IAB Will Be Renamed Malkin Athletic Center

The Indoor Athletic Building (IAB) will be renamed the Malkin Athletic Center next month in honor of the man who donated nearly $4 million to renovate the athletic complex.

The 56-year old building will be named for Peter L. Malkin '55, who donated almost all of the $4 million over a seven-year period, associate dean for facilities R. Thomas Quinn said toward the end of the fundraising campaign last year.

Malkin, the son-in-law of Lawrence A. Wien, after whom Columbia University's Baker Field is named, refused to comment at the time of his donation and could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Director of Athletics John P. Reardon Jr. '60 would not comment yesterday on the renaming of the building. But Band Manager Alexandra B. Houck '87 said that she had received a letter asking the band to play at the dedication of the "Malkin Athletic Center (IAB)," scheduled for Feb. 8.

The rehabilitation of the building, started in April and originally scheduled to be finished by Septmeber, is almost complete, Reardon said.

He added that only "bits and pieces" of the renovations remain to be completed. He said that the pool, exercise, and fitness areas are all in operation, and that the new glass-encased mezzanine section is almost complete.

"The Nautilus machines aren't hooked up yet though," said Reardon, who added that he expects all the final touches to be put on before February.

In addition to the money donated by Malkin, the University hopes to raise an endowment of nearly $2 million to pay for the day-to-day operations of the building, said Reardon. He said that despite cost-saving renovations such as improved wiring and heat-saving windows, the daily cost of running the building could run as high as $300,000.

Other renovations to the building, which at 128,000 square- ft. is one of Harvard's largest, included restructuring locker space, repairing the roof, and enlarging the areas used by the Harvard wrestling and fencing teams. In addition, a glass-encased mezzanine level for aerobics has been added over the pool.

Some areas of the building were opened as early as October, but because the pool could not be painted until the mezzanine level was completed, it could not be used until December