The Plex in 1987, shot from the roof of Higgins Hall, with the running track at right and the Mods and Edmond鈥檚 Hall beyond. (Photo: University Archives)
Shortly after the William J. Flynn Student Recreation Complex opened in 1972, it was described by one publication as reminiscent of 鈥淲yoming鈥檚 Grand Teton range,鈥� containing 鈥渃avernous dimensions beneath hyperbolic parabolas of North Carolina pine.鈥� The article went on to observe that 鈥渢he women鈥檚 sauna is toasty, while the men鈥檚 is on the fritz . . . vice versa for the hot water.鈥� Published in Bridge magazine (BCM鈥檚 predecessor), that story may amount to the kindest thing that anyone ever said about the Plex. As early as 1989, University master plans began calling for the facility to be replaced, noting that it 鈥渋s not of high-quality construction, and normal maintenance costs are accelerating.鈥� The Plex is at last being razed this summer to make way for the state-of-the-art Margot Connell Recreation Center. Let us not forget, though, that for all its short-comings and eccentricities, the Plex had its charms, too. In its forty-seven years, the facility helped to improve the physical fitness of generations of students, and also played host to innumerable intercollegiate and intramural competitions, as well as gospel concerts, all-night walk-a-thons, Iyengar yoga and scuba diving classes, ROTC training sessions, and freshman casino nights.
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Help us say goodbye to the Plex by sending your favorite memories to bcm@bc.edu
