Welcome to the Seabury Center!
The Seabury Center is a facility for students and the greater campus community. The Seabury Center hosts the department of Health and Human Performance, is home to several recreation and wellness activities and is also home to Berea College Athletics.
At Seabury Center, we strive to create a friendly, safe and fun environment for the campus community. We invite members of all types to drop into one of our fitness classes or take a dip into our temperature controlled pool. Seabury is an excellent place to make new friends, and you’re likely to find plenty of participants willing to shoot hoops, play wallyball, or to show you how to use one of the machines in our weight and cardio rooms.
Being involved pays great dividends, as studies have found that those who participate in collegiate recreation programs maintain a higher GPA, are less stressed, develop a sense of community, and maintain a higher level of fitness throughout their lives. For all who are eager to learn, Berea College is ready to teach. The College offers a wide range of intercollegiate, intramural and club sports, allowing interested students an opportunity to choose a level of competition appropriate to their individual abilities and interests. So challenge yourself physically, learn something new, gain valuable leadership experience, or blow off some steam as you cultivate healthy habits at your own pace.
Just minutes off interstate 75, nestled quietly among rolling hills, Seabury Center represents a major commitment by Berea College to the health and well-being of its students, faculty and staff. The $10.5 million multipurpose wellness complex covers three levels and 106,996 square feet of space.
Matching Seabury Center to existing campus architecture (part of which required renovating the 1927 Seabury Gymnasium) was a huge challenge, and the successful result earned Messer Construction Company the “Build Kentucky Award” for 1995 from the Associated General Contractors of Kentucky.
Academic programs, intercollegiate athletics, campus recreation/intramural programs and an expanding emphasis on wellness programming for students, faculty and staff of the College operate harmoniously in Seabury Center. While the first priority of Seabury Center is its instructional mission, the Berea community, too, depended upon for financial support, has been invited to share in what Seabury has to offer. A limited number of community and alumni memberships for individuals and families are offered annually. Community groups also partake of Seabury facilities at attractive rental rates.
Seabury Center’s main arena is home to intercollegiate volleyball and basketball as well as concerts, festivals and other events. Seating capacity for athletic contests is 2,000; for concerts and other attractions, 3,000. A 200 yard indoor track circles the upper level of the main forum. The swimming pool, Gunkler Natatorium, is named in honor of the College’s dynamic physical educator, “Occie Gunkler”, is a 25 yards and has 6 lanes. The “Wilson Evans” Tennis Center, named too for one of its favorite sons, features 10 all-weather tennis courts inviting players to the magnificent hillside retreat.