College administrators have hinted that the Malkin Athletic Center may be next in a long line of campus buildings to undergo a major renovation.

The hulking 110,000-square-foot structure, which serves as a home to five varsity sports teams and scores of undergraduate fitness buffs, hasn't had much of a face-lift since it was built in 1931.

For all its potential, users say the facility is rundown and not the type of gym they would expect Harvard to run.

Harvard agrees.

The University recently outsourced management of the MAC to The Boston Sports Club, a company that runs gyms throughout the country. And the company will submit a report to Harvard this week about the building's physical condition and fitness offerings.

But a more substantial overhaul isn't so far off, says Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68. And the building is big enough, some say, to help ease the College's notorious student group space crunch.

"It's an important building because of its location," Lewis says. "The volume of space is not fully utilized, and nothing much has been done with the building for awhile. If you notice, every major building--the older buildings around it--are getting new looks."

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