The Home of the Blue Eagles

When Katipunan Avenue was still a vast grassland, the Blue Eagle Gym was the proudest landmark in the area. The gymnasium was the first building to rise on the Loyola Heights campus in 1949, three years before the college and high school units of the Ateneo were transferred there from Padre Faura. According to historical records, the gym was constructed under the direction of Ateneo Rector William F. Masterson, S.J., to be an alternative venue to the Rizal Stadium for the National Collegiate Athletic Association games.

It was viewed as a spectacular development for the university whose student population included many sports enthusiasts, particularly basketball fanatics. Its inauguration on 3 December 1949 was graced by esteemed alumni such as former Senator Ambrosio Padilla, who was then a member of the Ateneo Alumni Association Board of Directors, and Luis "Moro"Lorenzo, who represented the student body.

Complete article about the Blue Eagle Gym can be found at the Ateneo Website: http://www.ateneo.edu/?p=120&type=2&aid=1325

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