Fordham Lincoln Center’s fitness center located on the second floor of McMahon Hall will be undergoing renovations this summer. 

The university will construct separate cardio and weight rooms, as well as two additional multipurpose studio rooms for dance or yoga with mirrors and television screens. The bathrooms will also be remodeled with the addition of new ceilings, doors and upgraded air conditioning systems in each room. 

The McMahon fitness center reopened on Feb. 19 after being closed since the beginning of the spring semester due to a lack of staff to maintain a sanitary facility in accordance with COVID-19 guidelines. 

While Rose Hill’s newly expanded RamFit Center in the recently constructed McGinley Center is the third gym at Rose Hill, the McMahon fitness center is the only exercise facility at the Lincoln Center campus. 

“This has always been something the board has wanted to do.” Joseph Scaltro, director of engineering services at LC

According to Joseph Scaltro, director of engineering services at Fordham Lincoln Center, the renovation is scheduled to begin on May 19, after most students move out of McMahon Hall for summer break. 

“This has always been something the board has wanted to do, and fortunately the vice president of Residential Life and the dean of students have identified this as the big priority,” Scaltro said.  

The fitness center was last renovated in 2019 to improve the quality of equipment and appearance of the room with a new paint job. This new project will be building off that renovation with upgraded cardio equipment, as well as the addition of free weights and machines in a designated weight room.

“Presently, it’s just this one room that has cardio, and the weights are kind of squished in,” Scaltro said. “When we come back, there will be dedicated cardio and weight rooms.”

The addition of the studios will facilitate yoga and cardio classes since there were few locations on campus to organize them previously. The addition of television screens will also make it possible to conduct these classes virtually. 

Owami Masiyandima-Mlotshwa, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’24, visits the fitness center three to five times a week and said she is looking forward to the new additions.

“I think it will be better space-wise because it does feel a bit cramped,” Masiyandima-Mlotshwa said. She also added that privacy is an issue due to the small space. 

“We will do our best to get it open as soon as possible.” Joseph Scaltro

Facilities is planning to award contracts for construction in the coming weeks to start the renovation process on time. Although there is no definite end date, according to Scaltro, he is hopeful that the renovation will be complete around spring 2023.

Masiyandima-Mlotshwa said the long-term renovation will likely force people to go to commercial gyms off-campus while renovations take place. 

“For students who will still be here, it is definitely something to look forward to, but for people who are in their last year, it is not the best time,” Masiyandima-Mlotshwa said. 

Scaltro noted the uncertainties in the end date is due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented a predictable renovation plan.

“If this was a normal world, I would have targeted the end of September,” Scaltro said. “We will do our best to get it open as soon as possible.”