Construction starts on DuPage County aquatic center designed to build swimming skills for all ages and create Chicago-area destination for major swim competitions
[Westmont, IL] – For years, the Illinois Age Group State Championship meet has been held in Wisconsin, and this year in Indiana. Also, only two high school pools, both on Chicago’s North Shore, are capable of hosting the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) Swimming & Diving State Finals. Clearly, Illinois swimmers have a shortage of natatoriums for major events.
The tide, however, is turning, thanks to the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park now under construction in the DuPage County community of Westmont, just over 20 miles west of downtown Chicago. The 71,000-square-foot facility, designed by Legat Architects, will not only give Illinois age group and senior swimmers a new home for its annual meet, but it will also provide a third option—the other two are over 80 years old—for hosting IHSA state meets. The facility will even be able to host national-level events. Additionally, the FMC Natatorium will become home to a traveling youth competitive swim team that previously lacked a dedicated pool.
In mid-December, over 200 members of the swimming community gathered in the Mallard Room at the Hilton Chicago/Oak Brook Hills Resort and Conference Center to celebrate the start of construction. Mary Ann and Mark Kaufman, founders of the not-for-profit FMC Aquatic Opportunities (with a nod to the Kaufman’s daughters; For My Children,) joined other dignitaries to introduce the natatorium.
“Many swim families have to travel to Wisconsin and Indiana for our Illinois state meets,” said Mary Ann Kaufman. “I think we’d all like to keep those swim dollars right here in Illinois.” The audience responded to her statement with resounding applause.
The Kaufmans stated that in addition to hosting major events, the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park will become a regional destination that makes swimming accessible to as many children and adults as possible. FMC Natatorium plans to work with the Westmont Park District to offer classes to residents and neighboring communities. Programming will include offerings for children and adults, as well as individuals with special needs.
At the groundbreaking, U.S. Olympic swimmer David Sims talked about the role that swimming played in his life and related that to the FMC Natatorium’s potential to change lives.
He said, “No doubt about it, there will be kids who come to this pool and see things they’ve never seen before, and it may take them to places they’ve never been before.”
The project has been in the works since 2015 and construction is expected to finish in 2020.
FMC Natatorium Origins
Eighteen years ago, Ultimate Swimming coach Pierre Ruffin suggested that Mark and Mary Ann’s oldest daughter would be a strong addition to his swim team.
“Three swimming daughters later, and Pierre is with us here tonight,” said Mark Kaufman, founder and CEO of Athletico Physical Therapy, at the ceremony. “Without that little event, none of this could have happened.”
Mary Ann Kaufman said, “One of the reasons I wanted to build a pool was so Pierre and other coaches would always have a home for swimmers to find them.”
Clean, Contemporary, and Cost-effective
A small, core group of team members and Legat worked on the planning and design of the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park for over three years.
The nine-lane, Olympic-size pool offers three sides of seating for up to 1,200 spectators. Those on the second level can stand at a long countertop and observe meets while enjoying a coffee or snacks from the concessions stand. The second floor also houses a full kitchen, eating area, entertainment room, swim shop, party room, and weight room.
On the first floor, a large window offers views between the competition and development pools. The smaller pool also has a parent lounge with a viewing window. There will be four locker rooms (two men’s and two women’s) divided between the pools.
Both pools have LED lighting, as well as an energy-efficient mechanical system that keeps the air as clean as possible and minimizes chlorine smell.
The building’s exterior has a clean and contemporary look that fits the context of surrounding buildings. It has cost-effective precast concrete wall panels with a large expanse of glass on the entry side. The eight-foot-high clerestories (windows) that wrap the top bring more natural light into the facility.
Another Milestone for Illinois’ Healthiest County
According to data analysis firm Niche, DuPage ranks as Illinois’ healthiest county. Beth Marchetti, Executive Director of the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau, said that the new natatorium will “add to the rich legacy of sport in DuPage County, from the Medinah Country Club to [football player] Red Grange, ‘The Galloping Ghost’ from Wheaton.”
“This facility is not only going to benefit Westmont,” added Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter, “but it’s also going to benefit the county and the state.”
Several speakers at the groundbreaking mentioned the many rewards of swimming: adults can heal, relax, and socialize, while children learn time management and teamwork. All swimmers, however, profit from the physical fitness benefits that the sport offers.
“I heard many times,” said Sims at the groundbreaking, “that building a facility like this is impossible, that it would never happen in Illinois and it would never happen in Chicago. Well, here we are.”
FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park is the realization of a long-time dream of coaches and swimmers in a community with a strong swim legacy.
Contact us to learn more about natatorium and aquatics center design or comment below to share your thoughts on this post.
Aasha McRoberts says
What will the diving facilities look like? Will there be a separate diving well? How many 1M and 3M boards will there be?
Legat Architects says
The diving facility is incorporated into the main pool at the deep end. There will not be a separate diving well. There will be three 1-meter diving boards and one 3-meter diving board.
Mike says
will there be towers for diving as well for future USA Junior Olympic & Olympic events
5,7, & 10 meter
Legat Architects says
There will be 1-meter and 3-meter diving boards.
Steve Wozniak says
Legat Architects, When building a state of the art facility why would you not include towers in the design of a pool that is to be a major part of the community for the next 45 years?
Legat Architects says
Thank you for your inquiry. Here is a response from FMC Aquatic Opportunities:
In order to accommodate a diving tower, both the height of the building and the depth of the diving well would have needed to be increased. Other prohibitive costs continued into heating and cooling the water/air, the material cost of the towers themselves, and additional maintenance, plus increased insurance costs. These substantially higher initial and ongoing expenditures made having 1- and 3-meter boards most economically feasible for FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park. With the 1-meter and 3-meter boards, we will be able to train and promote diving to area youth, as well as host high school, Division II and III diving events. FMC Natatorium looks forward to working within the community to provide many aquatic opportunities.
Joe Eckert says
Unfortunately, our closest indoor diving full tower is located in Brown Deer, WI at Schroeder YMCA…that is 105 miles away. Totally understand all the added costs (pool chemicals alone for 2 large pools will be big $$). Why not add in a partial tower that fits the building height, like just a 5m (similar to Northwestern University). Can’t imagine it would be that much more for insurance. I know the dive community desperatly wants an indoor facility too…that would attract dive programs from all over the Chicagoland area. Curious of your thoughts. Anyways, it looks like a beautiful facility!
Legat Architects says
Following is a response from FMC Aquatic Opportunities:
Thank you for your interest in the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park. The building is near completion and no changes can be made at this time. We look forward to serving the community soon.
Barb says
Thank you for taking on this project! Illinois and especially the Chicago area is a swimming mecca in desperate need of a natatorium for major swim meets. I hope the 2021 Illinois State Masters meet will be held there next spring. Again thank you!
Mary says
How will the pool be sanitized?
Legat Architects says
A complete pool filtration system is in the lower level for both pools.
Rich Thompson says
What is the location for this new facility? I used to live in Bolingbrook & Naperville, but like to stay up on “local” news, even though now I live in SW Missouri. Thanks much!
Legat Architects says
The location of the natatorium is Westmont, Illinois in DuPage County.
Vicki Morrow says
Wow. Looks great for swimming. Wish this new facility was forward-thinking and was designed as a potential diving venue as well. We need towers in the suburbs if we want our divers to dive in college anywhere. This is the perfect opportunity for that. Wish you would reconsider before ground is broken. I have been waiting years for a facility.
Jamie Nelson says
I can’t wait for this center to open. I would love to get my children into early swim classes. What age groups are the swim classes planned to be for?
Legat Architects says
Programming for swim classes will begin soon. The center will offer classes for children of all ages. We suggest that you follow the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park Facebook page to keep up to date with program offerings.
Elizabeth says
What is the cross measurement of the main 50m competition pool? What was the thought process for including nine lanes instead of the standard eight or ten lanes?
PS-Can’t wait for this facility to open!
Legat Architects says
Thanks to FMC Aquatic Opportunities for the following response:
Many goals were considered in the functional design of the pool. The design of the pool itself was to be versatile in hosting a variety of events and training set ups. We feel a 25 yard by 9 lane 50 meter competition pool with two movable bulkheads meets these needs. When considering hosting Senior level events and training, lane width needed to be eight feet wide plus the spacing of 1-1 1/2 feet on the sides. If we went 10 lanes, the width would be 7 foot 2 inches and we couldn’t host upper level Senior events. The cross course set up being 25 yards does allow two 10 lane (8 foot wide) competition pools.
Note: If we added another 8 foot lane in the 50 meter setup, we would have lost the ability to go 25 yard cross course. This would have limited us in several ways both in hosting events and training sessions.
Elizabeth says
Makes sense. Thanks for the response!
Craig Pellegrini says
Will there be a masters swimming program at the new facility?
Legat Architects says
The FMC Natatorium team is currently working on programming for the facility. A Masters Swim program is definitely part of their conversation. You may want to follow FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park on Facebook for updates as they become available. You can also reach out directly to the Natatorium this way.
John says
One issue at big events is traffic and pedestrians. Looks like you will have a lot of cars waiting for pedestrians crossing from the main parking lot. I would recommend an underground walkway or a pedestrian bridge so traffic may flow and pedestrians are safe.
Al Mccarem says
Has an opening date in 2020 been set yet?
Legat Architects says
A firm date has not been set for opening, but FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park is anticipating its FIRST SPLASH in spring of 2020. You may follow their Facebook page for weekly progress updates.
Swimmer Brandon says
What swim teams, if any, have placed an offer to make this their practice location/ home pool? Will there be a home team? Most swim teams have no connections to the park district in which the pool is located, rather they rent out the facility. Also, what communications have been made with Illinois Swimming? Clearly this is a great pool to host some high-level meets. Has anything been proposed?
Legat Architects says
The combined teams of Ultimate and WEST have united under a new name: FMC Aquatic Club. This will be the sole home team based out of the FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park. There will be limited rental hours offered to other teams and organizations for practice and events. We look forward to launching information/website encompassing activities within FMC Aquatics, and rental information including cost.
As for Illinois Swimming, our goals are aligned with long-standing committee goals and dreams. This means hosting Illinois State Meets, attracting out-of-state teams in all aquatics to compete within our state, and hosting multi-level camps.
Feel free to follow FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park on Facebook. Thanks for your interest!
Barb says
As a Downers Grove Senior Citizen would there be in district discount fees & open swim and or lap swims allowed when there is no events occurring and finally what are the costs of joining?
Legat Architects says
Response from FMC Aquatic Opportunities:
Thank you for your interest. Programs that will be offered and promoted with and through the Westmont Park District per FMC’s lease agreement with the district will have resident and non-resident rates. To receive a resident rate, registrants must live within the Westmont Park District’s taxing district. Otherwise, non-resident rates will apply. The exact number and type of programs that will be offered have not been established at this time, though we anticipate a wide variety of options for all ages. Upon completion of our program offerings, FMC Nat and the Park District will make them known via Facebook, website, and the Westmont Park District’s program guide. At this time, we suggest following FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park on Facebook for updates and news.
Aquatic Mike says
What high school team will play host to potential IHSA events?
Will there be any water polo in this pool?
Legat Architects says
FMC Aquatic Opportunities is in the process of constructing the bid package to be submitted to IHSA in February. There won’t be an announcement until after the IHSA makes a decision of the host.
There will be limited water polo scheduled during the year.
Thank you for your interest and please follow FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park on Facebook for updates and news.
Taylor Enerson says
Will you please put a bid in to host the the IHSA Girls and Boys State Swimming and Diving State Championships 2020-2021? Many of us would really appreciate moving the State Championships out of the Northshore area.
https://www.ihsa.org/documents/announcements/SWSpecs2020.pdf
Legat Architects says
FMC Aquatic Opportunities is in the process of preparing a bid package that will be submitted to IHSA in February for their review. There won’t be an announcement until after the IHSA makes a decision of the host.
Mary Ellen Shanley says
Any possibility of area high schools with out a pool on their campus to use FMC as a practice facility? What are the hours of operation going to be?
Legat Architects says
Following is a response from FMC Aquatic Opportunities:
We anticipate opening in early summer of 2020. Our operating hours have not yet been established, but will be posted on our Facebook page soon.
FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park plans to have a full program including open swim, classes, swim and dive club practices, and meets. It is not likely that any high school could depend upon the natatorium for its comprehensive swim and dive program needs. The mission of FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park is making water safety a priority in our community. It is our goal to bring aquatics programming to more children and adults. We believe that every child should have access to learning to swim.
Swimming is a vital component of a high school program. For some children, high school will be their first exposure to swimming. This is especially true for students with disabilities who may otherwise have no access to swimming. Schools must have their own pools to provide physical education aquatics programming for all students including those with disabilities. High school programs also provide life-guarding classes, which offer students the opportunity for employment and teach lifesaving skills.
It is the position of FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park that we need more pools to ensure that everyone has access to swimming.
OZ OSBORNE says
As a member of the Elgin Blue Wave Masters swim team, I am thrilled to see a facility being built here! All of the Masters state meets have been held in Wis. and Ind. for the past 5 + years. This would be a locked in choice for our meets. Please contact me and others to see if we can aid in ant way.
Legat Architects says
FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park is currently working on scheduling and programming for the site. Please feel free to follow them on Facebook for updates and information.