Daily Digs: $290M Arena Renovation, Lamar University Breaks Ground on New Baseball Complex, and More!

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Can Hamilton, Ontario join Toronto as a top-tier North American tour stop? Oak View Group (OVG) is banking on it.

The Denver-based company is renovating the arena formerly known as FirstOntario Centre and Copps Coliseum into its flagship Canadian venue.

A public-private project with the City of Hamilton, which owns the land and the building, it's a $290 million upgrade alongside EllisDon construction and Brisbin Brook Beynon Architects that will see the entire arena gutted and rebuilt.

It's such a drastic and complete renovation that the company doesn't even like using the word renovation.

"We're calling it more of a transformation because we're renovating over 80% of the building," says Ryan Zrenda, OVG's VP of project management. "In some ways, it will be unrecognizable." [Canada Billboard]

Loyola is transforming the Mullady Theatre into new practice facilities for the golf and softball teams. The new space will provide enhanced training opportunities for student-athletes and offer both programs upgraded amenities to address long-standing challenges.

Located below Mertz Hall, the theater was home for all mainstage productions on campus for over 40 years.

According to the Current and Recent Projects page on the Facilities website, the new space is expected to be finished by August 2025. The top floor will be a permanent home for softball, and the bottom for golf. [Loyola]

 

Lamar University (LU) held a groundbreaking ceremony for the Teri and Glen Morgan Baseball Complex, a new state-of-the-art building at Vincent-Beck Stadium approved in late 2024 by the Texas State University System Board of Regents. The comprehensive upgrade, made possible through an “elite” gift from the Morgans, is set to debut in 2026.

“Both Teri and I are excited to be a part of this project,” Glen Morgan said at the groundbreaking ceremony, adding that LU is firmly integrated into the Morgans’ lives, and that of their children and grandchildren. “Lamar has always been important to us. Both Teri and I graduated from Lamar. Our children were able to attend Lamar during high school to give them a head start on college. My grandchildren come to the camps that are held here during the summer.”

From the couple’s beginning, Lamar University has been an integral part of the pair’s union. Sentiment keeps the college close to the Morgans’ hearts. [The Examiner]
 

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