The E. & L. Andrew Fitness Center is complete and has been named in honor of Laurel J. Andrew '86 and her parents, Ed and Edie Andrew, who, along with other family members and family foundations, provided the lead gifts for the facility. Laurel is a member of the Knox College Board of Trustees and a director and treasurer of The Andrew Family Foundation of Orland Park, Illinois. A dedication and ribbon cutting was held February 17, 2006.

The new 13,000 square foot, state-of-the-art fitness center is located on the west side of Memorial Gymnasium, facing Trevor Field and campus. It replaces a smaller weight training room currently housed in the lower level of the gym and increases aerobic and cardio activity space by more than 150 percent and free weight workout space by 50 percent. The facility is open to all students, faculty, and staff, as well as to Knox's 30 varsity, intramural, and club-level sports. 

Center Features

• Two stories with a lobby level and a lower level. Both levels are accessible from within the facility, as well as from Memorial Gymnasium.
• The lobby level (off the gym lobby) offers cardio and selectorized machines, an area for stretching, and an 800-square-foot fitness studio with hardwood floors and mirrored walls. The studio is ideal for fitness classes, such as aerobics, Pilates, and tai chi. A curved wall of floor-to-ceiling windows provides those working out on the lobby level with a panoramic view of campus. 
• A cut-away in the lobby floor offers a view to the lower level with 3,000 square feet of free-weight machines and individual weights and dumbbells. 
• New men's and women's locker rooms complete the lower level. The locker rooms are available for students, faculty, and staff and may be used by visiting athletic teams during the academic year. 
• The center's wall of windows carries through the curved glass block walls of the T. Fleming Fieldhouse. The remaining exterior is a combination of red brick and white stone, blending with the architecture of the surrounding athletic buildings.

Special Thanks

Thanks to these alumni and friends who have named areas of the fitness center, including Jarvis B. '48 and Kathleen N. Cecil, Diane Smatlak Rosenberg '63, and Joseph '50 and Judi Wagner.

Thanks also to Charles W. Porter '52 and Priscilla Porter for purchasing equipment for the Free Weight Area. 

Funding Opportunities

The fitness center is the first building since Old Main that was paid for totally by gifts from alumni and friends of the College.  Even though the center is fully funded, several naming opportunities remain available.  Gifts toward these naming opportunities will be used to fund other current athletic initiatives.

To receive more information about the fitness center or to make a gift, contact: