Campus Development

The O’Dowd Center will support the heart of the O’Dowd co-curricular experience – serving our entire community. Designed to host a wide range of activities, the O’Dowd Center will provide our students a place to learn, perform, compete, and worship. The Center’s lobby and the adjoining outdoor plaza/viewing deck will create a delightful space to support a variety of events. The interior space will include a new gymnasium, strength and conditioning facilities, classrooms for music and drama, and two additional new classrooms. Creating a place where the entire student body will come together as one enhances community engagement and promotes O’Dowd’s core values.

The new O’Dowd Center will be located behind the existing large gym and will be physically connected to the Quad by a hallway through the existing gym building. The aging portable that housed drama and music rehearsal will be removed and these programs will move into the new building.

This state-of-the-art Center is a multi-purpose facility designed to serve our entire community of students, parents, faculty, staff and alumni.

• A Place for All to Gather & Foster Student Growth – The O’Dowd Center will provide a space large enough for the entire school to come together as one, addressing a critical need. The entire school community of faculty, staff, and students will gather in the new gymnasium for Mass and other faith-based activities, assemblies to celebrate the diverse range of student cultures, as well as student rallies and time- honored school traditions and events. Deepening a sense of belonging is at the heart of who we are as a Catholic school.
• Two New Classrooms  A multi-purpose classroom with advanced audio-visual presentation capabilities will serve as a flexible space for instruction, presentations, club meetings and events for students, faculty, parents and alumni. An additional much-needed general classroom will enhance learning opportunities.
• Music Studio  A professionally designed music studio will accommodate the program’s instructional, practice, recording and equipment requirements. Advanced music students and small ensemble groups will have dedicated practice rooms to develop their talent and enrich their performance.
• Drama Studio  The new drama studio will provide the flexibility to adapt for rehearsals, classroom instruction, and space for smaller and more intimate performances. It will complement the existing 325-seat theater and position O’Dowd’s performing arts program to attain even greater heights.
• Gymnasium  Athletics is the largest co-curricular program on campus with over 70% of students participating. The new O’Dowd Center will feature a full-size competition court that will triple our current seating capacity, enabling O’Dowd to host many more post-season competitions as well as support the school’s robust athletic practice, training and competition needs.
• Athletic Performance Lab  Critical to O’Dowd’s comprehensive athletics performance program, our athletic trainers and coaches will have a new modern space with improved equipment and sports medicine resources to optimize care for our students at every stage of fitness. With more than 3,000 student visits per year, O’Dowd’s strength and conditioning staff serve and support elite caliber athletes, young developing athletes and students aspiring to a more active lifestyle.

Over the last 15 years, O’Dowd has invested $30 million to enhance its learning spaces — and today, our entire community benefits daily from that investment. Completed projects include 45 renovated classrooms, including two state-of-the-art chemistry labs; updated technology infrastructure; a modernized library with expanded space, upgraded technology and flexible seating; as well as the Center for Environmental Studies (CES) and the adjoining Living Lab.

With such significant investments in the academic spaces on campus, O’Dowd is now turning to co-curricular enhancements for athletics, performing arts, all-school gatherings and more. Building the Center is critical to meeting students’ needs and ensuring O’Dowd’s excellence for generations to come.

No. The Center will enhance the student experience for the current enrollment. The school has no plans to increase student capacity.

The O’Dowd Center has been funded through a capital campaign with a goal of $40 million, with a generous $20 million matching grant from the Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation. All members of the O’Dowd community have been invited to contribute to this unparalleled project.

Yes! The Wayne and Gladys Valley Foundation provided a $20 million matching grant to help realize this vision. This transformative gift has doubled the impact of every contribution. This match has spurred generous gifts of all sizes and multi-year pledges – many thanks to our supportive community of generous parents, alumni, past parents, grandparents, faculty and staff, friends, and foundations.

Representatives from the President’s Office are overseeing the project and coordinating with the Board of Regents and the Oakland Diocese to ensure that decisions are sound and responsible. The school has also assembled a team of seasoned volunteers who are providing expertise and contributing to the planning, construction and fundraising efforts.