New Balance Field House and Memorial Gym Project Update

New Balance Field House will be closed May 12 for approximately 16 weeks to complete the exterior improvements as part of the $15 million renovation project that includes Memorial Gym.

The facility’s exterior renovations include replacing approximately 22,000 square feet of insulated wall system and installing 5,200 square feet of windows. The 8-foot windows at the top of the facility’s high walls are key to filling the interior with ambient light, comparable to the original design of the field house when it was constructed in 1924. The windows were replaced by insulation in the late 1970s.

The exterior renovations were deferred until summer to accommodate the indoor track season, and will not deter the annual Special Olympics on campus or UMaine’s many youth sports camps.

The Pit in Memorial Gym closed for five weeks beginning April 7 for the installation of a sprinkler system. During that time, work will also begin for new and renovated men’s and women’s sports locker rooms.

All renovations and construction are scheduled be completed as early as September. The project is one of UMaine’s major initiatives under Pathway 5, Stewardship of Place: Restoring the Dream, of the Blue Sky Plan.