DePaul University gets permit to renovate Sullivan Athletic Center

DePaul University has received permits to renovate the Sullivan Athletic Center and McGrath-Phillips Arena at 2323 N. Sheffield. As part of a larger athletics investment, the school is also looking to build a new practice facility for the school’s basketball teams. 

Designed by Antunovich Associates and HNTB, the renovation will infill one of the three basketball courts with two stories of new athletic support space. The first floor of the facility will be dedicated to the health and wellness of all 215+ DePaul student athletes, and will include a team dining space, nutrition bar, new sports medicine treatment spaces and offices, hydrotherapy, a weight room, and multi-purpose meeting rooms.

Across the street, the school is planning to clear the site of a series of vintage buildings to build a new basketball practice facility. The new facility would feature a brick façade that mirrors the aesthetic of the Lincoln Park neighborhood, with a pitched roof that pays homage to DePaul's former Lincoln Park arena, Alumni Hall. Floor-to-ceiling glass around the basketball gyms will offer views of the surrounding neighborhood and wider city context. DePaul men’s and women’s basketball will move their training, practices, and operations into the building to allow for more dedicated spaces to support the programs. 

With the permits issued for renovation, general contractor Bulley & Andrews can begin work inside the building. Work is set to begin this December, with the first phase being completed in late Summer 2024. 

As the project moves forward, the demolition of buildings on the site across the street would not begin until Summer 2025 at the earliest as the proposal is seeking an amendment to the existing Planned Development for the campus. The amendment would need approval from Alderman Timmy Knudsen (43rd), the Chicago Plan Commission, the Committee on Zoning, and the full City Council. Construction of the new facility would begin after demolition is done and is expected to be completed by Fall 2026.