Marvel Gym now destined to become athletic fields

The building’s location — on the outskirts of campus in a residential area on Elmgrove Avenue — coupled with its distinctive layout made it difficult to determine what to do with it. Since 1989, Brown considered and rejected a variety of ideas.

After Marvel Gymnasium closed in February 1989, the bronze bear standing on its hind legs in front of the building eventually found a new home on The College Green. Finding a new use for the gymnasium, however, was more problematic.

The building’s location — on the outskirts of campus in a residential area on Elmgrove Avenue — coupled with its distinctive layout made it difficult to determine what to do with it. Since 1989, Brown considered and rejected a variety of ideas for the four-story athletic center, including its sale.

"In terms of what you can do, it is a difficult animal," said John Noonan, associate vice president of facilities management. "What program could be a little more than a mile from campus and function in that space?"

The building houses three basketball courts (in the first game played after the building opened, Brown’s athletes captured a 33-30 victory against Harvard); smaller rooms for wrestling, boxing and fencing; courts for squash and handball; and a second-floor trophy room.

The University has decided to raze the building within the next few years and turn the 3.7-acre parcel into athletic fields. The plan, which awaits funds and design, was included in the University’s most recent master plan presented to the City of Providence.

No one could have foreseen that what appears to be a final determination on the site would not be made until the new millennium. Even before it closed in 1989, following the construction of the more central Pizzitola Sports Center, there had been plans for Marvel Gym.

In 1987, the building was to be sold to a private developer. The University signed a $2.8-million agreement with developer and alumnus Lyle S. Fain, who wanted to turn the space into luxury condominiums. The sale would finance the University’s construction of a replacement building for basketball and athletic offices, consolidating its athletic facilities into one location on Hope Street

But the sale to Fain was contingent upon his acquiring all the necessary project approvals from various city agencies, which apparently never came to pass.

Condominiums appeared to be an ill-fated idea for Marvel Gym. A year earlier, another Brown alumnus and developer spoke at a meeting of the East Side neighborhood about his plans to convert the 80,000-square-foot structure into 90 units. According to a newspaper from that time, the developer decided against the project after meeting resistance from the neighbors.

A number of people have expressed interest in the property over the years, according to Marisa Quinn, director of community and government relations, but Brown is no longer considering its sale.

Athletic fields seem a natural choice for the site, given its location across from the football stadium and the University’s need, Quinn said.

The distance from campus to the property will not pose a problem for the intramural and club teams that will use the fields, according to David Roach, athletic director. A shuttle service could be established between the two points, or the athletes could run from campus to the fields as part of their practice regimen, he said.

"Given the amount of intramurals and club sports, we could use a dozen new fields," added Roach.

By demolishing the building, Brown avoids major renovation — replacing the roof, windows, floors and the original 1927 heating and electrical systems — that would have been needed if the University had found a use for Marvel Gym, Noonan said.

But the main goal has always been finding a University program that could "use Marvel Gym effectively and efficiently and be as far away as it is," Noonan said.

The gym sprung from its namesake’s vision for Brown athletics, according to the Brown Alumni Magazine. Long-time athletic director Frederick W. Marvel, class of 1894, had a favorite saying: "A team for every man and every man on a team."

In the years since Brown’s teams moved to the Pizzitola, the University has used the building for furniture storage, employees occasionally venturing in to sort through odd desks and chairs and claim the most desirable pieces for their offices.