Athletics and Recreation will open a temporary fitness facility in June while the Lewinstein Athletic Center is closed for work this summer related to Dartmouth’s energy transition project.
All undergraduate and graduate students, as well as existing Lewinstein members, will have access to the temporary facility, located on the second floor of the John W. Berry Sports Center. It will be a temporary substitute for the Zimmerman Fitness Center, which is in Lewinstein.
The Berry facility will be open for the duration of the full Lewinstein closure, starting on Monday, June 15. It will include various cardio machines, universal weight machines, dumbbells, benches, and training accessories such as resistance bands, medicine balls, and yoga mats.
It will operate from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
The Athletics and Recreation department last month said that Lewinstein was on deck for a required closure due to the energy transition project—the campuswide effort to modernize Dartmouth’s heating and cooling infrastructure by converting buildings from steam to hot water and installing new distribution piping. The energy work cannot be completed without full building closure.
Another part of Lewinstein, Alumni Gym, previously known as West Gym, with its two basketball courts and indoor track, will close on May 4.
Zimmerman—the only nonvarsity student fitness facility on campus—and other Lewinstein facilities, such as the Karl Michael and Spaulding pools, multipurpose rooms used for fitness classes, and offices for 66 members of the Athletics and Recreation staff, will close on June 15, the day after Commencement.
Athletics and Recreation has been working with multiple campus partners at Dartmouth—including Campus Services and Wellness in Human Resources—to develop solutions for the temporary gym, alternate spaces for fitness and PE classes, and information for Dartmouth employees who chose Lewinstein gym memberships for their wellness benefit.
Using feedback from students, faculty, and staff—alongside data on facility usage, which is historically lower in the summer—Athletics developed a plan aimed at minimizing disruption and maximizing access with available resources.
J.B. Weber, executive associate athletics director for business strategy and operations, has led the effort to translate feedback around the fitness experience into concrete plans.
“Fitness is central to daily life at Dartmouth, so we knew from the start that a closure plan had to include a plan for maintaining access to fitness equipment and resources,” says Weber. “The temporary gym is built around the equipment and programming people use most. We appreciate our community’s patience and cooperation during the upcoming closure.”
In addition to the temporary gym in Berry, Athletics and Recreation leadership has arranged for nonvarsity student and Lewinstein gym-member access to varsity weight equipment, which will be temporarily housed in Leverone Field House. Designated days and times for community use will be posted on the Lewinstein Athletic Center closure website in June.
Indoor fitness classes, including modern dance and Pilates, will be conducted in Berry’s Straus Dance Studio throughout the summer, working around the studio’s regular programming. Class listings will be available on the Recreation webpage in June.
Outdoor physical education offerings are also being expanded beyond what has been available in recent years. With the reopening of the Sailing Center at Lake Mascoma, sailing classes will return to the PE lineup for the first time since 2023, while new paddleboarding classes will be introduced—both offerings will be on a student course fee basis.
The Introduction to Lifelong Sport courses will also continue, including golf, tennis, pickleball, and fly fishing—all free to undergraduate students.
Summer intramural sports, including pickleball, tennis, golf, and kickball, will run as usual, and the Boss Tennis Center also will be open this summer. Students and gym members can also continue using the outdoor basketball court and the Berry and Topliff pickleball and tennis courts.
Historically, the summer has the lowest demand for indoor fitness spaces. During the academic year, about 2,000 people per day come through the Lewinstein Athletic Center. That number drops by more than half in the summer months, and enrollment in indoor fitness classes falls by nearly 70%.
Jamie Phillips, Guarini, who works on the Zimmerman Fitness Center team, had a valuable perspective on the equipment most needed in the summer.
“In terms of equipment, we aimed to focus on items that are not easily replicated,” says Phillips. “We wanted to meet a variety of needs from athletes to patrons requiring different equipment to ensure that everyone is able to get a good workout in, ultimately making the most of the new space while the construction takes place.”
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Lewinstein facilities are expected to reopen in mid-August. Read more for full details, including equipment lists and access information.
