The first athletic building purpose-built to the needs of female student-athletes at the University of Arkansas, the Bev Lewis Center for Women’s Athletics represents a hallmark in the history of both the University and the state.
Made possible by the lead gift of Bob and Marilyn Bogle, the Bogles had only one request. The name of the proposed Center for Women’s Athletics reflect the accomplishments of the University’s longtime coach and now retired Women’s AD Bev Lewis.
As a result, the gift helped create one of the finest training facilities in the nation for female college athletes.
Construction began in December 2001 with site preparation. Portions of the facility opened during January and February of 2003 with the formal dedication on April 9, 2003.
From the custom-made lifting stations to the one-of-a-kind layout of the 15,000-square foot Razorback Gymnastics training facility, the Bev Lewis Center for Women’s Athletics lives up to its name as the focus of the University of Arkansas’ female student-athletes.
An award-winning design created by Browning, Day, Mullins and Dierdorf of Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with Fennell Purfoy Hammock Architects of Little Rock, Ark., the Lewis Center was selected by both the Arkansas and Indiana chapters of the American Institute for Architects as design award winners in 2003. It was chosen as a “Facility of Merit” from hundreds of facilities across America as one of the top athletic venues in 2004 by Athletic Business Magazine.
EWI, Inc., of Fayetteville served as the lead contractor for the project. In the fall of 2004, a 40-foot long, 8-foot tall mural entitled “Victory” was dedicated in the Barnhill Level lobby of the Lewis Center. Celebrating the achievements of all 11 sports, the mural includes over 200 former Razorbacks who built the foundation of the Women’s Athletic Department over its first three decades.
