Roosevelt High School in Honolulu has cut the ribbon on a gleaming $32 million gym, a 55,000-square-foot complex that school leaders say will pull double duty for students, athletes and the surrounding Punchbowl neighborhood. The building replaces an older, undersized gym and stands as the headline project in a multi-phase campus master plan focused on upgrading Roosevelt’s athletic and arts facilities.
What's Inside the New Gym
The new center spans roughly 55,000 square feet and features double-height playcourts with seating for about 1,500 spectators. Inside, there are dedicated rooms for weight training, wrestling, cheer and classroom instruction, turning the gym into a kind of one-stop shop for physical education and team sports. Ferraro Choi, the project’s design partner, lists the gym’s overall size and core program elements as key parts of the campus master plan.
Who Built It
The school notes that local contractors delivered the work on an accelerated schedule, getting the long-awaited facility over the finish line. Roosevelt’s project page names Nan Inc. as the general contractor and Bowers and Kubota as the construction manager, and it also points out that the project added roughly 45 parking stalls beneath the new building, a small but welcome bonus in a tight neighborhood. Roosevelt High School has shared construction timelines and plans for the site.
School Leaders Mark the Milestone
At a Wednesday dedication ceremony, teachers and administrators cast the gym as equal parts arena and gathering place. Hawaii News Now quoted teacher Melissa Kim saying the facility "will serve not only Roosevelt students and families but also our broader community," while principal Sean Wong called the building a place "where Roosevelt pride will echo for generations."
Built to Shelter During Storms
Beyond the glossy finishes, the gym was engineered with durability and storm resilience front and center. The precast concrete structure, hard-wearing finishes and hurricane-resistant detailing are intended to keep maintenance in check and help the building ride out severe weather so it can function as a resiliency hub during emergencies. Ferraro Choi describes those materials and strategies as integral to the design. State capital-bond documents have also put Roosevelt on lists for gym and music facility funding in recent packages, and Hawaii State Legislature records reflect that earlier appropriations helped support the campus upgrades.
What's Next for the Campus
School officials say the gym is only phase one of the broader master plan. Next up is an $18 million, 8,100-square-foot music building, planned as a later phase with completion expected in 2028. As the campus builds toward that goal, Hawaii News Now also reported that Roosevelt will open the new gym to the public for a community open house on July 11 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
