Bowdoin College - Facilities

On its 200-acre campus, Bowdoin pampers its student body with six athletic centers, two dining halls, a convenience store, a pub and grill, 25 computer labs, and music, science, and general-purpose libraries with a special collections department, a government document collection, and much more. Students agree that the facilities available to them are more than adequate for a school of Bowdoin’s size. The Olympic-size pool, collegiate-size hockey rink, climbing wall, indoor track, dance studio, aerobics room, and separate Outing Club building, as well as the squash, basketball, and tennis courts, are all available for use by the Bowdoin community year round.

With more than 116 buildings on campus offering more than 1.8 million square feet of floor space, Bowdoin students won’t grow claustrophobic by any means. It’s amazing how consistently Bowdoin renovates the campus in order to provide state-of-the-art facilities for its students. Aesthetically, Bowdoin is a beautiful campus, and one quick glance at the academic quad alone proves that, regardless of taste, you’ll find at least one building to be visually pleasing. Between the Gothic Hubbard Hall, the grand-pillared Walker Art Museum, the red-and-white Gibson Hall, the brown-brick Visual Art Center, the red-brick Searles Science/Math Building, the cobblestone Pickard Hall, and the vine-covered red-brick first-year dorms, you’ll see a little of everything at Bowdoin, not unlike the diverse student body!

Student Center:
Smith Union (The Union, SU)

Athletic Center:
Dayton Ice Arena
Farley Field House
Greason Swimming Pool
Lubin Family Squash Center
Sargent and Morrell Gymnasiums
Watson Fitness Center

Libraries:
African American Center Library
Beckwith Music Library
Career Planning Center Library
Government Documents
Hatch Science Library
Hawthorne-Longfellow Library
Language Media Center
Pierce Art Library
Special Collections & Archives
Susan Dwight Bliss Room
Women’s Resource Center Library

Campus Size:
205 acres
Bowdoin will acquire approximately 170 additional acres when the Brunswick Naval Air Station closes in 2011.

Popular Places to Chill:
The Pub
The Quad
Smith Union

What Is There to Do on Campus?
For a college of its size, there is an incredible amount of things to do on campus. Many artistic events, including dance shows at Pickard Theatre, plays and improv shows, art openings at Fort Andross or the Visual Arts Center, and the numerous a cappella concerts at the chapel, are all productions put on by students for students. In addition to these activities, the school puts a lot of effort into bringing to Bowdoin speakers, performers, and musicians who will be of interest to the students. Bowdoin also provides a number of diverse fitness facilities, which makes exercise and recreational activity extremely easy to participate in.   Students should also check out the Bowdoin Outing Club (BOC), a leadership program that involves hiking, backpacking, canoeing, fly-fishing, whitewater rafting, kayaking, bird-watching, winter mountaineering, snow shoeing, and cross-country skiing. The BOC maintains a cabin in Monson, Maine, the start of the Appalachian Trail, and owns MerritIsland in the NewMeadowsRiver.
Coffeehouse on Campus?
Yes, the café in the student union has several pool tables and a mezzanine seating area where coffee is served.

Bowling on Campus?
No, but there are lanes within walking distance from campus.

Movie Theater on Campus?
Yes, Sills Auditorium shows films a few times a year.

Bar on Campus?
Yes, Jack Magee’s Pub located in the Smith Union.

Favorite Things To Do
The typical Bowdoin student usually becomes involved in a myriad of activities and will eventually get caught up in a chaotic but rewarding routine. Each member of the student body also finds a way to unwind after a long day. Some opt to take walks, chill out and read on the Quad, visit the WalkerArt Museum, toss a Frisbee around between the dorms, tune into the campus radio station WBOR (91.1), or flip on the Bowdoin Cable Network. Others go to the Smith Union to enjoy the company of friends, a cup of java, sushi from the café of the C-Store, and maybe even a game of pool. Another favorite thing Bowdoin students enjoy doing is attending guest lectures. The college has been known to bring in experts from time to time to speak about their professional and life experiences. Notable speakers in the past range from Kareem Abdul Jabbar to Barbara Walters. Many also like to hang out at the ITS Center while doing “work,” but around finals time, you’ll find more of a social setting than people actually studying.