Belmont University has cut the ribbon to open the largest construction project in the university’s history. The grand $52 million three-building complex rising from the southwestern corner of the campus includes a 5,000-seat arena, a grand atrium for hosting large events, and a new center for student life.
“We have opened the door to the next chapter of Belmont’s history,” said Belmont University President Dr. Robert Fisher.
“The Beaman Student Life Center, Curb Event Center and Maddox Grand Atrium are not just new buildings but new building blocks of Belmont’s future. In much the same way that past graduates of Belmont have fond remembrances of cheering victories at Striplin Gym, future graduates will fondly remember games and other events in the Curb Event Center, “hanging out” in the Beaman Student Life Center and formal dinners in the Maddox Grand Atrium. We believe our students and our community will find that these facilities rate among the finest in the world.”
Construction of the three buildings began in the summer of 2001. A new 836-space parking garage adjacent to the Curb Event Center opened one year ago.
The Beaman Student Life Center
The Beaman Student Life Center, funded in part by a $9 million donation from Sally Beaman, the widow of Nashville business leader Alvin G. Beaman, brings Belmont students a vastly improved collection of student life amenities.
The Beaman Student Life Center, with its centerpiece rock-climbing wall, offers attractive casual seating areas, a full-court basketball gymnasium, two indoor racquetball courts, dedicated aerobics room, weight rooms, offices and meeting rooms for student organizations, student locker rooms and a convenience store.
The Beaman Student Life Center is equipped with wireless Internet access.
The Curb Event Center
The Curb Event Center, funded by a $10 million donation from the Curb Family Foundation and well-known music executive Mike Curb, is the new home of the NCAA, Division I Belmont Bruin basketball teams and will host the 2004 Atlantic Sun Men’s Basketball Tournament.
The Curb Event Center arena has 5,000 permanent seats in an oval configuration, and a permanent maple hardwood floor, with adjacent offices, locker rooms, training rooms, weight rooms and facilities for the Belmont Bruins athletics program, and facilities for visiting teams.
The Curb Event Center is designed also to host major music and entertainment events – concerts, speakers, road shows, trade shows, and corporate events – and is wired to support live television broadcast from a dedicated TV control room and numerous permanent camera platforms. The Curb Event Center also includes space for student-run retail businesses, and houses the Curb Cafe a restaurant and entertainment venue for students and the community, and the Vince Gill Room, a penthouse meeting room offering outdoor rooftop dining.
Designed to be a secure environment in the post-September 11 world, the Curb Event Center is equipped with video surveillance cameras, motion sensors, pressure-sensitive detectors, and entry/exit alarms. The Curb Event Center has the ability to secure specific facility areas and control zone-to-zone access.
The Maddox Grand Atrium
The Maddox Grand Atrium, funded by a $5.5 million donation from the Maddox Foundation, is an expansive anteroom finished with polished terrazzo flooring, rich cherry-stained wood and moldings, ceramic tiles, and elegant art works. The Maddox Grand Atrium will be used for receptions, dinners and concerts.
The Maddox Foundation is named in honor of the late Dan and Margaret Maddox. Robin Costa, executive trustee of the foundation, and Tommye Maddox Working, granddaughter of the Maddoxes, are both Belmont University regents.
The Architect
The Beaman/Curb/Maddox complex was designed by the architects at Earl Swensson Associates, Inc. (ESa), based in Nashville. ESa provides design services in architecture, interior architecture, master planning and space planning. ESa projects have included educational facilities, hospitality venues, public spaces, medical facilities, senior living communities, and corporate office buildings. Since its founding in 1961, ESa has designed more than 8,000 projects across the country and abroad. The firm is a member of the U.S. Green Building Council.
The Builder
The Beaman Student Life Center, Curb Event Center and Maddox Grand Atrium were constructed by Hardaway Construction Corporation of Tennessee, a Nashville-based construction company that has built a number of high-profile buildings in the Nashville area since its founding in 1924, including the Nashville International Airport terminal, the Tennessee Capitol Bicentennial Mall and large sections of the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
