$85 million facility to include basketball courts, dance rooms, climbing wall
Coming soon to Dominguez Hills: the brand-new Health, Wellness and Recreational Center. Scheduled to break ground on Mar. 19, the facility is estimated to cost over $85 million and will replace the field house. The building is expected to open during the 2026-2027 school year.
This site will be located on the south side of campus, in between the tennis courts and the Torodome gymnasium. The 83,000-square-foot building will contain four floors divided into two areas, north and south.
The north wing will house multipurpose rooms, dance studios, training rooms and offices. The south wing will include a gymnasium, two basketball courts and an elevated running track. A rock climbing room, health exam and lactation room are also expected to be added in the facility.
An outdoor patio space is also a part of the building to help foster a greater sense of community among students on campus; in addition, there will be a newly remodeled swimming pool.
The facility will provide students with access to gender-inclusive showers and locker rooms. Prior to this, showers were situated and accessible in the Torodome gymnaisum, specifically designated for student athletes. However, they are currently under construction due to an outdated waterproofing system.
The new building project is a part of greater effort by the university to improve sustainability on campus and develop renewable energy sources. According to the Facilities Planning, Design & Construction department, this will ensure that the building can focus on reduced carbon emissions and improve air quality around the environment.
While this upcoming campus addition brings excitement, it comes with the cost of a long-time landmark: the Field House. CSUDH had used the site to hold classes since the 1970s. At the start of the spring semester, faculty and staff who had previously used the Field House for their classes were relocated to accommodate construction. Student-athletes had also used the weight room inside the facility for training and workouts.
“I liked teaching there, it was like our own little space we had for communications,” said communications professor Ana de la Serna. “I taught photojournalism there and sometimes we would practice taking pictures around that space.” As of now, communications and kinesiology classes are now held in Welch Hall or the South Academic Complex.
“This project requires a lot of coordination between different departments like the kinesiology and athletic department,” said Subhi Murad, the senior project manager. “We also have to provide an alternate space for sports.”
Although the Health, Wellness and Recreation Center requires a variety of sacrifices, the launch of this project marks the beginning of a new phase for Dominguez Hills and introduces new exciting activities for students to stay active on campus.
“We are hoping that our project will be really, really inviting for students,” Murad said “I am so happy for the campus to have a building like this…it’s a piece of art.”
