A new state-of-the-art U.S. Squash Center has officially opened over the weekend in the historic Pennsylvania State Armory Building on Drexel University’s campus. The center is named after the late Senator Arlen Specter who was a great fan of the sport.

The Specter Center will serve as US Squash headquarters and is currently hosting the 2021 U.S. Open Squash Championships. It will serve as the permanent home of the tournament, which brings the top players from around the world competing for the title.

The Center held a grand opening ceremony on Saturday when it officially opened its doors to the residents of Philadelphia. The Center will serve as a community hub where all Philadelphia residents can learn and play the sport. Learn-to-play squash clinics and free and reduced-cost memberships will be offered to ensure all interested residents are able to enjoy the sport of squash.

The Center is located and will operate its community programs in one of 22 federally-designated Promise Zones, which are designed to address the challenges associated with persistent poverty by encouraging robust community programs and increased economic activities.

The drill hall of the historic Pennsylvania State Armory Building, where the 75,000 square foot Specter Center is now located, was home of the 103rd Engineer Battalion that trace their origins to the nation’s first national guard unit, The Associators, formed in 1747 by Benjamin Franklin.

To learn more about the new Squash Center and its programs, visit: https://spectercenter.org/.

Photos by Michael Rodriguez