'Other' gym gets 'cosmetic' renovations

Suffering from a leaky roof, a leaky pool and no air conditioning, Hutchinson Gymnasium is falling apart, according to Mike Diorka, director of recreation sports.

The basketball court in the gym at 220 S. 32nd St. is currently undergoing renovations to its floor, the only major construction the building has seen in the past several years, Diorka said.

In one corner of the basketball court, a hole has been created to help repair major water damage from the leaking roof.

And, Diorka said, Hutch -- Penn's "other" gym, built in 1937 -- is generally showing its age.

Hutch is where Penn's basketball teams practice. They play at the Palestra not far away.

But for the short-term, Hutch is only being touched up on a year-by-year basis, with no major renovations planned.

"We're doing lots of cosmetic-type activities, but there are no major dollars being invested into this facility at this point," Diorka said. "To get into [Hutch] and do major work would be very costly."

But the campus development plan -- to be released later this spring -- will detail the future of both the 70-year-old gym and eastward campus-expansion projects, according to facilities spokesman Tony Sorrentino.

Not every part of Hutch is falling apart, Diorka said. The squash courts and wrestling facility have recently undergone renovations.

But Diorka added that it's not only the basketball court that needs attention.

The pool has been losing water since his first day on the job, he said.

Another issue for the gym is that the building layout isn't suitable for modern athletes.

Currently, most of the basketball courts are used for pick-up games, but they were not designed for the fast-paced game that contemporary students play, Diorka said.

"The basketball courts were really designed to be instructional courts, not competition courts," Diorka said.

The current courts measure 60 feet in length, while an NCAA regulation basketball court is 94 feet in length.

"We don't even have a high-school size basketball court," he added."Today, kids are more mobile than in 1937."

Diorka said that over 500 people come to the gym every day, about 200 of whom are there for recreational purposes. The rest are intercollegiate athletes.

While most students agree that the facility is run down, some come to the gym to avoid the crowds at the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center.

Engineering graduate student Alan Rosenwinkel plays intramural basketball at the gym.

"It is not as nice as Pottruck, but it is not as crowded as Pottruck," Rosenwinkel said.

Second-year Law student Jerod Partin spent his undergraduate years at the University of California at Los Angeles and said that even the backup courts at his alma mater were nicer than those at Hutch.

The gym "is very dilapidated, and the scoreboard looks like it hasn't been used in a while," Partin said.

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