At nearly 60 years old, the Carter Physical Education Center is showing its age — not enough to elicit talk of demolition on its campus home at Athens State University, but, rather, of renewal.

This week, administrators and the public met at a town hall meeting to discuss the future of Carter Hall, which originally was erected in 1965. A proposed renovation to the facility — now the area’s largest multipurpose space since the 2019 closing of the Limestone County Event Center — would add 19,600 square feet of new construction on the building’s south side, while adding another 8,100 square feet to the north.

An architectural rendering of the proposed renovation was presented at the meeting. Carter Hall’s current use as a gymnasium would continue if the renovation is approved, enhanced by the new addition of more than 1,000 new seats as well as the installation of mobile partitions that would afford a variety of spatial configurations to accommodate concurrently-running events. The rendering also calls for a multipurpose space on the facility’s north side with its own seating capacity of approximately 700.

‘As Athens and Limestone County continue to experience unparalleled growth, the demand for usable workforce education space and multipurpose community and event space has become an ever-increasing challenge,” the university said in a release after the town hall meeting. “It has been proposed to renovate Carter Gymnasium on the campus of Athens State University into a space that accommodates these needs.”

Since its 1960s opening, the Carter Gymnasium “has been modified by removing bleachers, said the university, “but still remains a basic gym.” A pair of feasibility studies conducted in recent years, it added, “has concluded that the demand exists for quality event, training, meeting, and general use space.”

“We are truly grateful to everyone who came out today to share our vision regarding what a renovated Carter Hall can be for both the University and the Athens/Limestone County community,” said Athens State president  Dr. Catherine Wehlburg in the university’s followup statement.

“It’s a powerful example of what we can accomplish when we work together to invest in our future. Having a beautiful and much-needed set of spaces in both levels of Carter Hall will provide our community with a vibrant hub for collaboration and more. These renovated spaces will serve as a welcoming and inspiring environment for all who walk through our doors.”