The 49 steps standing between university students and their workouts just became a little bit brighter. Recent renovations to the Davis Center stairwell starts on the ground floor and stretches the three floor climb to the fitness center,  depicting the profound history of Villanova basketball. 

The Davis Center, one of the only college fitness centers nationwide that marries students and basketball players, is a central hub on Villanova’s campus. After the center turned seven this year, a plan for improvement was finally put into action, beginning with the stairwell.

The 1,000 students that on average make the three-story trek daily now see stunning digital images of Villanova’s basketball success in lieu of plain walls. According to associate Athletic Director for Facilities And Operations, Mick Keelan, this is an improvement men’s basketball Head Coach Jay Wright has desired for quite some time now. 

Keelan characterizes this renewal as a “collaborative effort between men’s and women’s basketball,” adding that they wanted “a good mix that captures the history of the program.”

Together both the men’s and women’s programs, Media Relations and the Athletic Department agreed on which images would be featured. Current images of both teams are spotlighted throughout the stairwell, in addition to several silhouettes and headshots of graduates with NBA careers. Full body action shots were given to more recent NBA players that the Athletic Department thought would be more recognizable to the current student body, such as Kyle Lowry of the Toronto Raptors.

The top floor is dedicated to the theme Nova Nation bringing the entire piece together under the common love of Villanova spirit. This expensive project was completely funded by fundraising efforts and is still not complete. Keelan states that on Friday, Sept. 4, plaques displaying the names of all 1,000 point scorers will be posted and LED lights with colored gels will be installed.  

The goal of the theatrical lighting is simply to brighten up the stairwell, Keelan comments, “Hopefully it’s a little more welcoming.” Lighter paints were purposefully chosen in addition to a lighter floor.

The graphic design company responsible for this face lift is  a Philly based group called Sparks. The company employs multiple Villanova graduates and is responsible for many past graphics used in the Davis Center.

Villanova University junior and Davis Center attendee, Noelle Trattou (Class of ‘17), likes the stairwell upgrade. “It pumps me up because it makes me feel like I attend a school that has so many accomplishments to be proud of,” she said.

Other improvements to the Davis Center, such as work on the men’s basketball reception area and entry to the women’s gym are currently underway. Additionally, the cinema should reach its completion in roughly one month. The Athletic Department and basketball programs have a lot more planned, including renovations to the rotunda, but further fundraising is needed to advance.