North Central College has opened a new parking pavilion on its campus.
Additional parking at North Central College
The four-level lot is located north of Merner Field House near the corner of Highland Avenue and Brainard Street and features over 500 parking spots.
“With the addition of this parking facility on our campus, we now have 1,525 parking spaces on our campus and then another 800 parking spaces on streets within a couple of blocks of our campus,” said Jim Godo, vice president for communications and strategic initiative at North Central College.
The lot was built to increase parking capacity at the college and improve parking safety and convenience.
“With 1,200 resident students living on campus, and with a significant number of students commuting and attending classes in close proximity to this location, this was really the perfect way to address the parking need,” said Godo.
In recognition that the college is a certified arboretum, each level is named after a tree species on campus: Eastern Redbud, Blue Beech, Autumn Blaze Maple, and White Oak.
Parking pavilion usage
The college is using the top three levels for resident students, while the first level is for commuters, visitors, faculty, and staff. The lot will also be used for other parking purposes like sports games and commencement.
“So it is primarily for our campus community, but clearly will play a significant role for special events on our campus throughout the course of the year,” said Godo.
The college opens the new facility
Construction of the parking pavilion began in May of 2023 and finished in late January.
The college held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the parking deck on Friday, Feb. 2. Speakers included North Central College president Dr. Anita Thomas, Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, and Illinois State Senator Laura Ellman.
Godo says the new parking pavilion is already a hit with the campus community.
“I think students are thrilled by the addition of parking on campus. They love being able to park in this facility. They love the close proximity to the residence halls. It’s been very well received and that makes us very happy,” said Godo.
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