A place for everyone: Hundreds visit Penn State Behrend's new Erie Hall each day
Kelly Wilson, who was recently named campus recreation manager at Penn State Behrend, served for four years as an assistant women's soccer team coach.
She's spent plenty of time at the Junker Center, which has been Behrend's main athletic and fitness center since it was built in 2001.
Wilson, like others on campus, recognized the facility was stretched beyond capacity.
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"If you were an average Joe, you had a hard time getting in for a workout," said Ken Miller, Behrend's senior director for administration and student affairs.
A place for everyone
That changed Feb. 13 with the opening of the new Erie Hall, which has been under construction since the summer of 2021.
At 52,700-square-foot, the $28.2 million building is three times the size of the earlier Erie Hall, Behrend's original gymnasium, which opened in 1952.
The building, which incorporates massive floor-to-ceiling windows, includes a three-court gymnasium, spin and yoga rooms, free weights and exercise space, and dedicated practice and team spaces for Behrend’s baseball and softball, wrestling, tennis, and track and field teams.
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Wilson, who oversees programming for the new building, said what it doesn't include are bleachers or space for sanctioned competitions.
The new building has opened up recreation space for both avid athletes and casual newcomers. So far, the new Erie Hall has averaged more than 700 visitors a day, including plenty who had spent little or no time in the athlete-focused Junker Center.
"There are so many people who have come into this building that I have never seen before," Wilson said. "I love that there is something for everyone. It's life-changing for the campus community. It's like the campus just got a boost when the doors opened up."
Where you'll find it
The new steel, glass and brick building is located just to the north and east of the original Erie Hall, just north of the Reed Union Building.
Miller said the planners hoped the building would catch visitors' attention as they drive up College Avenue.
"We wanted them to see it and say, "Wow,'" he said.
Student investment
School officials had initially discussed renovating the old Erie Hall, but decided a new building was a better option.
Funding for the building included a contribution of more than $10 million, or about 40% of the cost, from Behrend's student-initiated fee. Students voted to allocate several years of funding for the project.
Mental wellness
As the new home of Behrend's personal counseling team, Erie Hall builds on the relationship between mental and physical wellness.
Some of the building's multipurpose rooms will offer classes in anxiety reduction, stress management and smoking cessation.
Honoring the past
The old Erie Hall will be remembered in the new building's lobby, where giant windows offer views into both the workout space and the basketball courts on the lower floor.
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A section of the hardwood floor from the original Erie Hall basketball court has been attached to the wall. There are plans to mount the sign from the old building on top.
'Scratching the surface'
Wilson said she anticipates the number of visitors will only grow as more classes and programming options are offered.
"There are so many options for people who come to this building and it's only going to get better," she said.
Miller agrees.
"We are just scratching the surface," he said. "It's the outlet students wanted. They have a place to go."
Contact Jim Martin at jmartin@timesnews.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Hall 'life-changing' on Penn State Behrend campus in Erie PA
