MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Athletic Department helped celebrate the official groundbreaking ceremony for the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center Wednesday evening.
 
The OHOW Center will be a 16,000 square foot expansion to the Klotsche Center & Pavilion and will be utilized primarily by the Panthers men's and women's basketball team. The new facility will feature a full-sized basketball court that mirrors the game surfaces, a basketball strength and conditioning center, video room, auxiliary sports medicine and treatment center, and basketball student-athlete lounge.
 
The building, designed by HGA Architects & Engineers based out of Milwaukee, will also house the new Panther Athletics Hall of History.
 
The building is scheduled to be completed in the Fall of 2022 and will be located on the east side of the Pavilion, connected by a skywalk over the existing driveway to preserve access to the Pavilion parking structure.
 
The Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin has been a partner of UWM for several years. In December 2018, OHOW renewed its contract as the exclusive provider of orthopedic care, physical therapy and health care coverage for Panther student-athletes. In September of 2019, the University received a $2.1 million gift from the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin for the construction of this facility.
 
Construction of the OHOW Center is completely funded through philanthropic gifts and student-directed segregated fees that are already being collected. It will not result in future increases to student segregated fees and does not rely on state funds.