There’s a new site and strict deadline for Marshall’s field of dreams while construction is underway at the university’s modern new home for the College of Business.
Baseball Stadium
For decades Marshall fans have been dreaming of a new stadium for the university’s storied baseball program. And, with the arrival of President Brad D. Smith and new Athletic Director Christian Spears the Thundering Herd’s field of dreams is close at hand. In June the pair presented a revised baseball stadium project statement to the Board of Governors, which unanimously approved the plan.
The new stadium will be built along a parcel of land located at Second Avenue and 22nd Street, adjacent to Marshall’s Dot Hicks Field. President Smith said while the project was initially slated for property on Fifth Avenue, the newly designated site was selected because it will be developed at a lower cost, with an accelerated time to completion. The goal is for the stadium to be ready for the 2024 season.
“Marshall is ready to see this long-anticipated ball field come to fruition,” Smith said. “Our partners, including the City of Huntington, are ready. Our intention to build this ballpark has never wavered and while we encountered a major hurdle in the COVID pandemic, it’s never dampened our enthusiasm to see this project to its completion.”
Huntington Mayor Steve Williams said he is confident there will be collegiate baseball played in the city in the coming months.
“I’m pleased that President Smith, Athletic Director Christian Spears and the Marshall University Board of Governors have settled on an aggressive plan for the construction of the new baseball stadium,” Williams said. “I am enthused that we can take on big projects that will benefit our university, city, state and region.”
“This is why this university and community are so special,” Spears said. “We don’t back down, we don’t quit. We partner, we collaborate, we include, we find a way, we believe. We are ready to move forward with a new location, timeline, budget and plan. Now we need many to give.”
The Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation
One of the university’s largest development projects in years is underway with the construction of the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation. Steel beams went up in April at the 1400 block of Fourth Avenue in Huntington — the site of the former Uptowner Inn and later the Flats on 4th apartments.
The sprawling facility will be 77,000 gross square feet and is expected to welcome its first students in January 2024. Along with classroom space, the center will feature a forum and auditorium, computer and finance labs, office space, meeting rooms and study spaces for students. It will be equipped with conference capabilities for small and large business gatherings and serve as an incubator for both management and practice. Officials say the facility will allow for more interdisciplinary collaboration among students and faculty, concurrently advancing research, 21st-century learning and community engagement.
“This is the realization of a long-cherished dream for our university to have a world-class facility for our business students,” said Dr. Avinandan “Avi” Mukherjee, provost and former dean of the Lewis College of Business. “The economic impact of the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation on the state, the region and the city will be incredibly significant.”
The building project is the result of a $25 million gift in 2018 to the Lewis College of Business from former Intuit CEO Brad Smith and his wife, Alys. It marked one of the top three gifts to Marshall University in its history.
Future development that is envisioned along Fourth Avenue will be a collaboration among Fairmount Properties, Marshall University, PJ Dick Construction and architectural firm Perkins Eastman.
Fairmount Properties plans to develop a vibrant, mixed-use district where one can live, work, dine, play and recreate, anchored by and adjacent to the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation. In addition to sophisticated urban residential units geared toward Marshall faculty, staff and medical and other professionals in Huntington, the district is expected to include new restaurant and retail options curated to help recruit and retain Marshall graduates. This “Marshall Business and Innovation District” will be strategically located where downtown meets Marshall University’s Huntington campus, presenting opportunities for strategic connections, idea sharing and catalytic growth and leading to broad and sustained economic effects.
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About the Author: Jack Houvouras is publisher of Marshall Magazine.
Photos (from top):
A revised baseball stadium plan was approved by the Board of Governors in June. It will now be built at Second Avenue and 22nd Street, adjacent to the Dot Hicks Field, and will be ready for the 2024 season.
The Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation is on track to open in 2024.