WC Wisconsin News

Ground was finally broken for the Sonnentag Project at the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW) after it was a conceptual, future project for the last eight years.

The new indoor event venue will open in the summer of 2024 and will be a huge advancement for the university and the community.

"UW-Eau Claire: $70 million gift to UW-Eau Claire Foundation puts Sonnentag Project on fast track, charts course for success for northwestern Wisconsin," Jim Schmidt, chancellor of the university, said in late April on Twitter.

Jim and Carolyn Sonnentag are UW-Eau Claire alumni who donated $70 million to help fund the new Sonnentag Center on the banks of the Chippewa River, according to WisPolitics. A 21-acre lot will be transformed into the County Materials Complex over the next two years – a $107 million investment that will house the new fieldhouse and event center.

The venue will include the largest indoor event center in northwestern Wisconsin and has received plenty of attention already due to its size and green infrastructure. WisPolitics reported that the Pablo Foundation in Eau Claire has donated approximately $10 million to the project. This will ensure clean energy sources and a reduced carbon footprint are used throughout the project and to maintain the venue. The city of Eau Claire also helped fund the project.

The new venue will replace the Zorn Arena, a 70-year-old facility on campus, according to a news release from UW-Eau Claire. The new complex will house men's and women's basketball, as well as tournaments, games, and practices for multiple other sports on campus and in the community. It will also house a $15 million dollar Mayo Clinic Health System Diagnostic Imaging and Sports Medicine Center, to be used by athletes from the university and local area.