Event Detail

HPER Building (Moffett Center) (1953)

First promised by the State Education Department in 1931 to house Cortland's physical education program, HPER was delayed by the Great Depression. Construction began in 1950. In the meantime,  a wooden gymnasium originally built for military use, known as the Gym Annex, filled the needs of the growing College. It was disassembled and transported in pieces from Long Island and reconstructed on campus in 1947 as the home of the basketball team. 

When finally completed, the HPER building housed a 25-yard swimming pool, a gymnasium that could be divided into two, classrooms, offices, and laboratory spaces. In 1967, the college renamed HPER to the Donovan C. Moffett Center in honor of President Donovan Moffett. 

In 2007, Moffett Center underwent a partial renovation. The original pool was removed after it was decided the Park Center pool could more efficiently serve the campus. The pool was replaced with space to house the Sociology/Anthropology Department and includes an Archaeology Laboratory and museum space. Future building plans include a second phase of renovation that will transform the remainder of the building.

Sources: Ralston, Our Common Ground