Sundt and California Baptist University celebrated a significant milestone at the school’s events center last week when the ceremonial final steel beam was placed atop the 153,000-square-foot structure. The center is scheduled to be completed next April, a month before the university holds commencement ceremonies.
The facility will seat 5,050 with room to expand to a little more than 6,500. The two-story, multi-use building will be a hub for athletics events, commencement exercises and orientation activities, along with the school’s chapel program, which serves more than 5,000 students a week. The structure will also feature locker rooms and a new athletics suite and offices.
“It is humbling to stand in the middle of the events center and think about all the great things that are going to happen there,” said CBU Athletics Director Micah Parker. “So many people are working to make this a special place that will serve our students well and allow us to showcase great student-athletes to the Inland Empire community.”
The facility is on the school’s main campus in Riverside. The $73 million university construction project will create CBU’s largest gathering space and events center to accommodate the school’s recent growth. Enrollment last fall was 8,541, up from 7,957 the previous year.