations in place for tenants who serve our community, including RUSH Physical Therapy and the United States Postal Service (USPS).

The other often proposed location, the Sheffield Parking Garage, is not suitable for different factors, including:‍

Finally, a third location often referenced is Lot E, located at Belden and Seminary. This space is not a large enough site to accommodate the proposed new basketball practice facility. The urban garden site at Belden and Bissell is also not large enough. There are no other available sites on campus with an adequate footprint to accommodate the proposed Practice Facility.

The university conducted a needs assessment with student-athletes, coaches, and athletics staff. We also reviewed further benchmarking data from peer BIG EAST Conference institutions. Upon completion of the feasibility study, Athletics shared the results with various committees of the Board of Trustees, university senior leadership, deans, the University Athletics Board, the Student Government Association, Faculty Council, Staff Council, the Strategic Resource Allocation Committee, and other key campus stakeholders, including Housing, Dining & Student Centers, in order to garner feedback and refine the proposal. This process took place over a period of 18 months.

Now is an acceptable period in DePaul’s history to remove low-density student housing for two reasons. First, like most universities across the country, we’ve had a period of enrollment decline in recent years. While enrollment is beginning to increase, we currently have approximately 2,100 fewer undergraduate students than our peak in the 2013-14 academic year.

Second, the capacity for DePaul Housing is currently outpacing demand, and as of November 2023, we currently have 75+ unoccupied beds available in our inventory. As enrollments continue to improve, the longer-term intention is to construct larger housing facilities with modern amenities that students have come to expect. As such, there are three sites approved for possible new student housing in the existing master plan.

DePaul engaged with and solicited feedback from former 43rd Ward Alderman Michele Smith, current 43rd Ward Alderman Timmy Knudsen, and the city’s Department of Planning and Development. In addition, DePaul’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC), comprised of leaders of the surrounding neighborhood groups including the Sheffield Neighborhood Association, the Wrightwood Neighbors, the Seminary Townhome Association, the Lincoln Central Association, and the Lincoln Park Chamber of Commerce, were initially given a high-level conceptual description of the project for feedback. From that feedback, the proposal was further revised, and the NAC was given an in-depth review of the need for the facility, the rationale for development and proposed amendment of the Planned Development (PD) ordinance, and a review of the design by the lead architect. The university received positive initial feedback from these groups after these meetings.

The university then hosted a formal community meeting on Nov. 9, 2023, to outline the projects and garner further feedback from the larger community. The meeting was co-hosted by the Sheffield Neighborhood Association and moderated by Alderman Knudsen. Feedback from this meeting, as well as additional feedback from surrounding neighborhood groups, were reviewed and further revisions to the plan were made. The university plans to hold another formal community meeting this spring (date/time TBD) to detail these revisions and garner further feedback.

DePaul is committed to community feedback and engagement on these projects and will continue to work closely to ensure that concerns are heard, taken into consideration, and addressed when possible.

Resulting from community feedback and ongoing discussions, the following additions and revisions were made to the proposal and formally presented to DePaul’s Neighborhood Advisory Committee (NAC) for review on Wednesday, April 10. The university will also present these revisions to the Lincoln Park community at large, and continue to garner feedback, at a second public meeting.

• Square footage within the facility was reduced to add setbacks from the property line, and brick paving on the sidewalks, mirroring the intersection, and creating a more pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.
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• Curved benches, surrounded by lush landscaping, were added to the sidewalks on both Sheffield and Belden avenues.
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• The architectural details of the façade of the two lower levels were improved both in scale and articulation to emulate other DePaul buildings and better match the aesthetic vernacular of the Lincoln Park neighborhood. The angled roof was slightly adjusted but remained included to pay homage to Alumni Hall.
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• Solar panels were added to the roof of the facility for onsite renewable energy, which will offset 10% of energy consumption.
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• Additional sustainability initiatives were added, including the addition of water use reduction fixtures, bird-friendly glass, and the addition of recycling of demolition and construction waste. With these, the project will be fully compliant with the City of Chicago’s Sustainable Development Policy. Further, the project will meet, or exceed, the City of Chicago’s energy code and stormwater ordinances.
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• A commitment from DePaul to host a pre-construction meeting with neighbors.
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• A commitment from DePaul to work with the Alderman’s Office and community organizations to activate the surface lot at Sheffield/Fullerton for community activities and explore the addition of electric vehicle charging stations for community use.
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• A commitment from DePaul to continue existing community programs, including discounted parking, discounted gym memberships, meeting space rentals, hosting a polling place, library access, and discounted tickets to Lincoln Park athletic events.
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• A commitment from DePaul Athletics to enhance access to community rentals within McGrath-Phillips Arena, as permissible by NCAA guidelines.

Design changes can be seen here.
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Historic preservation has been a common theme in the feedback, and it’s a very important topic. While we agree that these buildings add to the character of the neighborhood, DePaul University’s consultants did not find any evidence of landmark potential. After several months of additional research, it’s clear the proposed site offers the most suitable location for this project’s needs while reserving other parcels on DePaul’s very limited campus footprint for future academic and student service projects already approved in the university’s master plan. Each of the properties are owned by DePaul and are not practicable for continued use in their current state. This location was also chosen due to its proximity to the existing athletics facilities at Sullivan Athletic Center, Wish Field, and Cacciatore Stadium.

DePaul is committed to historic preservation and will move forward with the historical landmarking of the exterior of Cortelyou Commons. In addition, DePaul will work with the Vincentian Order to preserve Byrne Hall and engage in an investment in the façade of O’Connell Hall so it can continue to serve as a staple on DePaul’s campus and the surrounding neighborhood. More information about the history of these iconic campus buildings, and the university’s commitment to preservation will be shared here soon.

The project will be fully compliant with the City of Chicago’s Sustainable Development Policy by achieving 100 points for the construction of the new training facility from the DPD Sustainable Strategies Menu. Further, the project will meet, or exceed, the City of Chicago’s energy code and stormwater ordinances and will focus on several sustainable initiatives, including: indoor water use reduction, waste diversion, installation of rooftop solar panels, and bird protection.

The construction of the new basketball practice facility will not bring new populations to campus. This project will be accessible to the same population we currently service, now spread out between two buildings.
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The university will work carefully to ensure traffic impacts on Sheffield and Belden Avenue are minimized during the construction of the project. A pre-construction community meeting will be held once a construction vendor is selected to further discuss this impact.

Yes, there will be numerous opportunities to get involved and have your gift be recognized within either facility.  For more information, please contact Patrick Gray at patrick.gray@depaul.edu