Golden Nuggets of Golden Gymnasium

The clock struck 7 p.m. on my first Wednesday evening at Point Loma Nazarene. Ecstatic, I leaped up, chugged a 300mg Reign energy drink and proceeded down Caf lane toward Golden Gymnasium. The previous pep in my step came to a halt when I entered the weight room. I witnessed the line of students, airpods in, clutching their protein shakes, waiting for one of the four squat racks to free up.

At this moment, it became clear that even this 61-year-old gymnasium has faced modern-day problems. 

Built in 1962, this aircraft hangar shaped building, according to Merrie Monteagudo, PLNU archivist, was excavated deep into the hillside of Sunset Cliffs, creating one of the university’s most historic buildings.  

Monteagudo said the gymnasium that was one of the largest playing floors in Southern California, was not made to sit more than 2,000 people. This didn’t stop the 5,000 individuals seated in the gym during Martin Luther King’s speech in 1964. 

Over the decades, the Golden Gymnasium had been used for a multitude of occasions, including speeches, theatrical presentations and concerts.

“Lots of international stars have utilized this space,” Monteagudo said. “Magic Johnson hosted a youth basketball camp in the 90s.” 

Monteagudo believed the gymnasium to be an important part of student life and the community. 

“You don’t just have to go there for athletics; this is also a meeting place and a common ground for students to immerse themselves in,” she said. 

The gymnasium had been a preserved iconic arena, Monteagudo said, for many public figures, including Jeff Bolster, PLNU vice president for university services. Bolster, who was a student at the time, said he distinctly remembers the fall of 1992.

“My good friend, Frank, was on the men’s basketball team, and at the homecoming game we were all in the bathroom painting [his] name in large letters across our chests,” Bolster said. “During this, Carroll Land, who the PLNU baseball field [is] named after, walked in, saw us with paint brushes in hand, shook his head and walked out.”   

The gymnasium’s legacy has continued today with many intramural teams, students who use the weight room and PLNU’s official basketball and volleyball teams, all in this shared space. 

“For what is a very small, limited facility, we have maximized it,” Bolster said. 

Even though this may be the case, Bolster said he agrees with many other students’ who have reported that there are too many competing groups in such a small space. 

Veronica Estrada, a third-year marketing major and open gym supervisor, was sitting on the newly renovated bleachers in the gym, watching intramural volleyball teams play. 

She said, “Students often ask me whether we have a certain machine, or for updates on the gym getting remodeled.”

Bolster said that there is a solution in the works for this recurring issue by responsible parties, including University Services, Intramurals, Student Senate and Athletics to create an interim solution.

“The hope for the future is to redo the west side of the track in summer 2025 to eventually replace the weight shed with more of an open air weight pavilion,” Bolster said.

The hours of the new location would be extended from the current gym hours, 7 p.m.-11 p.m., to 6 a.m.-11 p.m. 

Bolster said, “The goal is to meet modern day athletic demands for space, while continuing to maintain the gymnasium legacy.”