Above / Among officials participating in photo opportunities at the North Central College Parking Pavilion Groundbreaking Celebration were North Central College Vice President for Institutional Advancement Adrian Aldridge, President Anita Thomas, State Senator Laura Ellman, Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger and student leader Paige Kozial. (PN Photo)
North Central College hosted a ground-breaking ceremony Wednesday afternoon, July 26, to the sounds of excavating in the wide open space across from the Residence Hall /Recreation Center, soon to be the location of a four-story on-campus parking facility.
While earthmovers were busy creating a perfect backdrop behind the brief ceremony, speakers recognized the need of the new facility to an appreciative audience.
Speakers agreed that the Parking Pavilion Groundbreaking Celebration was a tribute to many years of concerted efforts to increase the College’s overall on-campus parking capacity while improving parking safety and convenience for students, faculty, staff, and visitors that will address on-street parking concerns within the neighborhood.
In attendance were supporters of the North Central community, including new President Anita Thomas as well as Naperville City Manager Doug Krieger, Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman and DuPage County Board Member Lucy Chang Evans.
North Central College’s plans to increase on-campus parking capacity through the construction of a new parking pavilion have been bolstered by a $10 million capital grant from the State of Illinois. The funding was allocated to the College through the Illinois Board of Higher Education (IBHE) as part of Governor’s $45 billion Rebuild Illinois Capital Plan that was signed into law in 2019. The bipartisan plan aims to create jobs and improve communities through historic investments in infrastructure and education.
The event took place in the New Hall Parking Lot, located at 451 S. Brainard Street, across from Merner Fieldhouse.
Parking Pavilion Overview
The four-story parking pavilion will be located on what was previously the site of the Merner Fieldhouse surface parking lot. It will include a total of 530 parking spaces, adding 427 spaces to the College’s overall parking inventory. The facility, designed by the architectural firm Holabird & Root, will be constructed of stamped brick precast with complementary design elements to those of existing campus facilities south of Chicago Avenue.
The top three floors of the pavilion will be allocated to resident-student parking, and the first floor will be open to faculty, staff, commuter, and visitor parking. Given its proximity to the Residence Hall/Recreation Center, Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium, and the Wentz Concert Hall, the pavilion also will improve parking capacity and efficiency during large campus events.
Numerous safety features will be incorporated into the parking pavilion, including a new four-way stop at the Brainard and Highland intersection, LED lighting, interior and exterior cameras, and emergency call boxes. The facility will also include electric vehicle charging stations, ADA accessible parking, and two elevators at the main pedestrian entry and exit locations on the east and west sides of the building.
The College began site preparation in May, and significant construction is planned now through December.
The facility is expected to open for use in January 2024.
More information about the parking pavilion, including facility renderings and a digital site
animation, is available at northcentralcollege.edu/north-central-college-parking-pavilion. Neighbors and other members of the public can visit this webpage for ongoing updates on the construction schedule and logistics.
Kelly Murphy, Director of Communication & PR, contributed to this story. PN Photos.
