NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt today marked a major milestone in the Vandy United campaign with a groundbreaking ceremony. As construction begins on the basketball operations center, Chancellor Daniel Diermeier, Vice Chancellor for Athletics and University Affairs and Athletic Director Candice Lee and leadership-level donors gathered to celebrate and reflect on Vandy United’s progress toward transforming the athletics footprint on campus and redefining what is possible for Vanderbilt.
“Today, by the very act of turning the earth, we turn a page in the Vandy United story,” Lee said during the event. “Today isn’t the final chapter. Not by a long shot. But it is a new chapter, as the first of Vandy United’s cornerstone projects moves from draft board to building site.”
The chancellor and vice chancellor were joined in breaking ground by John Ingram, Billy and Jennifer Frist, George and Cathy Huber and FirstBank President and CEO Chris Holmes. They mentioned the generosity of several donors who were unable to attend the ceremony, including Fred and Claudia Lummis, Fred and Karen Hall. They also credited multiple anonymous donors, as well as all donors of record who have joined the unprecedented $300 million campaign since it was publicly launched nearly two years ago.
“Today is a celebration of—and the product of—the teamwork that is in Vanderbilt’s DNA,” Chancellor Diermeier said during the event. “Our university was founded on the principle of unity. Now, on the eve of our Sesquicentennial, we are driven more than ever by the idea that, together, we can accomplish anything. We see this belief borne out every day in our classrooms, our laboratories and performance spaces and, of course, on our fields of play.”
Located near the current north end zone of FirstBank Stadium, the muti-story men’s and women’s basketball operations center will feature two practice gyms spanning more than 90,000 square feet, student-athlete facilities and easy access to Memorial Gymnasium, as well as premium hospitality areas overlooking the football stadium. Concurrent north end zone construction will connect the stadium’s east and west concourses and include a new videoboard and premium seating experiences.
The basketball center is only one of Vandy United’s signature projects. Work will soon begin on the south end zone project, which includes a new seating bowl and a multi-story building spanning more than 130,000 square feet and housing a new student-athlete training table and dining facility, among other amenities.
For more information on all Vandy United projects and how to get involved, please visit the Vandy United homepage.
