After eight months of renovations totaling $4 million, the Duke Health and Fitness Center will reopen today.
The center is part of the Center for Living Campus off of Erwin Road and has been housed in the nearby Diet and Fitness Center since May 2014, while the original building was gutted and renovated. The revamped structure includes new equipment, new flooring and a saline pool—upgrades to a space that has always strived to differentiate itself as welcoming to gym rats of all skill levels.
"I didn't feel when we closed for renovations that we were up to our standards or what our clients deserve," said Maria Nardini, director of the center. "We're there now."
For many of the center's members, the changes are a welcome update to an exercise environment that they have always seen as special. Though anyone can become a member at the center, many of the clients are patients from Duke University Health System—and the opportunity to exercise in a low-pressure environment where they can receive individualized help to match their health situation is appreciated.
"You walk around and see people just like you," said center member Cindy McAbee, a Durham resident who began exercising at the center as part of a rehabilitation program for arthritis 10 years ago. "We were all like, 'We can't wait to be back [in the new center].'"
McAbee has continued working out at the center through two hip replacements and a series of cancer treatments. The welcoming atmosphere she has found at the center has been a large part of her commitment to staying healthy, she said.
Nardini noted that creating a comfortable and inviting environment is a priority for the center's staff, adding that everything down to employees' attire is chosen so as to make clients of all abilities feel welcome.
The center used to host Duke's cardio and pulmonary rehabilitation programs, which gave it a reputation as being primarily for older exercisers. But those programs have since relocated, and the center is welcome to people of all ages, Nardini said.
Built in 1991, the center's recent renovations are its first major upgrade. The refurbished structure features a new floor, expanded space for new machines, a new private exercise studio and a saline pool and spa. The building also has added a second floor, which will soon house Duke's sports medicine services.
Sports medicine's current home of the Finch-Yeager Building will be torn down in February as part of the Wallace Wade Stadium project.
The center's members were given an advance look at the renovated structure Friday, and many said they approved of the fresh look.
"I'm glad it's gotten the attention it needed," said McAbee, who works at Durham VA Medical Center. "I can't wait to work out here."
In addition to patients from DUHS, Duke faculty and staff also make up a significant portion of the center's clients. About 30 to 35 percent of the 1,800 clients work at Duke, said membership coordinator Debbie Carter.
But as much as the upgrade is appreciated, for some, returning to the center has been something to look forward to in and of itself.
"It's home," McAbee said of the center. "These people are home."
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