The Activities and Recreation Center, more commonly known as the ARC, is an athletic facility at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign for current university students, members and guests. According to the university, Activities and Recreation Center is "one of the country's largest on-campus recreation centers".
It is also the home venue for the Illinois Fighting Illini women's swimming and diving team.
Location
ARC is located at 201 East Peabody, which is approximately 100 meters away from the Snyder Hall and the Scott Hall, and 500 meters away from the newly constructed Ikenberry Common. It is also directly north of Memorial Stadium (Champaign).
History
The first recreation facility on campus, IMPE (Intramural Physical Education building), was opened in 1971. According to the university, Activities and Recreation Center is "one of the country's largest on-campus recreation centers". In 2008, after IMPE was renovated and reconstructed, its name was changed to ARC.
Reconstruction
A group of University of Illinois students created a campaign for a comprehensive expansion and renovation of IMPE and WIMPE, called Bigger, Better, Campus Rec Renovation. University students were asked to vote on a referendum asked for an overall $77 per student increase in general fees for students over the next 2 years, to provide more recreation opportunities, reduce overcrowding, address space issues, and meet the needs of university students. Out of 5,459 voters 4,020 persons (74%) voted in favor of the referendum
The reconstruction began on March 17, 2006, and the building was reopened in August 2008. The project's cost was $221 million.
Facilities
The total size of the ARC is , consisting of of dry facilities and of wet facilities.
Indoor pool
The indoor pool of the Activities and Recreation center is located on the 1st floor of the facility building. It is a 50 meter by 25 yards pool of eight competitive lanes and is the home venue for the Illinois Fighting Illini women's swimming and diving team. The size of the indoor pool area is .
The ARC indoor pool includes a 1,175 square-foot locker room, sauna and meeting rooms along with a scoreboard and video screen. A Hall of Fame area is also located inside the aquatic center.
Diving area
A separate diving area is adjacent to the indoor pool. It is the diving well for the Illinois Fighting Illini women's swimming and diving team. The diving facilities include two one-meter springboards over 13-1/2 feet of water and two three-meter springboards over 14 feet of water.
Outdoor pool
An outdoor pool can be found on the west side of the Activities and Recreation center building. The pool is a 50-meter, 4 lanes standard pool. It also contains a diving well. The outdoor pool is usually open during summer and fall. During the winter and spring, the pool is not available to any activity. The size of the outdoor pool area is . An outdoor diving area is adjacent to the outdoor pool.
Gymnasium 1
Gymnasium 1 of the Activities and Recreation center is located on the east end of the building on the first floor. It contains five basketball courts. Alternatively, the area can also be served as seven volleyball courts. One of the basketball courts is usually used as a futsal (indoor soccer) court, with goals and dividers set up. This gymnasium is often used for intramural sports and other organized competitions. There are also day lockers in the gym area, and a locker room is attached right next to Gymnasium 1. The total area of the Gymnasium 1 is .
Gymnasium 2
Gymnasium 2 of the Activities and Recreation center is located at the center of the building on the first floor. It can be also found on the left side of the building entrance, next to the member service area. The gym contains two basketball courts, which can also be served as three volleyball courts. Day lockers can be found inside the gym. The total area of the Gymnasium 2 is .
Gymnasium 3
Gymnasium 3 of the Activities and Recreation center is located at the center of the building on the first floor. It can also be found on the right side of the building entrance, next to the member service area. The gym contains two basketball courts, which can also be served as three volleyball courts. There are usually four badminton courts set up on half the gymnasium, leaving the other half for basketball or other activities. Day lockers can be found inside the gym. The total area of the Gymnasium 3 is .