New field house to ease space crunch at Marmion Academy

Marmion Academy leaders were all smiles Sunday when they blessed and formally dedicated the school’s newest building, the Regole Field House.

The 36,000-square-foot facility will provide much-needed space for a variety of athletic activities at the Aurora high school, including basketball, baseball training, tennis and track & field, school officials said.

About two dozen people attended Sunday’s dedication of the field house, which should be ready for use by January. Among those in attendance were Edward and Vivienne Regole of St. Charles, who helped make the $5.3 million project a reality by contributing a sizable financial gift. Another contribution came from the estate of Edward’s late mother, Gertrude.

“You’ve changed the face of Marmion,” the Rev. Charles Reichenbacher, Marmion’s director of development, told the Regoles on Sunday. “We salute you.”

Reichenbacher said the idea for a field house had been discussed by the school’s planning committee for a decade. The school’s existing gymnasium had become overcrowded and nearly unable to accommodate the demands for game and practice time from all of Marmion’s athletic organizations.

“We didn’t build this to expand our athletic program, but to get our students home from practices at a decent hour,” he said.

The Regole Field House has three basketball courts, three tennis courts, a 4-lane running track, high jump/long jump areas and batting cages that can be used for baseball and golf. Marmion Headmaster James Quaid said the building also will be used for assemblies and alumni events.

Marmion Academy is a Catholic-Benedictine high school for boys. It’s located at 1000 Butterfield Road.