After the Adelbert Gym is renovated and expanded, including this new lobby addition to the front entrance, it will be renamed DiSanto Arena in honor of the DiSanto family’s philanthropic gift to Case Western Reserve University (OSPORTS). CLICK IMAGES TO ENLARGE THEM.
Project is a go after $7.9M in donations
Adelbert Gym, 2128 Adelbert Rd., one of Case Western Reserve University’s (CWRU) most historic buildings, will soon undergo a transformative renovation, made possible primarily by recent contributions totaling $7.9 million from two generous trustees.
The renovated facility will be renamed DiSanto Arena after CWRU received $5.9 million from CWRU alumnus Fred DiSanto, his wife Brittan, and their son and daughter-in-law, TJ and Lia DiSanto. The Adelbert Gym gift includes a $5 million lead donation and an additional gift of $900,000 to reach the university’s fundraising goal for the project.
Those follow another recent and significant investment by the DiSanto family who recently committed $7 million to support the university’s Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building. Together, the gifts reflect a deeply held family value around philanthropy and responsibility.
After that came a $2 million commitment from Brennan Industries, its Chairman and CEO David Carr and his wife Angela for DiSanto Arena. In recognition of their gift, the basketball court inside the renovated facility will be named Brennan Industries Court. The renovated and expanded facility is due to reopen in spring 2027.
These gifts will help advance CWRU’s vision for a revitalized facility that will preserve the character of the historic Adelbert Gym while elevating it to meet the needs of today’s students, varsity athletics and community programming. Estimated project cost is about $9 million, according to public records.
A rendering of the renovated DiSanto Arena with the Brennan Industries Court, so named because of a gift from Brennan Industries’ Chairman and CEO David Carr and his wife Angela (OSPORTS).
When it re-opens as DiSanto Arena, it will incorporate over 6,000 square feet of expansions and renovations to the concourse, court and mezzanine levels — including new locker rooms for men’s and women’s basketball, a new “Spartan Gallery” social space, and an expansion of the building’s footprint for a new lobby and entry tower.
Plans for the gym project began moving through the City of Cleveland approvals process last year but CWRU put that effort on hold until all of the funding could be secured. Now that it is has, the project will move forward quickly and add to the University Circle district.
“Fred and his family have been extraordinarily loyal and generous supporters of Case Western Reserve University,” said CWRU President Eric Kaler in a written statement. “Their gifts have been transformative in so many areas — student scholarships, athletics, and support for the Interdisciplinary Science and Engineering Building, among others.”
“David and Angela (Carr) have been wonderful advocates for both the concept and the impact that the renovation of the historic Adelbert Gym will have on our campus community, as well as the broader public,” Kaler added. “We are grateful to the Carrs for their generous support and we look forward to the grand opening of Brennan Industries Court at DiSanto Arena next year.”
“For a university like Case Western Reserve — now recognized (by TIME magazine) among the top institutions in the world — everything we do should be the best,” DiSanto said. “Every facility should be top-notch. This project reflects that commitment.”
The historic Adelbert Gym was built in 1888 but expanded in 1918 at the north end of the building on Adelbert Road. That expansion was built for use as an armory during World War I. Since the war ended before construction was completed, Adelbert Gym was never used as an armory (Google).
DiSanto became CEO of wealth management firm Ancora in 2006 and chairman in 2014. He previously served as executive vice president and manager of Fifth Third Bank’s Investment Advisors Division and president and COO of Maxus Investment Group.
As a CWRU student, DiSanto distinguished himself as one of the most accomplished athletes in university history, earning an unparalleled 12 varsity letters across football, basketball and baseball. In 1996, he was inducted into the Case Western Reserve University Athletics Hall of Fame.
“The Adelbert Gym project certainly has special meaning for Fred as an alumnus and a former Spartan athlete,” Kaler said. “We look forward to the opening of DiSanto Arena as a modernized space for students and for the community, and as one of the premier NCAA Division III facilities in the country.”
Carr said his decision to give was shaped by both his service as a trustee and a long-standing family connection to the university. His grandfather earned a degree from what is now Case Western Reserve, and Carr spent time on campus growing up with friends who attended the university.
Today, his company, Cleveland-based Brennan Industries, recruits several CWRU students annually — strengthening the leading global aerospace component manufacturer and supplier of hydraulic fittings and adapters, founded in 1953.
The south side of the DiSanto Arena will gain a new elevator in the tower at left plus an addition for a new weight room, at right (OSPORTS).
“Case Western Reserve is such a great engine for Northeast Ohio,” Carr said. “The more the community can do to support it, the more CWRU will reciprocate — not only to the people and the economic conditions of Northeast Ohio, but also to the prominence of the region as a result of the university’s success.”
Opened in 1888 and expanded in 1918, Adelbert Gym is among the oldest buildings still in active use on campus and has served generations of CWRU students as a hub for physical activity and events. Adelbert Hall, 2040 Adelbert Rd. and built in 1881-82, is the oldest building at CWRU.
The university began in Hudson in 1826 as Western Reserve College. CWRU was formed in 1967 when Case Institute of Technology, founded in 1880 as the Case School of Applied Science, merged with Western Reserve in 1967.
The name Adelbert has 19th-century origins. In 1882, Cleveland industrialist and railroad tycoon Amasa Stone gave a large gift to relocate Western Reserve College from Hudson to Cleveland, requiring that it be renamed Adelbert College in honor of his son, Adelbert Stone, who died in a swimming accident at Yale University.
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