Queen’s University to construct new pavilion at Richardson Stadium
The recently-redeveloped Richardson Stadium on Queen’s University Campus is set to see a new upgrade, the University announced on Thursday, Apr. 15, 2021.
The announcement was made at an online event attended by the donors and members of the Queen’s community who are making the construction of the pavilion possible. The new pavilion is being constructed to provide “enhanced amenities for student-athletes, coaches, spectators, and community members,” and is considered the “finishing touch” on the 2016 redevelopment of Richardson Stadium. The ground-breaking for the pavilion will take place later this year and will coincide with the 100th anniversary of the opening of a George Taylor Richardson Memorial Stadium on Queen’s campus.
According to the University, over 300 Queen’s alumni contributed more than $11 million to the project. The lead gift towards the project comes from Stu and Kim Lang. Stu Lang is a former Canadian Football League (CFL) player who also played on the Queen’s Gaels football team while an undergraduate at the University.
“This is a special day that has been several years in the making. Both Kim and I are so proud to be able to attend this announcement and to help see this amazing vision through to its conclusion. However, we are only two of more than 300 donors and alumni who have come together, like a great sports team with a common goal,” Stu Lang said. “I think I can safely speak on behalf of all past and present football Gaels when I say that this Pavilion will be a point of pride for Queen’s University, and something that brings all of us together as a community.”
The pavilion, a two-storey project, will be built to complement the existing landscape of Queen’s west campus, and will provide coaches and student-athletes with modern training and competition spaces as well as athletic therapy, hydrotherapy facilities, meeting rooms, and other sport-related amenities. It will also create a new team room for football that has direct field access, the University said in a press release. And for spectators, the pavilion will connect the entire stadium at the concourse level to provide a permanent home for the Gael’s Club, where attendees will be able to access concession, and an elevated viewing area.
Queen’s also said the pavilion will prove beneficial to the larger Kingston community, providing increased access to Richardson Stadium for participants in programs like the Junior Gaels, which connects local youth athletes with Queen’s student athletes for mentorship and training.
The development of the pavilion will begin in 2021. Construction is expected to start in January 2022 and be completed by April 2023. Queen’s noted that the following major donors to the project have been integral in allowing it to move forward: Joe and Lucie Pal, Sandra Plumley, Bob and Mary McFarlane, Don and Sheila Bayne, Paul and Vicki Hand, Skip and Debbie Eaman, members of the Red Banner Society and Football Management Committee, the Football Doctors, and the members of the 1978, 1983 and 1992 Vanier Cup teams.
“The new pavilion will greatly enhance Queen’s Athletics and its programs and would not be possible without the generous contributions of many. These gifts exemplify the Queen’s spirit and we thank all the donors for their generosity to Queen’s,” said Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen’s University.