Dr. William N. Bates, professor of Greek Studies at the University of Pennsylvania during the early 1900s, recommended the name Palestra for the newly constructed gymnasium, built to house the ever-increasingly popular game of basketball. Dr. Bates fittingly drew his inspiration from ancient Greece – the young men would train their skills in their gymnasia then compete to demonstrate their skills and prove their abilities in front of the public in an attached enclosure called a Palestra. Today, if you were to take a walk down 33 rd street, you might recognize Penn’s gymnasia, also known as Hutchinson Gym, with The Palestra attached to the north side.