The University of Pennsylvania's Pottruck Health and Fitness Center has been named the second best campus recreation center in the U.S. by College Consensus, a college rating and review aggregator.
University of Chicago topped the list, followed by Penn and then Colby College in Waterville, Maine. Penn was the only Ivy League school included in the list, which included a total of 50 schools that had previously "achieved national recognition for their recreation programs," College Consensus wrote. Other Philadelphia schools also made the list, including Drexel University at No. 32 and Temple University at No. 36.
College Consesus described Pottruck as “the finest campus recreation center in the region,” and listed some of its amenities, including a rock-climbing wall, three full-length basketball courts, an Olympic-size swimming pool, and a golf simulator with 35 World Championship courses. Apart from offering recreational facilities, Pottruck also provides group classes for various sports and physical activities at low costs.
Pottruck first opened in the fall of 2002. According to a Daily Pennsylvanian article published in 2002, initial reviews of the center's facilities were mixed. While many students were impressed by the quality of the new fitness center, some were also concerned about the additional tuition costs that the renovation imposed on all students.
“I don’t think the burden of the renovations should be placed on the students,” then-Wharton junior Ryan Weber told the DP at the time. “All students had to pay an extra [$200] whether they use the gym or not. The students who want to use the gym should pay for it.”
Prior to Pottruck, Penn’s primary recreational centers were the Gimbel and Hutchison Gymnasiums.
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