The new 26,000-SF Recreation and Wellness Center replaces the existing Thompson Gymnasium and will more than double the campus’s recreation space. The facility will feature a college-regulation competition court, two practice courts, a multi-purpose recreational area, two volleyball courts, 300-seat bleachers, a cutting-edge workout facility, locker rooms for both home and visiting teams, and enhanced athletic trainer space and equipment.

Integrating Fitness and Recreation with Collaboration

Bookending the west end of campus, the Recreation and Wellness Center will offer the campus community a new destination for physical and social activity. The building’s double-height entry lobby will provide a space for students to connect, socialize, and study. Large windows will illuminate the lobby, creating a relaxed space flooded with natural light and offering views into the surrounding campus landscape.

The new facility will house four additional classrooms for middle and upper school programming, providing the students, faculty, and staff with much needed flexible and functional multi-use spaces. These classrooms, combined with the new junior gymnasium, will simultaneously address the need for an early childhood movement space and a dedicated, accessible home for Brimmer and May’s extended after-school program. 

Upgraded fitness equipment will offer students a state-of-the-art recreational experience, placing the physical wellbeing of the campus community at the forefront of the institution’s vision for excellence. In addition to dedicated fitness areas, the building will offer a suite of offices for athletic trainers, mental health and wellness counselors, the athletic director, and department staff.

The building’s massing is informed by programmatic needs and a thoughtful response to the surrounding residential context. A lower roofline defines the street edge with the lobby and classrooms, while the larger volume of the gymnasium is set back toward the nearby MBTA station. A facade composed of wood and metal sunshades will create a warm, inviting presence, while complementary materials will establish a connection to the adjacent campus buildings. The building creates an addition to the walkable landscape that runs along Middlesex Avenue, with a south-facing courtyard that will provide outdoor dining and event space to complement the nearby Hastings Center academic and dining facility.

The Recreation and Wellness Center broke ground in May 2025, with construction expected to continue through August 2026.