Air Force Academy provides updates on major construction projects

Austin Sack
·3 min read

(U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo.) — The United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) is hard at work as there are currently several construction projects underway.

The four projects include:

  • True North Commons

  • Falcon Stadium East Club

  • Madera Cyber Innovation Center

  • Cadet Chapel

True North Commons:

This is a 57-acre development located on Academy property directly outside the security checkpoint of the north gate, and includes the 32,000-square-foot Hosmer Visitor Center and Hotel Polaris, a publicly-accessible 375-room hotel, conference center, and office space. The Hosmer Visitor Center, named in honor of Retired Lt. Gen. Bradley Hosmer, the first academy graduate to be named superintendent, and his spouse, Zita, offers a unique perspective into cadet life and will also serve as an Official Colorado Welcome Center.

The project was made possible, in part, through the Colorado Regional Tourism Act tax revenue, which supported the city of Colorado Springs’ City for Champions initiative to add dimension, energy and economic vitality to the Pikes Peak region, and also through philanthropy. Visitor center construction started in 2022 and is anticipated to be completed in May, with a planned opening to the public in December 2025.

The effort represents $33 million in developer funding for the facility, up to $6 million in donor funding for exhibits, and $15 million in federal funding for exhibits and tenant improvements. The nonprofit Air Force Academy Foundation is focused on raising $20 million for the hotel. Previous information about the project is available here.

True North Commons
True North Commons

The Falcon Stadium East Club:

This project enhances the existing east concourse of the football stadium and features 1,200 premium seats, includes its own entrance, heritage plaza, open-air hospitality decks, food and beverage options, restrooms, a merchandise area, and a ticket office. The Falcon Stadium modernization is a fundraising priority within the Defining Our Future comprehensive campaign, publicly launched in 2021 by the nonprofit Air Force Academy Foundation and Association of
Graduates.

The investment required for the initial phase of the Falcon Stadium modernization project totals $90 million. Philanthropic support through the Air Force Academy Foundation will provide $35 million as part of the campaign and the Philanthropic support through the Air Force Academy Foundation will provide $35 million as part of the campaign. The remaining $55 million investment will be financed by Air Force Academy Athletic Corporation revenue.

Construction started 2023 and is anticipated to be completed in September.

The Falcon Stadium East Club
The Falcon Stadium East Club

The Madera Cyber Innovation Center:

This is a three-story facility with nearly 49,000 square feet of auditoriums, classrooms and
collaboration space allowing the Department of Computer and Cyber Sciences to serve more than 1,400 cadets who attend department courses annually. The Air Force CyberWorx will also be housed in the new facility. Collaboration spaces bring academia, industry and military cyber operators together to educate and train future officers of the Air Force and the Space
Force.

The center is provided through both philanthropy and federal funding, with $29.9 million in military construction funding and $38 million in private support raised to date. It is a priority of the Defining Our Future campaign. Construction started in 2020 and is anticipated to be completed in August. The building is named in honor of Paul, Class of 1978, and Joan Madera. More information about the project is available here.

The Madera Cyber Innovation Center
The Madera Cyber Innovation Center

The Cadet Chapel:

Built from 1959 to 1962, the Cadet Chapel faced water intrusion issues almost immediately. A planned interior water barrier behind the exterior aluminum was engineered out of the project as a cost-savings effort and replaced with 32 miles of asbestos caulking that did not work. Efforts to mitigate the problem over the years concealed some Cadet Chapel architectural features from public view and did not stop continued water damage to the chapel interior.

Air Force Academy provides updates on major construction projects
The Cadet Chapel

The current project is designed to permanently solve the leakage problem, repair related damage, and restore the chapel. Restoration began in 2019 and is anticipated to be completed in 2027 with $240 million in Air Force operations and maintenance funding.

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