Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall
| Home to | Lehigh Wrestling, Lehigh Volleyball, Intramural/Club Sports |
| Address | 671 Taylor Street, Bethlehem, Pa. (Asa Packer Campus) |
| Opened | 1942 |
| Renovated | 2003 |
| Capacity | 1,788 |
| More Information | Volleyball Visitor's Guide Wrestling Visitor's Guide |
HISTORY
Grace Hall is home to Lehigh’s nationally ranked wrestling program and women’s volleyball program. The legendary facility, fondly known as "The Snake Pit,” first opened its doors in 1942 and underwent a substantial renovation in 2003. Upon re-opening in November 2003, the building's lower level was renamed Leeman-Turner Arena after legendary wrestling coaches Gerry Leeman and Thad Turner.
The arena officially seats 1,788 and is also used for intramural and club sports, concerts and lectures. This level also contains a newly renovated women’s locker room area, and serves as the headquarters for Lehigh's intramural and club sports programs.
The top levels of historic Grace Hall now house the new Caruso Wrestling Complex. The two-story facility contains a new Hall of Champions, coach’s offices for wrestling and volleyball, sports medicine area, meeting rooms, locker rooms, a weight room and state-of-the-art training space that overlooks the beautiful South Mountain. This facility has become one of the top training centers in the country for college wrestling and is home to the Lehigh Valley Athletic Club, a sponsored training site for Olympic Development in the sport of wrestling.
Grace Hall itself is named after its donor, Eugene Gifford Grace, Class of 1899, who served as the Chairman of Bethlehem Steel Corp., and president of the university's board of trustees from 1924-1956.
Prior to its renovation in the early 2000's, Grace Hall also served as the home to both Lehigh's men's and women's basketball programs. The men's team played in Grace until the opening of Stabler Arena in 1979, while the women continued to use Grace Hall as their primary home until the 1989-90 season. Today, both teams use the facility as an alternate practice site.
The renovation created an expanded lobby area with glass walls, a VIP skybox area, a modern radio and television broadcast area, and spectator seats that are as close to the action as they were in the old setup. Retractable seats allow the playing surface to be transformed into three full-sized multi-purpose courts. Click here for a photo gallery of the 2003 renovation process.
EVENTS
In addition to Lehigh wrestling and volleyball, Leeman-Turner Arena at Grace Hall hosts numerous events throughout the year, including:
- Lehigh club sports
- Lehigh intramurals
- Various external events including camps, clinics, concerts and lectures
DIRECTIONS AND PARKING
All gameday parking for Grace Hall is available in the Alumni Memorial parking garage and the Zoellner Arts Center parking garage. A shuttle bus is available for transport to Grace Hall. See the Visitor's Guide for more parking information.
Click here for printable driving directions to the Asa Packer Campus
CONTACT
For more information about this facility or its programs, please contact the following:
1) Facility Rental: Allen Biddinger
2) Lehigh Wrestling: Pat Santoro
3) Lehigh Volleyball: Alexa Keckler
4) Club Sports: Barb Turanchik
5) Intramurals: Jane Josephson
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