By Lisa Kopochinski
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa 鈥撀燙ornell College聽in Mount Vernon has selected聽Kahler Slater聽of Milwaukee as the design architect for a major expansion and renovation of its聽Small Sport Center鈥攖he competition venue for its basketball, volleyball and wrestling teams.
Kahler Slater joins Mortenson Construction of Minneapolis, Minn. on the design-build team. A dollar figure and completion date for the project have not yet been released.
The team has been tasked with master planning for multi-phase improvements to the existing 105,000 gross square-foot facility, which opened in 1953 and was significantly expanded in 1986.
The project鈥檚 first phase will likely include the renovation and expansion of team locker rooms, the strength and conditioning center, athletic training areas, exercise studios, classrooms/meeting rooms, athletic department offices and competition venues.
A private liberal arts college, Cornell College was originally the聽Iowa Conference Seminary. The school was founded in 1853 by George Bryant Bowman. Four years later, in 1857, the name was changed to Cornell College, in honor of iron tycoon聽William Wesley Cornell, who was a distant relative of聽Ezra Cornel, founder of聽Cornell University聽in聽Ithaca, New York.