Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

Creighton University Old Gym Renovation

We recently completed a project that we were honored to be a part of – the renovation of the Old Gym on the Creighton University campus. Construction companies are often associated with brand new builds, but we get excited when we can be involved in renovation projects that preserve a piece of history, and this project did just that!

The Old Gym, which marked its 100th anniversary in 2015, has housed many athletic facilities over the years including men’s and women’s basketball, swimming and diving, and volleyball. The building was formerly known as the Vinardi Center and is located at 24th & Burt St. Many alumni will recall class registrations, commencements and dances taking place in the building. Most recently it was earmarked to house the Pharmacy Skills Lab and associated offices, which were outgrowing their space in the Brandeis Building, and that is where Prairie Construction got involved.

Transforming a former athletic facility into a functioning medical academic facility presented many challenges – challenges we were eager to face, together with Creighton architect Coale Johnson and his team. A significant challenge was working around the main data center (DoIT) for the Creighton campus, which is located in the building. There were 2 absolute requirements – maintain power throughout the project and prevent dust in the DoIT – and we are proud to say we met both!

We also faced logistical challenges in accessing a building located in the center of a busy college campus. The majority of the work was done over the summer, but was necessary to work around normal operations on campus, and we met all deadlines.

There was no convenient area to fence off for easy access and equipment storage. The street next to the building would have been the logical option, but it provides the handicapped entrance for St. John’s Church and therefore needed to remain open at all times.

Site logistics were very tight – logistically challenged, street to building used for St. John’s church – handicapped entrance had to be kept open at all times. No area to fence off, need to maintain operations of campus life, data center, etc.

We built a floor in the space that was once open to the lower level gymnasium. You would never guess that the new classroom, office and laboratory spaces were previously athletic practice areas that were gutted and redesigned into state-of-the-art facilities. While the look of the building was completely transformed, we were mindful of honoring the legacy of the building, and in many ways we were able to preserve the original character of the building.  The gymnasium floors throughout the building were salvaged and will be repurposed.

This beautiful space will serve as a place of higher learning for years to come, and we were proud to play a role in preserving a piece of history on the Creighton University campus. You can learn more about the new Pharmacy Skills Lab here.

Posted on By Julie Swartz Categories Current Projects

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is Long-Anticipated Facility

At Prairie Construction, every new project brings us some level of excitement, and that is particularly true when we have a personal connection. We recently completed a new addition at St. Patrick’s school and parish in Elkhorn, NE and we are particularly proud of this project because Steve Rease, co-owner of Prairie Construction, is a long-time member of the parish.

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center is a two-story, 27,000 square foot addition to the original school building. The building has been long-anticipated and provides much needed spaces including a gymnasium and stage, cafeteria and kitchen, music room and office space.

Construction of the project lasted one year, after a year of designing and planning. Special planning, such as excavation over the winter months, was required throughout construction in order to accommodate the busy school and parish activities that take place nearly every day, year-round. “School was in session for most of the construction phase, and the Prairie Construction team was very flexible and accommodating,” said Vicki Payton, business manager for St. Patrick’s. “Communication between us and Scott, the foreman, and his team, was excellent. They were more than willing to work around our busy school and mass schedule, and planned noisy projects accordingly.”

Steve’s personal connection as a parish member and father of five children who have been educated at the school, added some unexpected pressure. “My daughter was graduating from 8th grade last Spring, and she and her classmates really wanted to graduate in the new activity center,” said Steve. “We finished the project three months ahead of schedule, and the ceremony took place in the brand-new space.”

The Catholic elementary school had no gymnasium before the addition, leaving hallways and the outdoors as the only space for sport team practices and physical education classes. The new gym includes bleachers that can accommodate 400 people, 10 x 13-foot LED screen scoreboards and state-of-the-art lighting and sound, as well as a stage, for multiple purposes. The new space can accommodate receptions and special events, and included an extensive outdoor plaza and patio area to enhance events.

“The new activity center has been highly anticipated by many people for a long time, and when it was finally completed, it was emotional for a lot of people,” said Vicki. “I can’t say enough about what a pleasure it was to work with the Prairie Construction team. We got to know the workers who were here every day for a year, and we were so touched by how much each of them put their heart into the project.” The new activity center was officially dedicated on August 23, 2017. “The day of the dedication, a team member from Prairie Construction was here sweeping the sidewalks, making sure every last detail was perfect. That was not necessary, but it was those small touches that made working with Prairie Construction so special for us.”

The Aspen Seemann and Lane Graves Activity Center at St. Patrick’s in Elkhorn is just one project we are proud to have contributed to in the Omaha-metro area, and we look forward to many more!