Faces of UTPB: The Gym
Places on Campus
The Gym, also known as the “Falcon Dome,” has had a lot of changes since its opening in 1973.
Originally, the gym was designed for faculty, staff, and students to play basketball. There were four hoops set up in the facility and the floor was pulastic, a high-performance sports surface.
When the University became a four-year institution, wood bleachers and two hoops were installed. The wood flooring that is in the gym today was installed over the pulastic floor around 2004. Around that same time, the women’s & men’s basketball and volleyball locker rooms were renovated.
The current volleyball and swimming and diving locker rooms used to be faculty locker rooms, but the spaces were converted when we added the teams to our athletics program. In 2018-2019, the gym was repainted to what it is now. Three years later, during the summer of 2022, the athletic department wrapped the hallway outside the gym. Renovations to the gym have continued to happen, most recently with the installation of portable hoops which were installed in November 2023.
The Falcon Dome isn’t the only space that's been upgraded in the Gym building, the weight room has also received multiple renovations. The space was originally three-fourths the current size when it first opened.
Before the D. Kirk Edwards Family Human Performance Center was opened in the fall 2020, the athletic administration was housed on the second floor of the Gym where the men’s and women’s basketball offices are currently located. Our spirit teams also use the gym facilities. The cheer team practices in the upper gym, and the dance team and ballet folklorico use the dance studio.
As the years have passed, the gym has stood as a testament to the growing spirit and athletic programs at UT Permian Basin. We look forward to many more years of celebrating Falcon wins and creating unforgettable moments in the Falcon Dome.
