Bloomfield Hills, Mich., April 20, 2018 – The newly renovated St. Clair County Community College Fieldhouse received National Recognition with an Outstanding Project Award from Learning by Design. The $4.7 million renovation transformed the old McMorran Ice Arena in Port Huron, Michigan into a modern, multi-sport arena. A jury of five architects scored the project on its innovation, community need, interior design, sustainability, functional design and 21st century learning and said, “The repurposing of an arena into a gym/running track, with all associated mechanical improvements, is quite a feat. This was a creative use of existing building assets to provide a new amenity to the college.”
The centerpiece of the Fieldhouse is a new main competition court for basketball and volleyball with seating for 2,000 spectators. The facility includes an elevated track, weight fitness area and new locker and training rooms for college athletes. The facility is also a benefit and icon to the greater community. It can be used to host youth and high school athletic tournaments and camps and other large events. The Port Huron Sports Hall of Fame was moved into the Fieldhouse and the tower of the old arena received new lighting, maintaining an important visual element of the building’s history.