University of Idaho Campus Photographs Collection

History

The Physical Education Building (PEB), originally known as the Women’s Health Education Center, was completed in 1970 alongside the adjoining Swim Center. Coeur d’Alene architect Fulton Gale of Culler, Gale, and Martell designed the building. It was commissioned after the Women’s Gymnasium was repurposed for the Art and Architecture Department. The new facility aimed to support women’s health education. Over time, the PEB has housed physical education classrooms, staff offices for the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences, locker and equipment rooms, a gymnasium, and a dance studio. As of 2024, the building continues to serve these functions, while the Swim Center remains in use as originally intended. The PEB contributed to the university’s educational mission during a time of campus expansion.¹

Design

The building features a two-story, rectangular plan with a long eastern front, short north and south ends, and projecting wings to the northeast and southwest. The design connects irregularly at the north to the Swim Center. The form and details express a Brutalist sensibility, including tapering slab brick buttresses, tall exterior stairwells, and large, flat brick wall panels.²

Physical Description

The structure comprises steel-reinforced concrete masonry units set on a slab and concrete basement foundation. Its red brick veneer is laid in running stretcher bond. The roof combines saltbox and shed forms with black metal cladding on visible areas and a white membrane covering the remainder. Entrances feature glass double doors with black trim, transoms, and sidelights. Windows are plain-trimmed and rectangular.³

Notes

Images of Physical Education Building (PEB)