Princeton University Athletics
Shea Rowing Center Honored By Athletic Business
January 17, 2002 | Heavyweight Rowing
Jan. 17, 2002
The C. Bernard Shea Rowing Center, a mixture of tradition blended with a modern functional elegance, has been awarded a 2001 Facility of Merit Award by Athletic Business Magazine
It is the second time in three years that a Princeton facility has won the prestigious award, following the Princeton Stadium in 1999.
"We're extraordinarily proud once again to be honored," says Princeton director of athletics Gary Walters. "The award is a tremendous compliment to those of us at the University who worked in concert with the Princeton University Rowing Association and with Architectural Resources of Cambridge. Our boathouse is recognized as being perhaps the finest rowing center in the world, and it was honored for its overall design and function."
The magazine annually recognizes 10 new athletic facilities for its merit awards. In addition to the rowing center at Princeton, the 2001 winners included four other new collegiate structures: the tennis center at Florida, the football facility at Penn State, the aquatic center at Loyola (Md.) and the student recreation center at Washington State. The Shea Rowing Center was formally dedicated on Oct. 7, 2000, at a ceremony that included approximately 500 current and former Princeton rowers, as well as family and friends. The audience included Irene Shea, whose $4 million gift in the name of her husband led to the center's renovation.
The architects added a 13,500-square-foot addition while renovation the existing 20,000-square-foot Class of 1887 Boathouse, which sits adjacent to the 2,000-meter course on Lake Carnegie. The resulting structure features a 16-person rowing tank, a repair bay, seven boat bays, four large workout spaces, locker rooms, coaches' offices and a two-bedroom apartment. There is also a large club room on the second floor at the end of a hallway lined by old rowing photographs.
In addition to Princeton's crews, the boathouse has also served as a training area for the United States national team. The facility is also used for many receptions and events, including the annual Princeton Varsity Club senior awards banquet and the Princeton athletic department holiday party.