Following a $9 million contribution from an anonymous donor, the second floor of Alumni Gym will now be called the Zimmerman Fitness Center, according to a College press release.
The College chose to name the area after Charles Zimmerman '23 Tu'24, former chairman of the College Board of Trustees, according to the release.
Zimmerman served on the Board from 1952 to 1972 and was chairman from 1970 to 1972. As chairman, he presided over the decision to admit women to Dartmouth and established the Dartmouth Plan during the administration of former College President John Kemeny. The Zimmerman Lounge in the Blunt Alumni Center, as well as Zimmerman residence hall in the East Wheelock residence cluster, also carries his name.
The College originally spent $12 million on a package of significant renovations to the Alumni Gym complex, completed in 2006, that included work on the fitness center, The Dartmouth previously reported. The project also included renovations to the facility's pool and the addition of eight multipurpose fitness spaces.
In order to complete the renovations, the College had to take on additional debt, which the donation will partly go toward eliminating, the press release stated. The remainder of the funds will be put toward the management of the 14,000-square-foot facility, with the creation of a fund to provide resources for equipment repairs and maintenance.
Since its opening, the fitness center has become "the largest contiguous fitness facility in the Ivy League," according to the press release. The center includes up-to-date exercise equipment, workout and classroom space, and attracts more than 900 visitors daily, making it a major hub of student activity.
At the time of its opening, the renovated fitness center tripled the available space for exercise and fitness activity from the previous facility, The Dartmouth previously reported.
"We are grateful to the donor for underwriting a facility that is critical to the health of our entire community and honoring an alumnus who gave extraordinary service to his alma mater and his profession," College President Jim Yong Kim said in the press release.
The College sees an important connection between learning and fitness, Kim said in the release.
"With scientific advances showing strong relationships between physical and mental well-being, we want every student to understand how diet, nutrition and physical activity affect not only longevity, but the functioning of our brains throughout our lives," he said.
In the past 10 years, the College has spent more than $85 million on the construction and renovation of its athletic facilities, according to the release.
