Madison Kwiecinski 

News Editor 

Mvk5945@psu.edu 

Penn State Behrend’s Erie Hall building was demolished last semester to pave way for the new fitness and recreation center being built in its place. The new building will be home to the new gym, a unique e-sports center,  a brand well counseling space, and many other additional spaces for campus events. 

In July of last year the Penn State Board of Trustees approved $28.2 million in funding for the new building, with about 40 percent of funding being committed from Penn State Behrend student initiated fees. The new building should be a large increase over the previous Erie hall, sitting at 52,700-square-foot. The Behrend website is currently providing footage via a webcam of the construction of the building, with time-lapse videos of the project available. 

The original Erie Hall building was the first building added to the University after Ernest and Marry Behrend’s original donation of the Glenhill Farm Estate. At the time Erie hall was originally built, Behrend was not yet a four-year college. The original Erie Hall also doubled as a dance hall, with music performed by 15-piece bands. Additionally, during the 2016 presidential election campaign Former President Bill Clinton spoke there. 

Last Wednesday, March 23, Behrend held a “topping-off ceremony” for the building, where the final beam was put in place over the entrance to the building. The 32-foot-long, 1,200 pound beam sat outside of the Reed Union Building last week on Monday and Tuesday for students to sign before it was lifted onto the new Erie Hall. The construction on the building has been ongoing since September, with this marking the end of building the “bones” of the building. 

The topping-off ceremony began first with some statements given in the Wintergreen Garden. Chancellor Ralph Ford, Dr. Miller, and Dylan Free, SGA President, all spoke at the ceremony. All three individuals took this opportunity to thank the Student Facility Fee for funding the creation of this project. The day of the ceremony had exceptionally high-winds and it was unsure whether the beam would fit into place under these conditions, but it did and students were invited to watch the final beam, full of student signatures, be placed onto the building. 

The overall construction is expected to be finished by December, and hopefully open for use by the next spring semester. Students can look forward to seeing the progress on the building moving forward, and taking advantage of the new fitness and recreation center when it opens late this year. In the meantime, on YouTube as well as the Behrend website students can find a digitally rendered version of what the building will look like completed from both the inside and outside of the hall.