By 1957, Columbia already had constructed two baseball fields, touch football fields, and a soccer field in Morningside Park that were accessible to their students as well as the community members. Since these two vastly different groups were able to share these recreational fields, Columbia (in 1958) decided to build a gymnasium in the park for their growing student population that could be shared, much like the fields, with the public. The President of Columbia, Grayson Kirk, met with Robert Moses, the Parks Department Commissioner, as well as the Mayor of the city, members of the State Senate, an independent appraiser, and a New York City Department of Real Estate appraiser. In highly secretive meetings that were unknown to the public, they all signed an agreement and announced the plan in 1961 without consulting community leaders.
To Columbia officials, the gymnasium was much more than just a gym. It was the perfect way to address the urban decay occurring all around their prestigious university. The school believed it could help get rid of the urban blight while not intruding on neighborhood property (which usually meant people would be evicted). This way, Columbia could address the problem of Single Room Occupancy buildings (SROs) without having to deal with the aftermath of people and their families losing their homes. James Young, Director of Community Activities said, ‘Through this new gym many boys will be encouraged to develop healthy bodies, learn the meaning of fair play and develop tolerance of racial difference.’’
