A new 12,000-square-foot Tulane Fitness Center (TU Fit) is the latest addition to Tulane’s burgeoning downtown campus. TU Fit, which will be operated by the Department of Campus Recreation, joins Tulane’s growing expansion in downtown New Orleans, where it already occupies 17 buildings.
In addition to transforming the abandoned Warwick Hotel on Gravier Street into Thirteen15 — a new residential and retail development — the university will also be the anchor tenant in the redevelopment of the former Charity Hospital building, filling more than 350,000 square feet of the iconic building with laboratories, classrooms, offices and more. The university is also redeveloping The Bertie M. and John W. Deming Pavilion, the university’s graduate housing complex on Tulane Avenue, where TU Fit is located.
“While we continue to grow and develop our uptown campus in new and exciting ways, downtown New Orleans offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to exponentially expand Tulane’s mission by locating more of our students, healthcare professionals and researchers in the heart of the city where, through our soon-to-be built Innovation Institute, we will bring Tulane breakthroughs and discoveries to market faster,” President Michael Fitts said. “Our growing presence promises to renew downtown New Orleans and improve lives locally and globally through advances in the biosciences and healthcare.”
The ribbon cutting for TU Fit, located on the first floor of the Deming Pavilion at 1227 Tulane Ave., will take place on Friday, June 3, from 3-5 p.m. The event will include remarks by Fitts, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Norton, Vice President of Student Affairs Dusty Porter and incoming Graduate and Professional Student Association President Ania Smith. TU Fit will open to the Tulane community on Monday, June 6.
The concept of the fitness center emerged from the need to provide fitness opportunities and access to Tulane’s rapidly expanding downtown community, including those residing in the Deming Pavilion as well as faculty, staff and students at the School of Medicine, School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the School of Social Work.
“The new fitness center will allow us to further execute our mission of cultivating active lifestyles for all Tulanians. With access to TU Fit, we hope to continue to engage, motivate and inspire our community to be well through movement. Providing this outlet for students will positively impact their academic and downtown campus experience,” said Wendy Windsor, director of Campus Recreation.
The fitness facility was developed and designed by the Tulane Campus Recreation team in conjunction with Trahan Architects and Boudreaux Nathan Builders. The center features Selectorized Strength Equipment, free weights, cardio machines, and a functional training area with turf and functional bridge workout equipment. Other amenities include four private cabanas with showers and restrooms and individual daily-use lockers.
Long-term goals for TU Fit include expanding operations to provide more structured fitness and wellness opportunities such as group exercise programs, small group training and personal training. The summer 2022 hours will be Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday-Sunday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. For more information about the downtown TU Fitness Center, click here.
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The Tulane Fitness Center will feature Selectorized Strength Equipment, free weights, cardio machines, and a functional training area with turf and functional bridge workout equipment. (Photo by Rusty Costanza)
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