Mac To Reopen After Long Wait

The long wait to reopen the Malkin Athletic Center has finally come to an end, with the facility set to complete its renovations by Nov. 13, according to an athletics department official.

Group exercise classes are scheduled to begin on that date, according to the Harvard Athletics Web site.

Renovations were originally scheduled to be completed by the end of October. Nonetheless, Jeremy L. Gibson, the associate director of athletics, said that he was pleased with the speed of the work given the magnitude of the project.

“The majority of the construction is complete, and we are currently moving equipment, getting offices re-situated, and trying to get everything lined up,” Gibson said.

Users of the facility said that the wait for a renovated Mac was a necessary inconvenience.

“It was a huge operation that needed to be done,” said Jay T. Weiss, Harvard’s head wrestling coach. “We’ll feel back at home at the Mac.”

With its close proximity to the River Houses, the Mac’s reopening has generated a great deal of excitement among undergraduates.

“I’ve been waiting for a long time,” said Vinita B. Andrapalliyal ’09 of Eliot House. “The house gyms are gross and the Hemenway’s too far. [The Mac’s] closure has put a cramp in my exercise schedule.”

The nearly seven-month renovation process was set to begin in February but was delayed to March after a student outcry over the lack of notice given to sports teams.

In addition to serving as a place for students to exercise, the Mac is also a site for intercollegiate athletics.

It played host to the 2000 Ivy League Women’s Volleyball championships, and is considered one of the top fencing facilities in the world, according to the athletics department Web site.