Marist History: 1995-2007

In 1995, the campus theatre in the Student Center was renovated through the generosity of Frank Fusco and was renamed the Nelly Goletti Theatre in memory of Mr. Fusco's late wife, a noted performer in the United States and Europe. The campus green adjacent to the Student Center was also completed in 1995 and presents a magnificent venue for outdoor performances and other student activities overlooking the Hudson River. It is also the site of Commencement ceremonies each May and was the setting for the opening ceremonies of the 2005 Empire State Games.

The McCann Center was expanded and renovated in 1997, adding 20,000 square feet to the existing center to accommodate the growing Marist student population and interest in recreational, intramural, and intercollegiate athletics. The addition includes a multi-purpose gym, cardiovascular center, weight training facility, and locker rooms. A new office complex in the original structure houses team coaches, a conference room, and the sports information department. A Plaza of Champions graces the entrance to the McCann Center, which is also the home to the country's first online athletics Hall of Fame.

Two new sets of townhouses for nearly 500 upper-class students opened in 1997 and 2000 on West Cedar Street, a short walk from the Marist campus. Another new townhouse complex on Fulton Street opened in fall 2005, with each townhouse offering individual bedrooms for 250 students. The College also operates Talmadge Court, housing 37 students in apartments near the main campus.

In 2000, the 83,000-square-foot James A. Cannavino Library opened to national acclaim for its classic design and high-tech infrastructure. The library has more ports-per-student than any other academic library in the country, houses the College's archival collections and a multimedia presentation room, and hosts several student academic services offices, including the Center for Career Services, the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), the Office of International Education, and the Writing Center.

Fontaine Hall, an academic building with classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, meeting space and a black box theater, replaced a building of the same name that had been located on the site of the Cannavino Library. Named for the founding president of modern-day Marist College, Fontaine Hall houses multimedia classrooms, a black box theatre, a conference room overlooking the Hudson River, the School of Liberal Arts, the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, and the Office of College Advancement, including the offices of Alumni Relations. Historic photographs documenting the life of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt are displayed on the first floor of Fontaine Hall, reminding the Marist community and visitors of the close affiliation between the College and the FDR Presidential Library in neighboring Hyde Park.

Longview Park, a 12-acre parcel along the banks of the Hudson, opened to the general public in the fall of 2006. The park, which also houses two boathouses, was the site of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association Regatta, the national championships of rowing, from the late 19th century until 1949. The site, the home of the champion Marist men's and women's crew teams, still hosts intercollegiate and interscholastic crew meets and provides visitors with scenic vistas of the historic Hudson River Valley that have inspired presidents, painters, and poets.

Over the past century, Marist College has transformed itself from a training ground for future Marist Brothers to a nationally ranked academy preparing leaders in business, industry, professions, and community and public service. A new chapter in the history of the College was announced in 2006 - a master plan for the development of the campus. Marist has retained the services of the noted architectural firm of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with the goal of taking advantage of the College's picturesque location on the eastern shore of the Hudson River, further transforming the campus into one of the most scenic institutions of higher education in America.

The East Campus Tennis Pavilion opened in 2006 and features eight lighted, regulation-sized courts, a center walkway, and a pergola-covered spectator area. Marist joins the United State Military Academy and the United States Tennis Center in Queens, New York, host site of the U.S. Open, as the only tennis venues in the area that can boast a Deco II playing surface.

The College's Longview Park was completed in 2007 with a bike/walk path along the Hudson's shore, a fishing pier, the renovation of the historic Cornell boathouse, and better access to scenic vistas, particularly from the gazebo built on a promontory in the center of the park.

Tenney Stadium at Leonidoff Field, named for Marist Trustee Tim Tenney, whose leadership gift led to the construction of the facility, opened in October 2007, featuring a new grandstand with a large media facility and reception area, concession stand, rest rooms and team rooms, plus state-of-the-art field turf, a new scoreboard, and amphitheater-style seating on the west side of the field for lawn chairs and blankets.