The P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., Boathouse is an athletic facility at the

University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...

. The building primarily serves the university's women's

rowing Rowing is the act of propelling a human-powered watercraft using the sweeping motions of oars to displace water and generate reactional propulsion. Rowing is functionally similar to paddling, but rowing requires oars to be mechanically a ...

team. The university's club men's rowing team also uses the facility, along with the Hawkeye Community Rowing Program and the Old Capitol Rowing Club. It was a joint project of the City of

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

, the Athletics Department and Recreational Services of the

. designed by Iowa-based Neumann Monson Architects.

Groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, turf-cutting, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such cer ...

took place on March 12, 2008. The P. Sue Beckwith, M.D., Boathouse was dedicated on September 18, 2009. The project cost US$7.2 million and includes

... a terrace, training area, locker room, meeting room, storage space, easy access to the
Iowa River The Iowa River is a tributary of the Mississippi River in the state of Iowa in the United States. It is about longU.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed May 13, 2011 and i ...
, and a UI College of Engineering-designed indoor rowing tank. It's also the first UI building designed to meet the standards for the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification.

P. Sue Beckwith

P. Sue Beckwith is a former alumni of the

. She obtained a bachelor's of science degree in psychology in 1980 and completed her doctor of medicine degree in 1984. Following a fellowship in colon and rectal surgery at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota she returned to

Des Moines Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

to run a successful surgical practice. Beckwith when younger was a basketballer and began rowing later in life. The lack of rowing facilities for student athletes resulted in her lead pledging US$1 million towards the building of a new boathouse which was named in her honor.

Hawkeye Community Rowing Program

The program is open to citizens of Iowa City and surrounding areas. It includes sessions for beginners and advanced for high schools and adults. It includes adaptive rowing for those with disabilities both physical and intellectual.

References

University of Iowa campus Boathouses in the United States Sports venues completed in 2009 2009 establishments in Iowa Iowa River {{Iowa-struct-stub