The sounds of jackhammers, drills and heavy equipment continue to cut through the stillness of the thick morning fog that engulfs the normally quiet USF campus during the summer months but it's all in the name of progress.
 
Since construction began on May 23, workers have laid the groundwork for significant upgrades to the venerable facility formally known as War Memorial Gymnasium, which first opened in 1958.  
Phase I of the anticipated 18-month project calls for the remodeling of all restrooms, installing an elevator in the southwest corner, replacing the eastside ventilation units and seismic retrofitting the entire facility. The first phase is expected to be completed sometime in mid-August. During construction, the athletic department has been operating out of the basement of Hayes-Healy dormitory.
 
Phase II of the project, scheduled to begin next summer, includes the construction of a club level with preferred seating on the west side of the facility and relocating the main entrance to the southwest corner across from the University Center. The new club level will include a Sport and Social Change Museum designed to promote core Jesuit values through sports and highlight USF's athletic history.
 
The project was made possible by the generous donation of Silicon Valley philanthropist and real estate developer John A. Sobrato and his wife Susan, whose historic gift of $15 million to the University of San Francisco was the largest individual gift in the institution's history.
 
Significant transformation of USF's athletic campus began with the opening of the renovated Benedetti Diamond in April. Future plans call for the renovation of Negoesco Stadium soccer facility and the construction of a basketball practice facility