The new McShane Campus Center arcade opened on Aug. 1 for the Fordham community. The arcade connects the McShane Campus Center with the surrounding buildings and serves as an entrance into both.
“The arcade unifies the campus center, the Lombardi Fieldhouse and the Rose Hill Gymnasium so that students can enter and then choose their path. So it unifies the whole area into one giant location so that from the main entryway of the arcade you’re able to pick your destination,” said Stephen Clarke, associate director for campus center operations.
Ed Kull, director of intercollegiate athletics and recreational sports, highlighted the new features that fans and athletes will now have access to in the arcade: a new ticket box office, new concessions set up, new book store area for merchandise sales, new restrooms the gym attendees can use, a new hospitality area for Maroon Club members, a festive welcome area and sponsor areas for giveaways on game day.
Kull added that the new area adds “accessibility in and out of the gymnasium, easier access to the Sports Medicine area and easier accessibility to the Fitness Center.”
Overall, the arcade creates “better synergy among the three athletics spaces of the McShane center, gymnasium and the Lombardi field house,” and “further engagement” for the entire Fordham community, said Kull.
The construction of the McShane Campus Center, previously known as McGinley Center, started in January 2020. COVID-19 ended up delaying the construction of the building, but it officially opened its first floor for student use in January 2022.
The completion of the arcade was phase two of the three-part construction plan.
Jordan Chiu-Skow, GSB ’26, uses the new arcade space in between classes.
“It’s a really nice place to just hang out and kind of rest. I commute, so it’s a place where I kind of just chill for like 10 minutes before I head to my first class,” Chiu-Skow said.
Liv Lanford, FCRH ’26, also enjoys the new arcade.
“I really like it just because I like all the nooks,” Lanford said. “The only thing I find funny is the fact that [the brick wall] was literally outdoors, and now it’s inside… But it makes the aesthetic of [the arcade] really, really nice. And they added more plants to make it homey, so I feel like I can study here.”
Clarke added that new commuter lockers are being added to the lower level, and students will be able to access them via an app on their phones. In addition to that, the Marketplace renovations are the next step in construction.
“The construction for that is expected to complete before the end of the summer next year so that it will be ready to go with a brand new Marketplace experience — a new dining experience — for all students when classes resume next September,” said Clarke.
The final phase, or phase three, is called “The Renovation,” and it includes the updated Marketplace, a Multicultural Student Center, an expanded ballroom and a new separate strength and conditioning center that is dedicated to Fordham Athletics.
It is expected to be completely finished by 2025.
