Rec Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Recreation Building | |
|---|---|
| (Rec Hall) | |
 |
|
| Location | Curtin Rd University Park, PA 16802 |
| Broke ground | 1927 |
| Opened | January 15, 1929 |
| Owner | Penn State University |
| Operator | Penn State University |
| Construction cost | $572,260 |
| Architect | Charles Z. Klauder |
| Tenants | Penn State Nittany Lions (Gymnastics, volleyball & wrestling) |
| Capacity | 7,200 |
Recreation Building, or Rec Hall as it is more commonly known, is a field house located on the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It was opened on January 15, 1929 and is still in use. Previously, Penn State's indoor sports teams played in a building known as the Armory, which was razed to allow construction of the Willard Building. The men's and women's basketball teams moved to the Bryce Jordan Center in 1996 but the gymnastics, volleyball, and wrestling teams continue to compete at Rec Hall. The well-known Nittany Lion shrine is located nearby this building. The Penn State Dance Marathon, commonly known as THON, was held in Rec Hall from 1999 to 2006, but was subsequently moved to the Bryce Jordan Center.
The architect was Charles Z. Klauder, who had designed the University of Pennsylvania's Palestra. The Colonial Georgian design of Rec Hall was chosen to "harmonize" with other new structures on campus.
Rec Hall has undergone many renovations over its history. In recent history, the drop ceiling that was installed in the 1960's was removed in the late 1990's and the building's original roof line was restored, exposing the open steel truss ceiling and upper windows. Along with this, lighting and building acoustics were also improved. In 2005 electronic LED scoreboards were installed and lower seating bowl bleachers were replaced. Renovation of Rec Hall's south wing was completed in 2006, including expansion of the student fitness center.
The largest crowd in Rec Hall history, 8,600, witnessed the men's basketball team defeat Virginia 93-68 on December 5, 1973. Another notable game was the 1991 Atlantic Ten Conference men's basketball tournament championship, won by Penn State. Rec Hall is also known as a classic home court advantage, as the women's volleyball team holds the record for home match winning streaks (87), which they did not lose at Rec Hall for over five years. The 87 win streak is among the top five for home court winning streaks, for any sport, ever.
