Brunswick, ME
Bowdoin College Athletic Fields & Facilities
Architect: CHA Architecture
Photographer: Ryan Donovan
About
Wright-Ryan completed extensive upgrades to the Pickard Fields Athletic Complex at Bowdoin College, enhancing the campus’s athletic infrastructure while respecting its historic character. The project included the relocation and reorientation of the baseball, softball, rugby, and practice fields, along with the installation of synthetic turf for baseball, softball, and one multipurpose field. Additional improvements featured dark-sky compliant LED lighting, new dugouts, bullpens, batting cages, backstops, press boxes, scoreboards, and spectator seating. A highlight of the project was the relocation of a historic observatory, previously repurposed as an irrigation pump house, positioning it for future restoration and academic use.
Historic
Wright-Ryan successfully relocated Bowdoin’s historic observatory, previously serving as an irrigation pump house, by lifting and moving the entire structure. The next phase includes a sensitive renovation of the building, including installation of a new dome and telescope. Because precise leveling is critical to the telescope’s performance, this phase demands a high degree of technical accuracy and craftsmanship. Together with a newly construction adjacent classroom, the restored observatory will support the revival of Bowdoin’s astronomy program.
