SJS News

Saint James School’s new Turner Athletic Center is a state-of-the-art facility designed to transform the student experience and give our student-athletes the space to compete at the highest level or hone their skills in a brand-new sport.

The remarkable $17 million facility opened in November for the start of basketball and wrestling seasons, though students had already been using the new indoor turf field in the Smith Fieldhouse. 

Construction of the Turner Athletic Center, which is an addition to and renovation of the existing field house, Alumni Hall, started in March 2023. As you drive down College Road, the traditional Georgian-brick exterior of this massive building stands out amongst the green fields. A clock tower and many windows that offer natural light and views of those surrounding fields offer unique architectural features.

The new addition includes the performance gymnasium and indoor turf field as well as the area that connects the building with Alumni Hall, which includes the new lobby, concessions, athletic offices, a conference room, public bathrooms, an athletic training room, and the visiting team locker rooms. 

The Alumni Hall fieldhouse was renovated to include the JV/practice gym, a new wrestling facility, strength training room, a uniform/laundry room, and new locker rooms for the Saints.

The result is an impressive new building that will benefit all 250+ students as they participate in daily athletics with these added amenities and improved facilities.

“I think this is a visual representation of athletics and the position that they hold in our community,” said Kacey Michelsen, in his first year as athletic director at Saint James. “Part of the reason I took the job is because it shows that Saint James invests in the growth and future vision of athletics.”

Funds were raised during the Make A Difference Campaign, and the building is 100 percent funded by the generosity of many in our community who demonstrated their unwavering support for the School’s athletic programs.

Past parents Jim and Toni Turner, along with their sons, Parker ’02 and Garrett ‘04, led the fundraising effort, and the new facility is named in their honor. The Turners were joined by numerous generous donors in the Saint James family, many of whom will be recognized as you continue reading.

“I have been really impressed by the enthusiastic response from so many significant donors to this project as it has expanded and developed because, frankly, I've had to go back to them and ask if they would be willing to give more,” Father Dunnan said. “Invariably, the answer has been yes.”

When the campaign was in its planning stages more than a decade ago, Father Dunnan said it was obvious the School had outgrown its existing facilities. The original design included new locker rooms and a performance gymnasium, but as construction was paused due to the Covid pandemic, the School used that time to reconsider the student experience and needs on campus. 

“We knew that we needed new above-ground locker rooms with private showers as well as a performance basketball and volleyball gymnasium,” Father Dunnan said. “But we also needed better spaces for our visitors when they come to events. We needed a much larger wrestling space. We needed an additional weight room to enhance our fitness space. We needed an enlarged above-ground area for our athletic trainer. We needed an indoor turf gym that would be available for all of our field sports for practice when it’s dark or pouring rain or snowing. And finally, anchoring all of this, we needed a larger student center with a snack bar and an impressive view that would be a wonderful place for all of our students to socialize with each other on the weekends.”

The Turner Athletic Center accomplishes all of this, and the “wow” factor for visitors is tremendous. 

“One of the major goals of our campaign was to build ‘wow’ buildings that go above and beyond our programmatic needs to make an impressive statement for Saint James to visitors and prospective students,” said Father Dunnan. “The first was the Pohanka Fine Arts Center. The second was the Turner Athletic Center with the Smith Fieldhouse, and the third will be the new boys’ dormitory, for which construction will start this spring.” 

As you enter the Turner Athletic Center, the large lobby offers a relaxing environment with beautiful views. Immediately to the right are the Barr Gymnasium and the Smith Fieldhouse. 

Perhaps the most unique feature of the new facility is the Smith Fieldhouse, a 65-yard indoor turf field that makes Saint James one of only two independent schools in the region with a field of this size, ours being the larger.

Stockton Smith, past parent and former trustee, was a supporter of this project before his passing in 2018. His sons, William ’10 and Alex ‘06, and the Thornedge Foundation continued his generosity, and the field is named in Stockton’s memory. The field is a versatile indoor space for all of our field sports to practice and has become a hub for recreational activity as well. A window that reaches the full height of the far wall lets in natural light and a large storage area provides plenty of room for equipment.

The Barr Gymnasium is the basketball/volleyball performance gymnasium named in memory of Dave and Betty Barr by Mayo Boddie ’49, Geoffrey Pohanka ’76 and Anne Kline Pohanka, Jim and Karen Beardsley, and Father Dunnan.  

Dave Barr coached football and baseball and was the athletic director from 1973-1984. His wife, Betty, was the assistant librarian and receptionist. Their son, Scott ’78, also served as athletic director from 2017-2021. The Barr family helped shape athletics at Saint James, and the Barr Gymnasium is a fitting tribute, with gleaming wood floors, expandable bleachers on both sides of the court, and two professional, hydraulic portable basketball hoops.

The Davis Café, a large and modern concessions area, the beautiful Obrecht-Mitchell Terrace, and the Holloway Wrestling Center are all accessed by proceeding through the lobby.

The Holloway Wrestling Center is the back third of what was the old Alumni Hall field house. It is a spectacular venue for our largest winter sport. It is named in memory of Admiral James L. Holloway, III ’39, who was a star wrestler as a cadet at the Naval Academy, by John Castle, Geoffrey Pohanka ’76 and Anne Kline Pohanka, and Father Dunnan. 

“There are colleges that don't have a facility like this,” said Mr. Michelsen, who also coaches wrestling. “It has its own set of bleachers, and then we put chairs out for the wrestlers during meets, and when there are 300 people in there, it's an electric environment.”

If you proceed to the left as you enter the lobby, you will pass the athletic directors’ office suite and new restrooms with nine stalls—a welcome addition from the two available in Alumni Hall. Next up is the entrance to the Bell Gymnasium, the new JV/practice court for volleyball and basketball. The gym is named in memory of Arthur Bell, Jr. ’49 by his wife, Florence Bell. Located in what would have been the middle court in Alumni Hall, having this extra court gives our younger teams their own dedicated space to practice and host games.

“It’s a huge benefit to be able to say when visiting teams travel to us that we can play JV and varsity games at the same time,” said Mr. Michelsen. 

Across the hall from Bell Gymnasium are three new visiting team locker rooms that are an inviting upgrade for our guests. The athletic training center is also located in this hallway and is a large space that features multiple training tables and two whirlpools.

Going past the Younger Conference Room and through the doors at the end of the hallway will lead you into the old wrestling room which is now the Root Weight Room, named in appreciation of recently retired football coach John Root. This space has a wide selection of professional-grade weight-training equipment. The fitness room located in Alumni Hall will remain and will house equipment like treadmills, elliptical machines, and exercise bicycles.

Just past the weight room is the new boys’ locker room with the girls’ locker room located further down the hall. Past parent and current trustee Michael Topham designed, built, and gave the brand-new lockers. Each locker is equipped with a padded seat that lifts up to provide storage space, two separate compartments, and hooks, making it convenient for our student-athletes to store their equipment. 

The upgrades extend to the shower facilities, with individual shower stalls installed in each locker room. New bathroom facilities complement these enhancements, ensuring that the locker rooms meet the highest standards of comfort.

Capping off the upgrades is a brand-new uniform and laundry room which features storage and an easy way for teams to pick up their uniforms at game time. 

With these enhanced facilities, Saint James reaffirms its commitment to providing our student-athletes with the best resources to excel both on and off the field.

“Our students just could not be more excited nor more appreciative,” said Father Dunnan. “It has become a real point of pride for them when they think about their School.”

Thank you to all our generous donors for making this exciting new building possible and for continuing to support our mission of creating leaders for good in the world. 

“Our student-athletes deserve facilities that reflect their hard work and achievements,” said Father Dunnan. “The Turner Athletic Center is a testament to the generosity of our community, and because of it, we are able to provide our students with an environment that supports their growth and success.”

We look forward to many more Saint James victories and memorable moments in the Turner Athletic Center.