Student Recreation & Well Being Center

The Student Recreation and Well-Being Center (SRWC), previously known as the Student Recreation Center (SRC), is a state-of-the-art, 121,000 square foot recreation center located on the Roseann Runte Quad on the campus of Old Dominion University (ODU). The building features an elevated running track, fitness center, climbing wall, juice bar, and several exercise studios. The Office of Counseling Services, Student Health Services and the Health Promotion Office are also located in the SRWC.

History

From 1930 to the late 1960s, most of the student recreational activities took place either at Foreman Field, the Administration Building (now Alfred B. Rollins, Jr. Hall) or at several local parks around Norfolk. With more students living on campus with the creation of the Rogers Hall and Gresham Hall dormitories in the 1960s, there was a need for a dedicated gymnasium and fitness center for the university. In 1969, construction began on the Health and Physical Education Building between 46th Street and 48th Street along Powhatan Ave. Opened in 1970, the building’s most prominent feature was the gymnasium, called the Fieldhouse, where many of ODU’s athletic events and concerts took place. The building also housed the intercollegiate athletics offices and contained classroom space for physical education classes. Basketball games were played at the Field house and at Norfolk Scope before moving to the Ted Constant Convocation Center in 2002. By 2006, the Health and Physical Education Building, with the exception of the pool and locker rooms, was demolished to make room for the SRC, which opened in 2008.

In 2022, construction began on a Student Health and Wellness addition to the SRC, which included new office space for the Office of Counseling Services, Student Health Services, and the Health Promotion Office. In Fall 2023, the building was renamed the Student Recreation & Well-Being Center.

1. Old Dominion University Photographic and Multimedia Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Perry Library, Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia, 23529.
2. ODU Photographic Collection, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Collections, Old Dominion University Libraries.
3. Building the University, Old Dominion University Libraries Digital Exhibit, 2005.

References

1. Bookman, Steven and Jessica Ritchie. Old Dominion University: A Campus History Series.  Arcadia Publishing. Charleston, South Carolina, 2017.