PORTLAND, Ore. — The University of Oregon academic center for athletes that opened in January, paid for entirely by benefactor Phil Knight, cost about twice as much per square foot as Portland’s priciest condo buildings, according to documents released to The Oregonian.
The John E. Jaqua Academic Center for Student Athletes, named for the late UO alumnus and founding board member of Nike, cost $41.7 million.
That includes everything from permitting, design and construction to furniture — all but the land, which the university leased to Knight for $1 during construction.
That means the glass-encased, three-story, 37,000-square-foot structure cost an estimated $1,100 per square foot.
“That’s a fortune,” said Monte D. Haynes, a development broker who worked on a Class A office building in Lake Oswego. “I think anybody would tell you that’s a fortune.”
On Friday a spokeswoman at Nike, the company Knight co-founded, referred requests for comment to the university.
The Jaqua Center, dubbed the “jock box” by critics, has spurred controversy because of its opulence and exclusivity. Although it sits at a prominent entrance to campus, most of the building is off limits to non-athletes.
