Boston College Opens New Margot Connell Rec Center

Boston College is saying goodbye to the old and bringing in the new with the opening of a new recreation center Tuesday morning. 

The new Margot Connell Recreation Complex is double the size of the soon to be demolished Flynn Recreation Complex. The new facility offers an additional 60,000 square feet of floor space.

Tuesday’s opening is considered a “soft” opening, as not all of the facility’s spaces will immediately be open. First floor basketball courts and service areas, like the equipment desk and locker rooms, will be immediately available.

The aquatics center on the first floor won’t be open until July 15. Other first-floor features, such as the rock-climbing walls, golf simulator and outdoor adventures simulator, will not open immediately either.

“It will be interesting to try out all the new features like the rock climbing wall and the golf simulator, both of which seem honestly a little excessive to have, but fun nonetheless,” current student Nick Lombardi told The Heights.

Related: Boston College’s Beloved Rec Plex Set for Demolition

The facility also includes nine “fitness neighborhoods” designed for individual workouts. Each room specializes in a particular category of exercises, such as cardio, strength and functional training.

“Two of the aspects I look forward to most are the new workout neighborhoods tailored to individual types of workouts and the extra basketball courts that will be available,” current student Gaven Giampalmi said. “Hopefully this will allow everyone in the BC community to enjoy the space at all times in the day without having to stand around waiting for the next game to start or to use the piece of equipment you need to finish your workout.” 

The third floor of the facility features tennis courts and basketball courts, while the fourth-floor features racquetball and squash courts, as well as a jogging track.